GENNA GIOIOSO
Student Council President
By GENNA GIOIOSO
Good evening. Superintendent Vogel, Mr. Cyr, Mr. Cleary, members of the School Committee, faculty, family, friends and members of the Class of 2023. Wow! We made it! Thank you all for being here and supporting the Class of 2023! We are incredibly fortunate to have so many encouraging mentors, family and friends in our lives. Without you, we would not be where we are today.
The consensus among most people is that high school is one big blur that contains countless small, important moments. When I was first tasked with writing a speech, I initially struggled to find the words to encapsulate our grade’s high school experience as a whole since each person’s experience is so individual. However, we do have one very important thing in common: Being part of Lynnfield High School’s Class of 2023.
My first memory is of our very first day of school freshman year when I was too terrified to even look a senior in the eye. The last thing I would have believed is that I would become Student Council president and be tasked with making this speech tonight! This really highlights how Lynnfield fosters a supportive environment that encourages all students to venture outside of their comfort zones. For me, this meant forging new relationships with classmates, teachers and coaches. Furthermore, here at Lynnfield, I found my voice and learned how to express it, as I am sure many of you did too.
By sophomore year, my most vivid memories were made on a computer screen. Thanks to COVID, the only way in which we were able to interact with each other and our teachers was through Zoom. This is when I began to realize how much I appreciated our freshmen experience of attending school in-person and being able to interact daily with all of the inspiring people here tonight. I recognized how special it was to be able to walk into school from the student parking lot with my friends or go to the cafe for a muffin (and a spoon) before class. Living our lives on screen underscored the value of those little social interactions, which we are now grateful to have back in our lives again.
Although entering junior year allowed us to reconnect, we also had to face new pressures with more challenging classes, various pre-college tasks and tests, and learning how to balance school with our social lives and other responsibilities. Adjusting back to normal life was not easy for anyone, but here at Lynnfield, once again, we benefited from the support of each other, our teachers and our families. And well, finally, senior year: The memories go on and on: Football games, Senior Nights, spending time with friends, going to prom, and now, at last, graduation.
I’ve shared with you a few of my most exhilarating and scariest moments at Lynnfield – but of course, each and every one of you has your own special list of memories too. Although we will never forget our late-night study sessions, the pressures of sports and the overarching anxiety of our GPAs, I will always hold dear these moments that will be engraved into my memory, these moments that I was able to make with all of you. So, thank you Lynnfield and thank you everyone for being here with me as we navigated this journey together. We are onto the next set of memories in our lives, and I wish you the best as you jump into new experiences, face new challenges, and rediscover the joys and uncertainties that accompany life’s best adventures!
