"Here we are..."

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THE LAST CALVIN AND HOBBES EVER, December 31, 1995

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Here we are, and here I am, standing at this podium very uncomfortable to be perfectly honestly. But, before I go any further, four other students deserve some recognition. Being valedictorian gives me the distinction of speaking during graduation, but the other members of top five graduates of the class of '97 deserve to be honored as well. So, if you will, let us recognize the following friends: Anneke Van Kleek, Jamie Lindholm, Randy Cottrell, and our salutatorian, Brent Asseff. You've done a great job.

Where was I... oh, yes. Here we are. About twelve years of school, roughly eighteen years of life have come together to put us here, here... Louisville Gardens, Louisville, Kentucky... judging by the mean air speed, the angle of the lights: I would say 38 degrees latitude 85 degrees longitude, the United States of America, the continent of North America, the Earth, the solar system, the Milky Way, the known universe, here.

Here we are. Over the years, we've had four presidents, a war in the Persian Gulf, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of the cold war, and... and Lucky Charms--yes, Lucky Charms has gone from the original five color marshmallows (pink hearts, orange stars, yellow moons, green clovers, blue diamonds, you know) to the wild rainbow menagerie it is today. With upwards of eight or nine different colors and shapes, including purple horseshoes, red balloons, pots of gold, and BLUE moons! Why blue? I happened to have always liked the yellow moons. Why did they have to change them? And red balloons? What's so lucky about a... But I digress.

Here we are. Remember back over eleven years ago to that first day of first grade? Do you remember seeing the big kids for the first time, cringing in fear as they walked by? Remember those scary, yet somehow cool, fifth-graders? Do you remember just wishing to be just like them, to be that big, to be that old? Remember also the classes of coloring inside the lines, of construction paper, of simply adding two and two to get... four, and reading Dick and Jane see Spot run? Run Spot run? Those were fun times.

Here we are. But do you also remember January 28, the same year, 1986? Whether at home or at school, we together watched seven brave astronauts ride towards the sky in the Challenger , only to be cut short by the fire, the explosion, the cries, and the sorrow. Remember asking your parents why? Remember looking up at those big fifth-graders, wishing to be big like them, only because: "When I'm that big, I'll have the answers. I'll know everything. I'll understand, I'll understand why. I will."

Here we are. We're as big as fifth-graders now... and then some. Does anyone here feel that big? Does anyone here have the answers? Does anyone understand why? Does anyone... does anyone know what happened to the other two chefs who used to sell Cinnamon Toast Crunch? I mean-- there used to be three of them, but now all that's left is that old guy Wendell, and doesn't he seem to have put on some weight? Oh, it just me then.

Here we are. And our last four years, that tremendous time. Think back over everything we've seen and done. Soccer games and basketball, the plays and musicals. Academic team, HI-Q, band trips, Greek games, class discussions. First loves, dates, and prom. Bad hair days, good hair days, sometimes green hair days. Lunchtime, class time, flex time, portfolio in all its burning glory time. These are our memories of South Oldham. When we look back to our days here, we won't remember it each exactly the same. For we have all tread a different path, but somehow, all these paths have led together to this place, here.

Here we are. Look around. Look at who you sit by. Look at who they sit by, class of '97. Take in these faces. Some people you will see tomorrow, but not the next day, only from time to time. Others you shall never see again, for today sadly is the last time your paths will ever cross again. And a few, yes, only a few, will be with you forever, as friends, as partners, as maybe more. Regardless, we are here to say goodbye to each other. It is a scary step we must take in life, but we have said goodbye before, and we can do it again.

December 31, 1995--the Sunday comics printed for the last time, Calvin and Hobbes. We said goodbye; Calvin's parting words: "It's a magical world, let's go exploring." This is a magical world, and are we not ourselves about to embark on a journey. Calvin once described our journey justly in a poem, and so I choose to end with this poem.