Mansfield High School - Hornet / Green Years Yearbook (Mansfield, MA)

Page 24 text:

SALUTATORIAN WEDNESDAY MCMILLAN ah Our creation of an era of raging fads, grotesque wealth, and violent competition shows clearly our transience and our instability. In our quest for a life purpose we allow society to whirl us from one diversion to the next until, obsessed with enjoyng ourselves, we cease to realize that still we are founded upon nothing. We forget that society cannot ever give us a sure purpose; indeed, today’s ephemeral trends and attitudes show that society is merely the outward manifestation of all our inner doubts and insecurities. Turning to the world for a purpose, then, amounts to no more than placing trust in our own weaknesses and coarse desires. Parents, teachers, and guests, welcome to the graduation of the class of 1987. Though we do find brief happiness in living according to whim and popular fashion, we find lasting joy only in living by the universal constants upheld by a philosophy, a creed, or a religion. Free from our human weaknesses, these higher laws provide a solid, unchanging base upon which we can base our selves and our lives. We recognize that these principles represent an ideal “us” and we make our every action and thought bring us closer to that ideal. We let everything we do help us to fulfill the tenets of our faith. And when we acknowledge that lasting joy in life comes only from living out a faith, we see that true living is not a continuous following of whim to a superficial physical goal, but a constant striving to an enduring external one; and we see that greatness comes not from the amassing of wealth or the acquisition of fame, but from the quiet fulfilling of beliefs. We discover success when another watches us act or hears us speak and knows beyond a doubt our values and our deep trust in them. And so I call not only my fellow graduates but you, our parents, teachers, and guests as well, to commit yourselves--to honesty or to charity, to one virtue or to many--so that you will be remembered both fondly and well. Let your lives stand for something more than the indulgence of every passing want. Believe that you are too important to be merely generic members of a moody, restless crowd. Believe that you are of great value, worthy of your own love and respect. Seek your happiness not in the turbulence of the world, but in the constancy of the spirit.

Page 23 text:

VALEDICTORIAN - ALAN TUPAJ oad ee Ladies and gentlemen of the school committee, Mr. Barbarisi, Mr. Rosa, Ms. Flaherty, faculty members, parents, relatives, and friends, it is with great pleasure that we welcome you to today’s commencement and thank you for everything you have done to make this day possible. I would like to address my comments, however, to a very special group of young men and women, a group that I am proud to be a member of. I am speaking of you, the Class of 1987, and I congratulate you on your accomplishment. For the past few weeks, I’ve been picking up my pen each night and trying to write a speech. I came up with all of these grand philosophical concepts, tried to use these long, impressive words; I tried to be intellectual. Yet, I repeatedly failed to write what I wanted to say. Naturally, I became frustrated and disturbed. Then I started to think, an action that can often lead to some unpleasant discoveries. I found that I was afraid, afraid of not being able to write a speech that would live up to the expectations of others. It seemed as if it wasn’t myself writing, but someone whose only concern was to impress his family, his teachers, and his peers. I began to wonder whether other people experience this same frustration. Maybe other people, at times, want to open up and express their inner thoughts and feelings, but can’t, for fear of not conforming to what others think; for fear of not being accepted. I suppose that’s what I want to talk about today; our need to open up, our need to break down those walls which we hide behind, our need to be ourselves. Look around you. In a few short minutes each of us will go his or her way. Last Thursday, at our Senior Banquet, we were dancing with each other, hug- ging each other, telling each other in special ways how much we care. And, more of the same will take place today. But, I ask you, why must we wait until we separate to show our feelings for one another? What prevents us from expressing our emotions in our everyday lives? Why waste the little time we have hiding behind insincere masks which merely reflect what we think others want to see? Think about your closest friends. Do you truly know what they feel, what they believe in, who they really are? And, perhaps more importantly, do they truly know who you are? Others can never know the genuine inside unless you allow them to. Someone must take the first step if these fears are to be overcome, if some sincerity is to be achieved. Weall like to hear that we are loved. We all need to hear that we are loved. We all need to know that we are worth something to somebody. Don’t assume that the ones you love know that you love them. Tell them. A kind word, a friendly hug, sending flowers for no reason; such simple things can communicate love. Such simple things are badly needed. As we leave the protective environments of our homes and our school, I urge each of you to start out, in your new surroundings, as the real you. Strive to build the inner strength and self-confidence you need to believe in yourself and to express your feelings for others. Hold on to your values and don’t compromise. Release yourself from the fear of what others may think. You need not go out and find yourself. The real you is already inside. Instead, you must lose the fears which surround it. Ridding ourselves of our fears, however, is by no means an easy task. I believe this process begins with the loss of our pride, with a denial of our self-im- portance that will allow us to seek the help of others. Only after humbling ourselves can we hope to arrive back at our childlike spontaneity and imagination; back at the qualities which once allowed us to enjoy and to wonder at the simpler things; allowed us to express love without fear. I feel that it is this loss of pride, this loss of concern for what others may think, that the Bible refers to through the passage that states: “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Mt. 10.39) Finally, I would like to conclude by putting to practice some of what I have just shared with you. Mom, Dad, I love you both very much. And, were it not for your love and guidance over the past eighteen years, I know that I would not be standing here today. Thank you.

Page 25 text:

Lae mean Superlatives BEST DRESSED: Randy Stearns, Julie CLASS FLIRTS: Robin Maxcy, Chuck Stearns. Campbell. BEST PALS: Michelle O’Donnell, Sherry Antaya. BEST PALS: Joe Mahoney, Brian Koppy, Dan Waible. St 200 RECON 5 LIVELIEST: Dan Waible, ta ger ies Donlie Wood. FRIENDLIEST: John DuBeau, Sue Wellman. 21