| Good afternoon distinguished guests, faculty, family, friends, and fellow graduates. As salutatorian, I think it is fitting to start with these words: "I salute you. There is nothing I can give you which you have not. But there is much that, while I cannot give, you can take." These words were spoken by a famous Italian monk, Fra Giovanni, in the 16th century - as true then as they are now. We entered high school with a daunting task: to face the toughest four years of our lives. None of us knew how we would turn out. We had dreams, ambitions, and apprehensions. We were told many things upon entering this new stage of life. "Get involved." "Take the tough classes." "Assert yourself." "There's no swimming pool." "There's no elevator." and "Watch out for that nun with the bone." They tried to instill confidence - artificial confidence because nothing that anyone can give us that we have not. Fra Giovanni was right. The confidence with which we entered high school came from within - it came from us. No one could also give us our gifts; our gifts are our own. In high school, we were given the chance to use our gifts for the betterment of ourselves, our peers, our school, and our world. We have had leaders: the SCA, presidents of clubs and organizations, captains of sports teams. We have had intellectuals; we have had artists; we have had artists; we have had athletes; we have had writers, poets, speakers, listeners. We have made names for ourselves - they were not given to us by others. Fra Giovanni was right again. "There is much," he says, "while I cannot give, you can take." No one can give us our four years of high school, no one can give us the past - but we can take it. We can take it, remember it, and learn from it. The oft repeated saying "The only constant is change," is very true. Our nation and our world have changed - Election 2000, September 11, War in Afghanistan, War in Iraq. Our school has changed - faculty, administration, uniforms, even the school's very nature. We have changed - we have grown, lived, loved, lost, and learned. From timid or not-so-timid freshmen, we have become seniors; from the sheep, we have become the lions; from the followers, we have become the leaders. Yet all this we had already; these last four years have been the chance to let our gifts grow. Let's take high school and learn from it: the triumphs, the tragedies, our nights of sorrow, our days of joy, and everything in between. Our memories of high school will vary widely, yet we have certainly experienced much together - much that we will never forget. From our first Superdance, the first time we heard "Piano Man," to Senior Prom, to dancing to "Das Alles Is Deutschland." From stressing over one test in one class to worrying about all of our college admission letters. From hyperactivity to senioritis. From being blocked in the halls and toppling under the weight of our overstuffed bags, to using our still overstuffed bags to help block the halls. To paraphrase the classic oldie, "We ain't seen nothin' yet - but here's something that we're never gonna forget." That "something" is high school; take it and never forget it. I salute you. There is nothing I can give you which you have not. But there is much that, while I cannot give, you can take. Take high school - take these four years - and always take life. I close with my wishes for you as we leave this place in Fra Giovanni's final words: "So, at this joyous time, I greet you with the prayer that, for you, now and always, the day breaks and the shadows flee away." May God bless you all, and return us to this fellowship once again. Thank you. (c) Copyright 2003, Stephen Chanderbhan |
| Salutatory Address by: Stephen Chanderbhan Salutatorian - Bishop Denis J. O'Connell High School - Class of 2003 Delivered at the 43rd Commencement Ceremonies at The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, DC 30 May 2003 |