BRHS Graduation

Salutatorian Welcome Address by Faith Blethen

Mon, 06/10/2019 - 5:00pm

Hello Everyone and welcome to Boothbay Region High School’s Class of 2019 graduation ceremony. My name is Faith Blethen and on behalf of this senior class I would like to say thank you to everyone here for taking the time out of your day to celebrate this special moment with us. I would like to extend my gratitude further though and say thank you to everyone that has shown up to all of the smaller moments that have gotten us here today. We appreciate the resources and time our beautiful community has spent raising us into the people we are on this stage.

When Mr. Welch told me told me I would be giving the salutatory address, I reacted the same way I always do when I hear I have to speak publicly: my heart began to race and I got really sweaty. As time went on though and I was contemplating what to write my speech on it suddenly hit me! Ready for this?

Hello. That’s all I have to say right? Is that not how everything starts? It may sound dumb, but more often than not we begin conversations, relationships, interviews, awkward moments, and speeches with “Hello.”

“Hello” comes in various forms such as hi, hey, sup, yo, howdy, and one of my favorites living in rural Maine … Yee Yee. Although the delivery may vary, the meaning behind hello still stands. “Hello” opens the doors to lifelong possibilities of friendships, learning, jobs and experiences.

Now, for the interactive portion of this speech, I want everyone here to turn to the person sitting beside them and say, “Hello.” I realize that you probably know the person sitting beside you, so if you do, then try the person in front of you or behind you. Trust me you will feel awkward doing this.

I first encountered this exercise sitting in the pews at the Boothbay Harbor Congregational Church when Doctor Sarah Foulger instructed the congregation to turn to your neighbor, the person sitting beside you, and greet them. This exercise established a sense of community in my eyes. Saying hello does not just break silence with the person beside you, it breaks into a world of possibilities. That person you just said “Hello” to may become your best friend, your teammate, your comrade, your professor, your boss, your employee, maybe even your husband or wife one day.

When I was younger, I used to think my mom was so “weird” for always saying “Hi” to everyone. No matter how random or familiar the person was, she always extended an enthusiastic “Hey!” In fourth grade, one Sunday afternoon following a basketball game, my mom taught me a lesson that I did not realize until recently. I was changing out of a sweaty uniform and into clean clothes for the ride home when she extended her enthusiastic “Hi,” to another mother and daughter in the locker room. I know what your thinking, sweaty bathroom, random people, where could this possibly be going, but so it goes. My mom spoke with this other mom for several minutes while the other little girl and I finished changing. The conversation was kind, just small talk, that I don’t remember today, but why is this tiny conversation important? Well, the conversation was not important at all, but I can tell you nine years later, I’m happy it happened. A couple months after this locker room encounter that began with a simple “Hello,” I ended up on the same team as the daughter in the restroom. That mother and her daughter are now two very close friends of my family. The little girl’s name was Anna DeWolfe and we have been best friends ever since. Moral of the story, even a hello in a bathroom may surprise you.

Class of 2019, we are all saying hello to a new chapter in our lives filled with new friends, new opportunities and new experiences. Each day we will have the opportunity to smile, waive and say, “Hello.”

So, Class of 2019 say Hello, hi, or Yee Yee, but no matter your word choice, say it often. You never know how far that hello will go. Thank you.