Valedictorian address

Hello everyone, as many of you know I’m Kylee Burton. I’ve attended the Gilman school my entire life. Along the way I’ve had some amazing teachers who will forever leave a lasting impression on me. I can’t tell you every memory that I have of these wonderful people but thank you to those of you that taught me at one point in my life because without you guys I wouldn’t be standing here today.

There’s a story my dad likes to tell to people when he talks about how different my generation is from his and here’s how the story goes. My grandma hand writes many letters to me and they’re always in cursive. When I was in middle school my sister used to have to read the letters to me because I couldn’t read cursive. My dad used to think that it was so funny that we don’t learn cursive the way that they did in school. Yes I have learned to read cursive since then but during these last few years I’ve realized how something that used to be so important is no longer really taught. The lesson that I learned is that even though I didn’t learn this as well in school it’s still important to get through life.

Everyone said that high school flies right by and it’ll be gone in the blink of an eye so don’t wish it away. I can remember my freshman year thinking that it was all going to take forever and that my sister was so lucky to be graduating that year. Every year after it felt like the school years were going even slower than before. Then, we’d get to summer break, and summer break would be over in the blink of an eye. Before I knew it, I was back to walking through the cafeteria doors for school every day. Then during the end of our junior year during March of 2020 something big happened. It changed all of our lives and suddenly we weren’t getting to experience our high school lives anymore. Truth is when COVID hit last March many of us went and got jobs as soon as school got shut down. I went to work at the cheese factory almost full time while doing all of the classes online full-time. First of all after that experience I found out that I don’t see factory life being the job for me but it was definitely a good experience. Second of all when school got shut down and I got a job almost full time. It made me feel like an adult. I felt like I had already graduated. So yes , high school does go by in the blink of an eye. In the start of my Senior year during August I started a full time semester of college classes and I was a nervous train wreck. It was definitely a roller coaster during that semester so I decided to lighten my work load a little bit and only take a few college classes this semester. I’m so thankful for actually being given the opportunity to take that many college courses in a single year. Lesson learned to any younger classmen listening, take your college classes seriously and appreciate being able to take them because it saves you money. I experienced a few jobs in high school and all I can say is they all taught me different life lessons and they taught me to appreciate the money I made and love the things I bought myself a little more.

My classmates and I have all been given a wonderful opportunity to be able to apply for many scholarships and enroll in many college classes. These opportunities are going to help us pursue our education and plans after high school. While these weren’t the most enjoyable things to be doing during our senior year they will help us do what we want to do. I want to say something to my classmates real quick. Enroll in the program, course or job that you want to do. Don’t do something just because someone else wants you to.

I would just like to end this by saying thank you to some people. First I would like to say thank you to my parents Jeff and Renee Burton. You guys have supported me in all of my choices and you guys have pushed me to do better in school. I care about my grades but having parents that also care about my grades really helps to push me to succeed. Thank you guys for never giving up on me even if I didn’t always appreciate the help.

I love you Mom and Dad My second thank you goes to my friends and family for making me who I am. Whether It was helping me succeed in school and other activities, showing appreciation for my work while helping out, friendly criticism that helped me learn how to take things with a grain of salt, helping me understand the definition of the word friendship and showing me what it means to be appreciated.

My third thank you goes to someone who I wish could be sitting here today watching me give this speech. Thank you grandpa Bob for giving me the best childhood I could ask for. He was the one that let my friends and me camp in his driveway in the camper and let us all swim in his pool. He always wanted to host a party for my friends because he loved seeing me happy. He also got me to love the lake by riding the boat and the jet ski. He taught me how to golf, which is now one of my favorite hobbies. He was also my biggest supporter ever. It’s hard to stand here and achieve this dream when your biggest supporter isn’t here to congratulate you.

— Kylee Burton, Gilman High School valedictorian