Au Gres-Sims Families and Community,
This evening is our High School Graduation, the culmination of the work that we do in schools. At 7:30 this evening, we will say goodbye to the Class of 2023 and send them out into the world. Continuing a trend I started last year, below is the graduation speech for this year.
Tonight we celebrate the achievements of the senior class of Au Gres-Sims. This night is the culmination of thirteen years of schooling and is a celebration of the young men and women sitting before us, but it is also a tribute to the work of each person in our bleachers. Earning a high school diploma is not an independent endeavor, rather it involves the help and support of many people to get each one of these graduates across the stage. On behalf of our graduating seniors I would like to extend my sincerest thanks to the community of people who share in this accomplishment. Thank you to all of our teachers, staff members, administrators, counselors, parents, siblings, relatives, coaches, clergy, and citizens of this wonderful community who have played an active role in developing the minds and enhancing the education of our Au Gres-Sims graduates.
While all of the graduates who sit before us today have just cause for celebration, at this time I wish to recognize and pay special tribute to our students who will be graduating with academic honors. These students are graduating with honors despite having their freshman year of high school cut short and enduring a tumultuous and obstacle-ridden journey.
Students, when I say your name, I invite you to stand and remain standing for each of the levels of achievement so that we may recognize all of you. Audience, I ask that you hold your applause until all student names have been read.
Cum laude is a Latin expression that means “with honor or praise”. Students earning this distinction have earned a cumulative grade point average of 3.0-3.499 during their high school careers. Please stand and be recognized: Emily Freehling and Bryce Verdusco.
The second level of academic distinction is magna cum laude which means “with great honor”. Students earning magna cum laude status have earned a GPA of 3.5-3.749. The Class of 2023 magna cum laude students are: Andrew Beardsley, Keagan Bender, Shea Menard, and Allyson Stange.
With the highest praise we also recognize our top academic level, summa cum laude, which is reserved for students that have earned a GPA of 3.75 or higher throughout their high school years. This year we have one student to recognize for this high honor. Please help me in recognizing the achievement of Elizabeth Beardsley.
Seniors, much like your journey to tonight’s graduation did not happen overnight, neither did this speech that I’m about to share with you. Perhaps it is simply more work for me, but each year I write a new message, because I feel that each graduating class is unique. From the day I finished last year’s graduation speech I have been jotting notes, highlighting passages, and collecting thoughts for this moment. Tonight is, afterall, the last chance that anyone here at Au Gres-Sims will have to impart knowledge on you. After tonight you will head off to college or trade school, join the military or the workforce, and forever move on from these hallowed halls. With that self-imposed pressure, I wanted to create something that might resonate with you.
I asked myself, what do these graduates want? More than this speech which will be forgotten as quickly as it is delivered, but from life in general? Some of you no doubt heard that question, what do you want, and images of fancy cars, big houses, glamorous vacations, etc. all came to mind. Perhaps some of you saw visuals of the newest iPhone or some sweet new threads. But did anyone think about intangibles, things like freedom, respect, happiness, and love? You see, these are the most valuable things in life, the things that cannot be purchased, only earned. Obtaining these things means using what you have learned here at AGS to make good choices in life. It means setting goals and making sacrifices. It means learning how to live. It means making intentional choices, some easy and some difficult, some to continue what you are doing and some to make inevitable changes. These decisions will dictate your ability to earn those intangibles you desire, and they will require change. Author and philosopher Ryan Holiday wrote, “To resent change is to wrongly assume that you have a choice in the matter.” These words have a somber feel to them and may even leave you feeling helpless or lost. The good news is that you already have some of the tools, the pearls of knowledge gained in your life, that will help you take on these changes.
With your help this year I started a podcast called the Senior Scoop and had the privilege of sitting down and chatting with many of you for recordings. Though the questions changed from interview to interview, one question was asked in all ten of the episodes…what advice would you give to your younger self or younger peers at AGS? Two clear themes emerged from your words: tuning out the opinions of others and putting in the hard work.
