Good Afternoon and welcome, family, friends, faculty, and graduates, to the Boothbay Region High School Class of 2024 graduation ceremony. My name is Margret Sledge, most of you know me as Meg, and I have the honor of being the Salutatorian of the class of 2024.

I want to start of by saying thank you, whether you traveled down the road or across the country, it means the world to look out and see your support. A special thank you to my family, blood-related or not, for their unwavering support and encouragement throughout my high school journey. Their constant presence, whether cheering from the sidelines at sporting events or helping with the endless homework, has been vital in helping me become the student-athlete I have become.

We are gathered here today to celebrate the journey we have embarked on over the last four years. 24 is no longer just the beginning of our emails anymore, but it is the end of our chapter here at BRHS. The class sitting here to my right are not only my peers, but my friends and family. Together we have grown, from masked freshmen walking the halls for the first time to walking them for the final time today in our cap and gowns. Some of us have been together since the first day of kindergarten, and the rest have joined us along the way, but the friendships we've built, memories we've made and lessons we have learned are irreplaceable. We may go to a small school but I am beyond grateful for that because when I look at each of my 34 classmates I remember the endless fun times we have had over the years. In class, on the sports field or court, field trips, parade floats, and fundraisers, we have made the most of our time together.

Looking back on memories from the adventure that has been our high school experience a couple of moments stick out to me, but the one I want to mention was our sophomore-year homecoming float. Our theme was Back to the Future and I will say we killed it. Working together in the back parking lot decorating our float with balloons, streamers, and our own wicked cool version of the DeLorean. That was one of the first times I really saw our class together as one. Riding through town sitting on the back of a Hawke's flatbed holding on to the Maine License plate we made, that read OUT-A-TIME expiration 2024, I never imagined the time would pass as fast as it did, but here we are today really out of time.

With this door closing and the next opening, we are excited, sad, and some of us relieved after thinking this day would never come. I am extremely proud of the extraordinary people I have grown up with and I want to not only thank them for every moment we have spent together but leave them with something to think about. From Dr. Seuss’s “Oh the places you'll go:” "You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And you are the guy who'll decide where to go.” But, "You'll get mixed up of course, as you already know. You'll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with great care and great tact and remember that Life's a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left."

So to my seniors, as you start the next chapter in the book we call life remember that you are on your own path. So make smart decisions, learn from any and every mistake, and I wish you all nothing but the best of luck, great success, and know you can always count on Seahawk country to be cheering you on.

To the underclassmen sitting out in the audience, it goes by faster than you know so make the most of every moment. Go out and try that new sport, volunteer when you can, and please, please, please hear it from me – procrastination really is not your friend. And to my little Brother Will, keep on trucking through, I promise you'll make it. The next two years will be gone before you know it, and don't miss me too much.

Finally, from freshman Meg sitting behind her Chromebook at the desk in her bedroom watching Mr. Brewer's geometry class, to the soon-to-be graduate standing here before you today, it reminds me that we have al had our own journeys but we would not be the people we are today without each other. Thank you all.