May 26, 2007

Commencement Welcome
by Head Monitor Gordon Atkins '07

atkins

photo by Bob Falcetti

                  

This past week, writing this speech and choosing its theme has been at the top of my “To-Do” list. And ironically, I’ve decided to talk about just that—my perpetually changing, ever demanding, and usually misplaced or lost To-Do list. I’ve also decided to throw in some humor too. If it works…great! If not, whatever. I’m graduating in like 20 minutes.

Okay, so the To-Do list. Everyone has them. Not every one is written down or tangible, but everyone does have them. Sometimes they’re long, sometimes they’re short. Sometimes they’re about the long term, sometimes the short term. But always it somehow feels like they’re never complete.
           
For instance, take one of my To-Do lists from last week. I had written things like:
1) Take pictures of the Taft campus
2) Return my track uniform to Mr. Joe Halton
3) Play pickup soccer
And
4), which is somewhat embarrassing, Give winners of this year’s Halloween Costume Contest their jig certificates.

The To-Do list.
When we complete a chapter of our life, we often tend to worry about whether or not we’ve completed this list. For all of us seniors, it’s been a while since we’ve arrived at Taft, and, like it or not, this school has become a part of our lives. If we leave our Taft To-Do list unfinished, will that part of our life be incomplete, unfulfilled?
           
And the answer is No!

Inherently, “To-Do lists” are never fully completed. Because if they’re good, they’re very difficult to check off. Each list is constantly changing. And often, time simply runs out. For instance, when I wrote down this week “1) Upload all of Dan Fertig’s Techno to my computer” I simply ran out of time. I never did it. Never will.
So when you receive your diploma on this very emotional day, your Taft To-Do list may not be complete at all. But it IS finished.

Fortunately, it’s not what you’ve left undone that matters. It’s what you have done. It’s what we’ve done. And we’ve accomplished a lot—as both a class and individuals.

So this afternoon marks the beginning of our new To-Do lists. Those regarding the summer, college, and just Life.

And honestly, I think capable of anything. I mean sophomore year, it took, what, less than five minutes of incessant chanting during a fire drill in Wu to convince Dareus “D-Train” Green to do his whistle.

Most of all, I really just want to tell my classmates, my schoolmates, and my teachers, that I am really going miss all of you. I’m excited to graduate, but Taft will be very difficult to leave behind—I hope that we can say “See you later,” rather than “goodbye.”

This school has been great. This class has been great. And it’s been an honor to speak here, in front of you all, about life, liberty, and the pursuit of your To-Do list.

Thank you.