It was your class valedictorian, Elizabeth Beardsley, who said, “Don’t focus too much on how you look or how you are perceived by others because in the end that’s all going to change.” Amber Harrell added, “Don’t try to be what everyone wants you to be. Be yourself, be who you want to be, and don’t change that for anyone…unless you are a bad person.” In school everyone tries so hard to fit in, but the reality is that after you receive your diploma tonight you will spend the rest of your life trying to stand out, to be different, to be unique. You will want to be the person whose name jumps off the stack of resumes, who gets the job, who thinks and does things differently. Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius reflected in his Meditations, “I’m constantly amazed by how easily we love ourselves above all others, yet we put more stock in the opinions of others than in our own estimations of self.” Ally Stange doesn’t see it that way. She told me her advice was to, “Never compare yourself to others. Just focus on what you can do, what you want to do, and on making yourself better.”
I encourage you to step away from the notion that you can make everybody happy, that you have to form an opinion on everything, that you have to stay up on every bit of clickbait news or the latest TikTok trend. I encourage you to think for yourself, to stand out, and to be who you are, because who you are is amazing. Author Robert Greene agrees, stating you should, “Consider your reasoning powers, your ability to think for yourself, your most precious possession.” Furthermore, you should, “resent any kind of intrusion upon your independent mind by others.” Or if you prefer someone more familiar than Robert Greene, you can follow the advice of your classmate Casey Williams, whose advice is, “Don’t let being different and you standing out be a part of your character, don’t be scared of people judging you.”
The other clear theme from you is the concept of putting in the work. Keagan Bender believes this. His advice is to, “Find something that you love to do and work hard at it. That is how you become great.” Arrica Sylvester believes it too, calling it an equal exchange, “The amount of effort you put into something is the amount of effort you get back from a person or the world.” But really, what is work? Work is learning. Work is intentional action. Work means reading, seeing, hearing, and doing. Work doesn’t mean perfection but making mistakes and sometimes figuring it out on the fly, reflecting upon and absorbing experiences - good and bad. Work means falling down and getting back up. Heck, some of the best lessons you’ll ever learn, if you are willing, are learned through failure. Don’t believe me? By a quick show of hands, who in this gym have ever put their hand on a hot kitchen burner? Ok, most of you, but how many of you have done it more than once? I had a teacher back when I was in high school, Mr. Shearer, tell us, “There is no better teacher than burnt flesh,” and it is hard to disagree…you learn through failure, you learn through pain. You see, work is learning and “To live is to learn, and to learn is to live,” (Hlovate). But work and learning and living, these are not one-time events, these are processes repeated over time, honed and perfected, for when they are needed. Em-Dog Freehling gets this. Her advice is to, “Always put in the extra work. Once you think you have it down, go and do it some more and you’ll really see the results.”
So, there you have it, you knew the answers all along, but didn’t realize it. Joy, happiness, freedom, respect, love, they are all attainable. They are found by tuning out the opinions of others and listening to yourself; by doing the hard work of learning and gaining wisdom. Psychologist and philosopher William James claimed, “The greatest discovery of my generation is the fact that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.” Now comes the tough part, doing it. Here’s a little secret though, making it happen is the exciting part. The spot where the exertion of mind, body, and opportunity come together is where growth happens, where your human experience gets stretched. That is where your WANTS become your HAVES. That is living.
Seniors, I commend and congratulate you on what you have accomplished in earning your diploma from Au Gres-Sims. When you leave here, as AGS alumni I hope you carry the lessons that you have learned in our classrooms and halls and that I have shared with you tonight. I hope you go out into the world and tune out the opinions of others and work hard for the life you want. I hope you keep learning and I hope you earn all that you set your mind on.
Class of 2023, you are strong and wise. Now is the time to take control of your lives and make your dreams your reality.
