Family, friends, faculty and fellow Boothbay Region High School students: This afternoon is my last opportunity to speak to you all in my presidency and I would like to thank the students, the faculty and the community for giving me the honor to serve for the past year.

I am truly grateful to all of the BRHS class officers for their hard work and dedication, and especially to Ms. Manon Lewis, the student council advisor, for offering guidance on all topics, subjects and concerns.

In all my work as BRHS Student Body President for the 2014-2015 school year — every decision I made, every executive action I've taken, every change that has taken place — I've tried to give the Boothbay Region High School community the conditions to rise up, to build their future and their potentials. Bringing back the Homecoming parade, managing the events surrounding it, spearheading the CBS 13 WGME School Spirit Challenge fundraising, raising 23,971 pounds of food, and getting us on live television, I have steered the course in the direction of responsibility, effectiveness and productivity.

Today, I'd like to leave you all with three thoughts about your futures here at Boothbay Region High School and futures elsewhere. As past BRHS Student Body President Wyatt Anthony said in his address: "In high school, we are preparing for our futures in college, in technical school, in the job force. If we take something away from every situation, good and bad, we will continue to grow and develop our potential for success."

To the underclassmen, you're not going to love every class you take, just as we are not going to love every job we have. Allow yourself to risk, live on the edge — the "wild side" — because when nothing is ventured, nothing is gained. "Your gift may be sports, academics, the arts, or leadership," he said. "Regardless of your strengths and passions, the important thing is to work to your full potential in everything you do in life and you are certain to succeed."

High school provides a perfect setting to discover and excel at your gifts and passions, so allow Boothbay Region High School to guide you in every step of the way.

As past BRHS Student Body President Arden McSwain said in her address: "Sitting in our caps and gowns, behind me is a sea of blue that reflects the oceanfront community that raised us and the surrounding gold curtains are representative of the sun, the horizon, and the opportunities given to us."

To the BRHS Class Of 2015 and the students coming closer to the "real world," remember that, as you sit in blue, we need to always remember where our roots are, the place where we can sit down by the ocean and say we are home, even when we are always surrounded by the golden curtains of promise, opportunity and the impending future. Establish bonds and stay close with your class and the ones you love here in the Boothbay region, and even those you don't. Be grateful for those who are always there to support you — your family, your friends, your teachers — and cherish the memories that you have with one another. This sea of blue that's sitting before you today is going off to bigger and better places, but we will always remember all that you have done for us, the memories we have made with you, and where our home is.

As past BRHS Student Body President Sophia Thayer said in her address: "But first, let me take a selfie!" To all, remember to always have character. Even in our constantly technologically modernizing world, we should always remember to take advantage of the tools handed to us and the conditions they set. As we grew up, so did technology. It allows us to celebrate who we are, the characters that we have become. So post those hashtags, keep being yourself, and allow technology to integrate into your life. Keep recording every step you take in your life, let it "capture what you revere about your community," let your character develop, and just keep taking those selfies.

It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as BRHS Student Body President, guiding the students in resilience and hope. Through all the good days and all the bad days, we vied for opportunity and pursued an objective for our voices to be heard. Stepping forward, this school year became a beacon of hope for the rejected, dejected, and dispirited. These students found their willpower — their inspiration — and were uplifted by the goodness in each and every other students' hearts.

Even though I stepped forward as a leader, they all reminded me about the highest honor of all: being a student here with them at Boothbay Region High School. Compared to other schools, our student body might be weaker in numbers, but we are most certainly stronger at heart. Remember to take risks, remind yourself of your roots, and build your character. Strengthen your heart and prepare yourself for your futures, whether it's entering the "real world" or reaching this day and sitting on this stage with your graduating class.

And so, to all — family, friends, faculty, and my fellow BRHS students — good luck with your risking, good luck with your selfie-taking, good luck to the next student body president, and good luck to all your futures and to the future of Boothbay Region High School. Thank you.