Avery Long & Emma Wine co-Presidents, Class of 2020
KIT
SENIOR CLASS FAREWELL AVERY: Hey Everyone, It’s Avery EMMA: and Emma. AVERY: Your friendly neighborhood co-Class Presidents, coming to you live from the great outdoors. EMMA: Well, not live. AVERY: Yeah, you’re right, it’s not live. It’s not live ’cause, you know, we’re in a pandemic. A pandemic that took away our senior year — took away forensics; it took away prom; took away Quiz Bowl; took away graduation, Junior-Senior Dinner. All the things we’ve worked for are gone; honestly at this point [camera cuts] they might as well just do it on Minecraft. I mean, jeez. We’re giving our grad speeches outside. In T-shirts. Because of course we are, it’s a pandemic. Ugh.
We wouldn’t — couldn’t — be here without the community that raised us. … everyone in this community who mentored and supported us and equipped us to face this world.
EMMA: I don’t know if you’ve heard, but these are unprecedented times. AVERY: Everything’s fine. First, I want to wish everyone happiness and good health in these times, and extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has continued working through them. Today is a day unlike any other. It simultaneously culminates our high school experiences, and it also reminds us of what we’ve lost. This is not the end any of us envisioned for our high school careers. EMMA: Amidst all this unexpectedness, we’ve had adults tell us many things. We’ve been told time and again that the world needs us, and that we are going to be the ones to take this moment and create change. But I think it’s important to begin by making something clear: We know. AVERY: The Class of 2020 has grown up in a world that is uncertain. It’s a broken one with a burden of responsibility — where everything from climate change to literal pandemics create an uncertain future. We’re allowed to feel grief and frustration at what can sometimes seem to be insurmountable odds. Nevertheless, we persist. EMMA: The Class of 2020 is entering the world with a unique awareness and preparedness to wrestle with the world’s faults. And we’ve already started. AVERY: Our class is rich with diverse passions
and people who have already done incredible things with them. Our Roeper roots call on us to continue to use those passions to create a better world. And last I checked, we have no intentions of stopping now that high school is over. EMMA: Because despite its many faults, we know this world is a beautiful one. So in the moments that beauty shines through, let us wholeheartedly embrace the joy they bring. Moments like this one. Today is a celebration like no other. AVERY: Across our community, everyone will be hearing the same words, laughing at the same pictures, and coming together to celebrate us. EMMA: That means celebrating our accomplishments, but more importantly, it means celebrating our friendships, memories, and simply the people we are. AVERY: These are the things that define us, and in the cliché-making words of Polonius, “This above all: to thine own self be true.” EMMA: However, we wouldn’t — couldn’t — be here without the community that raised us. We couldn’t be here without the parents and teachers and bus drivers and administrators and maintenance staff and alumni and everyone in this community who mentored and supported us and equipped us to face this world. So even if it takes years after leaving Roeper to entirely realize the impact of this community, thank you to everyone who made us who we are. AVERY: We’re at the precipice of a whole new world; new places, new people, new lives … and yet, we’re here together. This is our ultimate triumph as the Roeper Class of 2020; one last time where all our experiences intertwine. EMMA: So, with my final words as a high school senior … AVERY: “One last time …” EMMA: We want to say thank you. It’s been an honor, AVERY: a privilege, EMMA: and an absolute joy. AVERY: Here’s to the Class of 2020 … EMMA: And all the beautiful uncertainty that awaits us. F
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