Notes

Well, we made it! It's finally the day we've all been working towards. After hundreds of thousands of hours of work, we are all getting the opportunity to walk across a stage in a sweaty gown, wearing hats that have cat toys on them, and (*photo of "At Least You Tried..." card*) our certificate of participati- uh, diploma.

But school isn't one of those things where you can simply just finish it and move on. Getting here is cool and all, but the more important part is the process. How did we get from fighting over toys in the toy bin to fighting over... photos on social media?

Let's turn back the clock 6 years. Close your eyes and imagine what you were like when you first walked through the front doors of Trinity (*photo of Holy Trinity high school*). I don't know about you, but I am not the same person I was when I walked in to that building on transition day. And most of us changed. We were all immature jerks back then with no idea what our futures were going to be like, and we woke up at 8am or so to get to school and take the bus. Then we had 8 or so subjects in defined time intervals, we had lockers, and we had to get to school at 8am. Do you remember the first day of 7th grade? I certainly do. I told my dad "hey, can you give me a wake-up call at 6 in the morning?" So at 6:15 am, he calls me on the landline and says "what are you doing with your life?"

But enough about me, because, let's face it, my journey isn't the same as any of yours, and vice versa. (*speaking quickly*) Oh, and open your eyes if you haven't already. I shouldn't have to say that.

(*normal*) I like to think of high school as a giant jigsaw puzzle, with hundreds, if not thousands of pieces to put to- (*photo of Avengers Jigsaw puzzle meme*) (*turns around quickly, then looks back at audience*) okay, not that many pieces. (*photo changes to 6,000 piece jigsaw puzzle*) Thank you.

This puzzle has thousands of pieces. One for each person, one for some classes, and some memories you made. But a puzzle is systematic, and so is every step of high school. So let's start with grade 7. At the start of it all, you have a clean slate. A chance to re-invent yourself and be whoever you like. But it won't be easy. After all, you just started. There are some groups that click easily (*2 pieces fit together, labelled Carter McNulty and Kyle Batchelor*) (*3 other pieces fit together, labelled Mya Belanger, Stephanie Shelegey, and Emmanuella Liagridonis*), and some classes all bind together (*27 blank pieces fit together*) - because they all seem like they're in a sitcom. (*names of class 7-5 all appear*). Not to mention the pieces that you think fit well, but in reality, they're part of a different box set entirely. (*pieces with Deion Dunlop and Noah senior flip, revealing prison inmates on the other side*) There are also... the corners. The ones that either isolate themselves or are alone against their desires. I won't lie to you, one of them was me. We were the lone wolves that didn't have many connections... but the ones we had were very strong. Meanwhile, the connections between the ones in the center? The nominal value was going up, since they were connected to many people. However, the true value of each was going down. That, my friends, is why being popular isn't important. It's not about how many connections and friends you have. That's just a number. The same goes for your grades. Because, as a matter of fact, I didn't get an 80% average! But I'm still standing here. Why? Because a number doesn't define you.

In 8th grade, you meet even more new people, and more teachers. It's slightly easier than last year,and it seems like everything's coming together. You start making more memories, and there are things that stick with you through thick and thin. Sometimes, you'll try to fit in with someone, and it just doesn't work. (*2 pieces labelled Quinten Stevenson and Inara Perez try to fit together, but break apart in the process. Quinten's piece flips over to reveal a prison inmate.*). But at the end of it all, you have a decent amount of groundwork laid, and you can move on. But from this point on, your workload grows exponentially. You have to start thinking about your future when you move outside of the school walls. What your future will be like. You'll remember this stage for being the calm before the storm. Before you had to worry about failing courses, the literacy test, and being stuck with Mr. Ilagan.

With Grade 9, you have to work on connecting your starting point to your end goal. More pieces start to connect to each other (*2 pieces labelled Sissily Lihou and Giovanni Moreno fit together*), and you start to create more long-lasting memories. Finishing your first RST, sitting your first Exam, writing your first high school test... failing your first high school test. But by the end of it, you've actually done a lot of work. You may have goofed off a lot during it, since that's what 9th graders do. But by the time you put your head down and focus, you've done a lot. But as I've said several times, it only gets harder.

And then, we reach Grade 10. Everything's going great! You've got around 4,000 pieces placed, and you're 66% done. But then, it happens. The biggest disaster to grace this school ever since the power outages in the years prior. Imagine a hand coming by as you're working on that puzzle, and it sweeps pieces off without any regard for your work (*pieces disappear as a hand moves over the puzzle*). It's not the hand of God, but rather the hand of a (*5 words appear one by one on screen as they are spoken. They are the next 5 words spoken*) Cruel, Overarching, Vicious, Irritating Disease. Otherwise known as... (*the first letter of each word on-screen turns red, spelling out "COVID"*). It was a bad time. Some friend groups didn't last the pandemic. Some memories were lost to time. So your goal changes - it's not about finishing. Start with a small goal, and you'll achieve a bigger one. Many of us looked for easy work-arounds (*puzzle piece appears marked "Ryan Bifolci cheating off someone else to pass Grade 11 Functions... or did he really?"*). Progress on your puzzle is halted for 4 long months.



The year was a demanding one. We had to put up with university applications. We had to put up with a lot more summatives. We had to put up with Mrs. Peters bragging about how she can name any isomer, all begging her to devote more attention to making sure we understand the material. So when we finally got to kick back and relax, it felt like a dream come true! Then the Grad Retreat actually happened. What was that activity you made us do, Mr. Whately? Bump bump bump, ghouly ghouly ghouly. Who named this thing, a 6 year old? Well, at least we got rid of that bad memory, by replacing it with an even better one. One I'd like to call back to in person, right here, right now. To re-create the impromptu concert in the hall, please welcome Justin Wong!
(Note: If I won the vote, I would've contacted Justin and asked him to sing "See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa here. I made it clear several times that I wanted to have him be a part of it if I won. I still stand by it.)

And now, we're here. With 1 piece remaining. That is why it's my duty and honour to congratulate each and every one of you. Because together, we will click that last piece into place. (*a final piece enters the camera view, labelled "Graduation Ceremony". It moves towards a single empty space in the jigsaw, slowly*) Ladies and gentlemen, it took 6 years, but the puzzle is finally co- (*screen cuts to black*) (*in a panicked voice*) Okay seriously, what is going on here. Why's the camera not working? (*sighs, and walks over to the camera*) Give me a second, e- (*the screen suddenly displays an expanding tornado symbol, and a retrospective montage plays*)

(*walks back on stage as the montage ends*) Gotcha! I told you I'd be able to surprise you. (*takes a deep breath, then frowns a bit*) Damn. I didn't think it would be hard to say goodbye. But here we are. All going our separate ways, all moving on to bigger puzzles (*image of 10,000 piece puzzle appears*). But the important thing is, this journey (*photo of Trinity's logo appears. It is missing the banner that has the motto on it*) of 6 years has trained us for any journey ahead, and I'll be forever grateful. To the teachers, who always put up with my nonsense. To everyone in my classes, who managed to keep me composed. And to everyone in the class of 2022. We may not be together forever, but you'll all forever be in my heart. Now, the more observant of you may have noticed the logo back there is missing something. I'll be missing something from this school. And that's all of you. But I know, deep down (*the banner re-appears on the logo. It has no text*), that if you just have faith (*the word FAITH appears on the banner*), and stay true to yourselves and your values (*the word TRUTH appears on the banner*), then all of you will achieve EXCELLENCE (*the word EXCELLENCE appears on the banner*). Thank you so much.