Welcome. For those of you who don't know me, my name is Sinead Miller, and I am proud to be a member of the class of 2015. I really should call it the family of 2015, because this class has been family to each other and to the community for four years.

Being the youngest of six, I have learned a few things about family over the years. There are a few identifiers to a loving family that my real family and this class have in common. A family has fun together, and a family matures together. A family fights with each other, and a family makes up with each other. A family cries together, and a family laughs together.

Above all, a family is there for each other no matter what, and that is what truly makes the class of 2015 the family of 2015.

My real family members are good representations of the family members sitting behind me. There are the Zachs; the kids who, despite their age and experiences, never grow up. I say that as a joke but I also mean it — in a completely good way. They manage to keep alive the childish freedom and happiness that others lose as they grow up and deal with hardships. Faced with those same hardships, Zachs still manage to work through them with a smile on their face, and also a little help from an unstoppable Lego clone army.

Then there are the Kelseas; the ones who thrive in any environment: the city, the small town, probably the moon. They have a crazy amount of focus that allows them to take on any amount of tasks they want. Whether it's practicing a sport, working a job, or nailing their schoolwork, these people seem to do everything they do as if it's their passion; what they were born to do. Sure, they may crack jokes that don't make any sense sometimes, and I'm not going to tell you that good family members should laugh anyway, but they all love the Kelseas nonetheless.

Next are the Dannys, the one that never fail to make you laugh. They are always there to hug you when you're sad, before the first tear even falls. They go through life with an unfazed passion for making other smile, despite the fact that sometimes the same people will insult them for being a little different. There will be people saying: "I've never seen the Dannys mad before." And there will also a few people who witness them raging over video games firsthand.

Then there are the Cormacs, who lift things up and put them down. But they also lift things up and put them down. Or, at least, that may be your first impression, but after getting to know them, you'll see that their quietness does not represent lack of thought, but rather an understanding that sometimes silence is not a shame. And if you start a conversation with them, you'll find yourself crying tears of laughter in a matter of seconds.

Next are the Killians, the kids who survived through their Justin Bieber hair phase and came out of it stronger. Whether they're in that phase or not, Killians are the most generous with their time and money. You can always "borrow" a dollar, which can really add up after a while, but they don't keep track. They'll stop whatever they're doing and give up their time to give you a ride or help you find your phone. They'll do all this without a complaint, and without telling you that you owe them anything.

Finally, there are the Dans and Eileens. While all the on-again-off-again couples go on their roller-coaster they call love, the Dans and Eileens stay together through all odds and prove that true love is worth fighting for. Dans and Eileens will be there for you no matter what, whether it's to tell you you've done something stupid or to remind you that no matter how stupid you are, you are unconditionally loved.

I guess there are also the Sineads, the youngest brat who writes a speech about you where she insults you then tries to make up for it by writing a bunch of compliments. But she really means every word, and she just has a whole lot of love for her fellow family members.

I am proud to call every kid sitting on this stage with me a member of my family, and I bet those of you still listening by the end of this can tell which family member you are. I hope you know that all of them are equally beautiful and successful, even though they are different. It's actually these differences that makes a family work, and even though some of us might miss family reunions in the future for whatever reasons, we should know that no matter what, for the rest of our lives, we are the Boothbay Region High School Family of 2015.