If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be? I’ll give you a second to think about it.

Maybe some of you thought about sturdy sycamores, or delicate willows, or cartoon Truffula trees from the Lorax animated film, circa 2012. Personally, that was my choice. Maybe you didn’t think of any particular species, but said, a big tree. A strong tree. A pretty tree. Whatever tree you thought of, hold onto that thought for a little.

Trees are some of the most fascinating organisms on this planet. They take months, years, decades to stretch their branches up to the sky and dig their roots into the ground below. Roots hold the soil in place, help the tree acquire nutrients, and provide habitat for other creatures. They’re wonderful - and have you ever seen a tree growing on top of what looks like bare rock, too stubborn to starve or fall over? Have you ever seen a sidewalk cracked and broken because some obstinate tree’s roots destroyed the pavement in a quest for life? Roots cling, they nourish, they have power.

Just imagine for a moment: we are all trees. We are gathered here to celebrate our growth, as well as a future of branches arcing towards the sun. We have been through storms, through uprootings of our friends and peers, and therefore, we all have some of the same roots.

I’ve spent my whole life in Old Lyme. I’ve grown up with some of you, our trunks nearly intertwined with how close we’ve been throughout the years - I don’t have many memories of childhood without you in them. Some of you I met a little later, but my roots are tangled with yours anyway. I know that each tree in this forest will have stories in its rings, because our class is complex, layered, and magical. Every time I talk to anyone in our grade, I learn something new, both about them and about myself. I’m so grateful for all of you.

Of course, trees can’t grow to their fullest potential without a little help. So I want you all to think about the people who have supported you, and I’ll be selfish for a little bit and take the time to thank the people who supported me.

To my wonderful teachers, no matter how large or small of an impact you think you’ve had on me, thank you. The teachers in this school have been like the rain for this tree, like gentle showers of wisdom, support, and guidance. Whether you’ve helped me write my poetry (Mrs. Cleveland, Ressler, Duhamel, and Burke), supported my independent projects for charities (Madame), or simply asked me how I was in the hallway each day (DH), I have a lot of love in my heart for you. Mr. Allik, you get a special little shoutout, as the person who put up with endless tantrums and tears, who has worn me down so much that I’m finally following my passion in college.

I have to thank my friends and peers as well. You’ve been like the sun to this tree, helping my leaves turn green and unfurl. As I look at all of you, I’m so lucky. I get to make jokes with you, listen to you read your poems out loud, eat lunch with you, go to the gym with you, cheer you on at sports games, watch you go ham at spirit week challenges every year (george danes, you know who you are), go on endless goodwill trips with you, do crosswords with you when we should be listening in class, or even just pass by you in the hallway. You guys shine so bright - it’s wonderful and terrifying and I love you all.

And I need to say one last thank you. To my family, you are the soil I’m rooted in. You are the people who have supported me unconditionally, who wipe my tears when I cry, who teach me about life and love through everything you do. In particular, I need to give a special shoutout to the strongest person I know, the one who has dedicated her whole life to making mine better. Mom, you have taken me to thirteen-hour swim meets, let me scream when I’m angry, held me as I sobbed. People think I’m successful? I would be nothing without you cheering me on, reminding me of appointments I have to go to, and last but not least, waking me up in the mornings so I’m only tardy instead of absent. I couldn’t be here at all without you, both literally and figuratively. So, to my wonderful family, I love you more than I can say in words.

Just as we have grown through our four years here, our class has helped the school grow too. We have won championships, performed in shows, made new clubs, served our peers and community - you name it, we’ve done it. I could not be prouder of the things my peers achieve, or of the dreams I know each one of us carries forward.

The class of 2021 is passing down the torch - we are leaving behind our sports uniforms, our textbooks, our seats at lunch, and our mission to make this school and these towns a better place to learn and grow. I know that we will thrive after getting these diplomas, just as I know this school will thrive beyond our time here.

This, friends, is the place that we are from. This is the place from which we grow, stretching our limbs into the light of the world. I couldn’t ask for a better place for my roots to be.