Also see Coming of Age, Class Reunions, Higher Education, Graduation Albums, Knowledge and Learning,
and this tribute to my graduating class - the GHS Class of 65.

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Page Toppers


Quotes


Words to a Graduate

Dare to dream, dare to try,
dare to follow your heart.
Opportunity is calling
and graduation's the time to start.
As you seek new challenges
and make your dreams come true,
may this graduation day be a reminder
of all that you can do.


As You Graduate

Cherish your memories,
but look forward . . .
Treasure your friendships
but reach outward . . .
Learn from the past
but move onward . . .
Live each day with hope
and climb upward . . .


Graduation

Until now your goal has been
to be like everyone else.
The same kind of clothes and shoes and hair
You might've lost touch with yourself.
Suddenly . . . these superficial things
Aren't as important as they seemed to be.
Now is the time to examine your soul . . .
Do you like the person you see?
Will you walk through this world with selfish desires?
Will your greatest concerns be your own?
Will you love your brother and care for him too?
Or will you make your journey alone?
You know you'll get but just one chance
Your earthly like to live.
So learn first to make "self" last
and learn well how to give.
For success is measured
not by treasures you might find
But by the good you do for others
and the love you leave behind.


Graduation

I do not know beneath what sky
Nor on what seas shall be thy fate;
I only know it shall be high,
I only know it shall be great.


Watch Your Step

The future lies before you
Like a field of driven snow,
Be careful how you tread it,
For every step will show.


Facing Graduation

(Laura Rollins Lee)

Faces of old and faces of new,
People we know and people we knew.
Growing together then drifting apart,
Always an ending and now a new start.
At graduation we all grow nearer
And all our friends seem so much dearer.
And as we say our final goodbye,
One last embrace and one more cry,
A "keep in touch" and a "promise I will"
A "remember when" but better still,
A place in my heart, you'll always stay,
That is what's said as we go our own way.


Advice to a Graduate

To live a successful life
Does not require
Money, fame, power, prestige
Or status symbols . . .

It's more a matter of
Being true to your beliefs and principles,
Doing your best,
Even in the smallest of things,
And never taking for granted
The simple joys in life--
Such as laughter, a perfect day,
Or a loyal friend.

For all the money in the world
Can't buy self-esteem, character,
Contentment, love or happiness--
And these are the very things
That make life
Worth living.

However you define
Happiness and success,
May you find and enjoy them
Every day of your life.


Celebrate yourself

Celebrate yourself,
for this is a special day.
One that belongs to you . . .

a day for thinking back
on all that's led up to the day,

and for looking ahead
to all the good times
yet to come . . .

And somewhere between
old memories and new hopes
lies a special moment--

a moment for being glad
that you are you,

and that there's no one else
quite like you . . .

After all, you're the reason
today is a special day,
so celebrate yourself!


Poem for a Graduating Daughter

Young woman, my daughter,
my joy and my heart,
You've reached the end
only to find a new start.

The world sees the young woman
with her charm and her smile,
but behind the woman,
I will always see the child.


School Day Memories

As we reach our hand
the diplomas we grasp,
While we think of the memories
Of the years in the past.

Tears fill our eyes
Because it's all gone.
We're starting a new life,
We have to move on.

We hope friends will keep in touch
As the years pass us by,
Although it hurts inside
We'll try not to cry.

We think of Kindergarten
And our first day.
Now we've reached the end
We are going away.

How do you say good-bye?
To friends who mean so much?
Will there be time
To sincerely keep in touch?

You'll always have the memories
Of your school years from day one.
Don't think of school as ending--
Think a new life has begun . . .


Saying Goodbye

(from "The Muppets Take Manhattan")

Saying goodbye, going away
Seems like goodbye's such a hard thing to say
Touching our hands, wondering why
It's time for saying goodbye.

Saying goodbye, why is it sad?
Makes us remember the good times we've had
Much more to say, foolish to try
It's time for saying goodbye.

Don't want to leave, but we both know
Sometimes its better to go
Somehow I know, we'll meet again
Not sure quite where and I don't know just when

You're in my heart, so until then
It's time for saying goodbye.


That's a Good Question

The graduate with a Science degree asks, "Why does it work?"
The graduate with an Engineering degree asks, "How does it work?"
The graduate with an Economics degree asks, "How much will it cost?"
The graduate with a Liberal Arts degree asks, "Would you like fries with that?"


Graduation Page and Album Ideas


Graduation ABC Album

Deb Egger is making an ABC album for her son for graduation based on the poem below. She is using an 8 1/2 x 11 album in his school color. Each page will have a special picture (favorites of him through the years) along with journaling of her thoughts, dreams, and wishes for him pertaining to the line of the poem. The album will include lined pages with messages written by friends and family, a copy of the song I Hope You Dance and other poems and quotes.

Ask for what you want
Believe in yourself
Change your mind
Do what you love
Enjoy each and every day
Follow your heart's desire
Give more than you receive
Have a sense of humor
Insist on being yourself
Join in more
Kiss and make up
Love and be loved
Make new friends
Nurture your spirit
Overcome adversity
Play more
Question conformity
Reach for the stars
Speak your truth
Take personal responsibility
Understand more, judge less
Volunteer your time
Walk through fear
X-perience the moment
Yearn for grace
be Zany


Photos to Take of Graduation

(from the May/June 2000 issue of Memory Maker Magazine)


Life's Rules


Graduation (Friends Forever)

(Vitamin C)

And so we talked all night about the rest of our lives
Where we're gonna be when we turn twenty-five.
I keep thinking times will never change
Keep on thinking things will always be the same.
But when we leave this year we won't be coming back
No more hanging out cause we're on a different track.
And if you got something that you need to say
You better say it right now cause you don't have another day.
Cause we're moving on and we can't slow down
These memories are playing like a film without sound.
And I keep thinking of that night in June.
I didn't know much of love
But it came too soon
And there was me and you
And we got so blue.
Stay at home talking on the telephone
We'd get so excited, we'd get so scared
Laughing at ourselves thinking life's not fair.
And this is how it feels.

[chorus]
As we go on
We remember
All the times we
Had together.
And as our lives change
Come whatever
We will still be
Friends Forever.

So if we get the big jobs
And we make the big money
When we look back now
Will our jokes still be funny?
Will we still remember everything we learned in school?
Still be trying to break every single rule.
Will little brainy Bobby be the stockbroker man?
Can Heather find a job that won't interfere with her tan?
I keep, I keep thinking that it's not goodbye
Keep on thinking it's a time to fly
And this is how it feels.
[Repeat chorus]

Will we think about tomorrow like we think about now?
Can we survive it out there?
Can we make it somehow?
I guess I thought that this would never end
And suddenly it's like we're women and men.
Will the past be a shadow that will follow us 'round?
Will these memories fade when I leave this town?
I keep, I keep thinking that it's not goodbye
Keep on thinking it's a time to fly.

(I used the above song as background music for a Power Point presentation of photos from my 40th class reunion.)


Here is a great website about the History of Graduation.


Songs about Graduation

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