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Senior Awards speaker Anthony Fischetti, a diehard Bruce Springsteen fan, offered the graduates five pieces of advice. He received a standing ovation from the crowd.
(done without publicity, fanfare, or photo op) and his peak physical condition at age 66 as further proof of his fine example. “Do the right thing because it’s the right thing,” Fischetti said. “We are Brunswick men. We don’t strut. Your body is the only one you’re going to get, and you’re going to need it for your entire life. Respect it. Cherish it. Care for it. And don’t abuse it.” For the final lesson, Fischetti turned to his all-time favorite Springsteen lyric, from the song “Badlands”: “For the ones who had a notion, and a notion deep inside, that it ain’t no sin to be glad you’re alive.” “Be thankful,” he concluded. “Thank your parents, teachers, professors, coaches, and mentors who will or have already taken an interest in you, cared for you, and assisted you in your personal, academic, artistic, athletic, and, someday, professional growth.”
Last Words: Straight from the Script By Anthony Fischetti NOW, FINALLY, I WANT you to try and remember what it was like
Middle School, when you were
in
brim-
ming with the innocence of poss ibility, and when you conjured up idea s and theories on a daily basis — man y of which were brilliant in their simp licity, some of which were unworkable and wildly inappropriate. Don’t lose that quality. If you recall, when you had one of those ideas, I tried to listen to you
with a deadly seriousness. I’d resp ond, “That’s very interesting.” You’d invariably reply, “So we’r
going to do it?” And I’d similarly invariably reply, “No.”
e
Well, one of my eighth-graders
recently saw the play Hamilton, and has become obsessed by it, memorizi ng
the soundtrack and playing it all the time. When he found out I was chos en by you to give this speech, he had one of those “brilliant” Middle Scho ol ideas and said, “Mr. Fischetti, you shou ld do the speech by rapping it, hip-hop style,
just like they do in the play.” Of course, I immediately told him that was an interesting idea, and then when he asked if I was going to do it, I said, “No.” But then I star ted thinking — wha t if? So, with all advance apologie s to Lin-Manuel Miranda and any serio us hip-hop or rap fans here today, this is called “CHT.” So you all just sit while I do this spit. Let me get the beat : I wrote a rap that I think you wan na hear Wednesday comes an end to your time here Four shor t years in our Upper Scho ol Then you’re off to college where you’ ll all be so cool You finish your class, you finish your day, you take three APs and they whisk you away To a game, to a prom, to an SAT
test You’ll eat a quick meal and you migh t get some rest You wake up real early. You do it
again. But it’s ok ’cuz you’re all Brunswic k men But please think about these thre e simple words You know them, you live them, it’s all that you’ve heard It’s really much more than being so smart You gotta think about ’em and take ’em to hear t ’Cuz when things get tough, as things often do You will remember Courage, Honor, Truth! Class of ’16 — Out!
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