From the Principal's Desk
Wrapping up the year, here are next week’s events:
-June 5 Elementary Fun Day
-June 6 Elementary Fun Day back up day, Freshmen Orientation at 6:00 in the Cyber Cafe
-June 7 1:00 Early Dismissal, MS/HS Exams Periods 1-3
-June 8 1:00 Early Dismissal, MS/HS Exams Periods 4-6, Last student day
8:30-9:45 4th/5th Awards in the Main Gym
10:00-11:00 1st/2nd/3rd Awards in the Main Gym
10:30-11:30 6th Grade Orientation in MPR
11:30-12:30 K Awards in the Main Gym
King of the Road Driving School is offering some summer driving opportunities in the Cyber Cafe here at AGS. Segment 1 will run July 11-26. For week 1 and 2, classes will run Monday through Thursday, and just Monday and Tuesday in week 3. 6 hours of driving are also required. Segment 2 will run just three days from July 27-29. All classes will run from 8:00-10:00 am. For more information call 989-600-5519 or email kotrdrivingschool@gmail.com.
The Saginaw Bay 4-H Fish Camp has some special opportunities in June and July from 9:00-3:00. MSU Extension, 4-H, Michigan Sea Grant, Project FISH and many local partners are hosting fishing camps in Saginaw, Bay, and Arenac counties. These camps are open to Michigan 4-H members statewide. All campers will receive a fishing rod with a reel, tackle box, t-shirt and snacks. Participants will learn about knot tying, tackle crafting, casting, aquatic ecology, angler ethics and more! This is open to 4-H members ages 8-12 (as of January 1, 2023). The cost is $25 and scholarships are available. Please note, refunds will not be given after registration. If you are not a 4-H member you can sign up for 4-H for free! Learn more at https://bit.ly/SB4HFC. Dates and locations include:
6/14 and 6/15 at the Bay City State Park in Bay City
6/26 and 6/27 at the River Side Park in Au Gres
7/19 and 7/20 at the Haitcho Park in Saginaw
From the Desk of Ms. Socha
It is hard to believe that next week is the last week of school! This year feels like it has flown by, but at the same time - it feels like August was so long ago. During these last weeks of school, I am not only wrapping up the school year with testing and data, but I am also planning for summer and the next school year! Looking ahead to summer school, today was the last day for sign-ups for our summer session. If you signed your elementary or middle school student up for our Summer Enrichment Program, we will reach out to you in the next week or two with some more information. The first important date will be the Chromebook pick–up, which will be on Friday, June 23rd. I will send out more information about that date in our communications over the next few weeks. If you are a summer school participant, please keep an eye out for emails from either myself or your summer school teacher, once those placements have been determined.
The High School Credit Recovery Program letters will be going out at the end of the school year. As a reminder, this will allow students who have failed a semester in a class to get back on track. Like last summer, we will refund the $50 course fee if your student successfully passes the course and earns back their credit. The program also runs for 6 weeks - June 26-August 4, and now that we are using Edmentum teachers for all courses, there is no in-person attendance requirement. If you know your child is behind in high school credits, be sure to watch for notifications from us in June. I will send letters/emails out the week of June 12th, once final grades are complete and we have determined the list of students who need to make up credits.
We are looking forward to this final week of the 2022-2023 school year!
Medicaid #StayCovered
More information may be found on the MDHHS website:
https://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/end-phe
..and the Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) site:
https://www.michigan.gov/difs/consumers/insurance/health-insurance/medicaid-redetermination
Athletics Update
- Thursday, June 8th at 7pm in the Main Gym there will be a Fall Sports Round-up Meeting. Coaches will have information for summer workouts and dates for next year. Remember, all sports physicals conducted after April 15th (2023) are good for the entire 2023-2024 school year.
Huffman Basketball Camp
District Hotspots to be returned
The letter below is being distributed to the families that we have a record of distributing a hotspot to. If your family is in possession of a district hotspot, regardless of whether you receive an emailed letter, please return it to the main office by Friday, June 2nd.
Au Gres-Sims School District
Email: web@ags-schools.org
Website: www.ags-schools.org
Location: 310 South Court Street, Au Gres, MI, USA
Phone: (989) 876-7150
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuGresSims/?ref=br_rs
Twitter: @agsschools
