Graduation Speech: Lennox High School

Throughout the hallways of the Xcel, all I could hear was people cheering for us. Not only were the students of East High happy to have won, but over 75 percent of the people attending the game were as well. As we finally made it out of the Xcel, I knew this was a moment I would remember for the rest of my

We were this close to being stripped of our "Undefeated" title. The band sat there in the bleachers, stunned as the announcer pulled up the scores and was ready to reveal first place. Blood rushed through my veins and the butterflies in my stomach were more active as ever. After all of our hard work, it would have been a shame if we did not conclude the season with a bang. The announcer raised her microphone and everything seemed to come to a halt.

Cheer team's results are going first. We watch as some teams cry because they didn't place and other teams cry tears of joy for achieving. It's dance teams time now and the tension is thick. We grab each other's hands tightly. “And the Grand Champions of the 2016 ------- is…Paul Laurence Dunbar!” Screams immediately escape our mouths. The captains get up to go receive the trophy and the banner. The seniors are crying and we go around hugging each other. We take turns taking pictures with the trophy and banner. We’ll be getting our shirts and jackets in a couple weeks. My mom congratulates me We have the rest of the day of to do whatever we want, so a group of us decide to go back to change at the hotel and go to the

Pendleton dance team were all sitting in a circle with big smiles on their faces like as they had already won. They were our biggest competition this competition because our scores were really close first round. When we performed second round most of my teammates were telling us how they messed up which I hated because it made me think

The results came in and for the first time in school history the cheerleading team advanced to semi finals. That moment is one I will carry with me for the rest of my life. We now hold the national title of 16th in the

3…2…1…BZZZZT. The buzzer sounded and tears flooded my eyes as I sunk to the ground in what felt like slow motion. I couldn’t breathe. As I looked to the left I watched the blue and gold sea of fans as they rushed to file out of the stands as if they were being herded like cattle. As I looked to the right I saw the scoreboard, both making the tears fall faster. This was our shot, one win away from making a state appearance in over eight years and we blew it in the sectional final game. That was the last time I would ever play high school basketball.

This moment represented the debut of my senior year dance on dance team. The last dance I would perform with my team. The feeling I got on this day was indescribable. My junior year on dance team was a mess to say the least, and I hated every minute of it. I even strongly considered not coming back for my senior year. I had lost my passion for the sport. Our team had so much drama that it tore our season apart. When I got done performing my dance on November 21st, 2016, I had felt the love I had for this sport for so many years. I thought the love and passion was gone because of how my junior year went. It was at this moment that I felt the love for the sport again. I was glad that I had decided to come back for my last year. I could feel the bond of the team while out on that floor and I knew we were going to have a strong year. To see all the supportive fans greeting us when we walked off the floor made me feel so grateful to be apart of such a great organization. When dance team is over and I reflect back on my season, this will be the most memorable moment I had during my last year on the

Exactly one minute before the game was over Colby looked at everyone and whispered “ This is my last game as an eighth grade lady elite.” Right as the buzzer went off, Colby and I ran and gave each other a hug. She was in tears, she was so excited. We just won PAC! We shook hands hands with Heritage Hills, and told them good game. The announcer said, “I want to give this trophy to the Lady Elites for winning the PAC championship

Right before kick off, the boys huddled in a circle and chanted the familiar words Coach Peters says to them every day. At first the rest of the cheerleaders and I couldn’t hear very well, but then we heard the words, “Won’t be beat.” As the football players repeated those words, so did we. Our school was finally becoming a true Falcon family. We all had the same goal, “Be great at everything,” as Coach Peters says. As my team and I lined up on the side of the field for the kick off, I could hear the rustling of the poms like leaves on a windy autumn day. Standing next to my team, all I could smell was hairspray and perfume; because of course cheerleaders have to look good 24/7, right? As West kicked the ball and the game officially started, I heard the huge roar of the crowd. There were so many people and they were all so loud that it sounded like I was at an NFL game or some extravagant

It was the evening before our departure to Richmond to compete in the 1A Basketball State Semi-Finals against Radford High School. We were at practice and Coach Burns wanted to have a meeting before practice. As we gathered around coach, he looked at all of us and said, “I love every single one of you guys.” I think that meant something special to all of us on that team. He trusted us that we would play our hearts out during this game and come out victorious. I think to myself, we can do this; we can beat Radford, who had beaten us earlier in the season.

Coach high fived me at third and I glanced at at the scoreboard and it 13-13 were tied and there's one minute left I just need to get home and we win the championship. Ashleighs up to bat and she has one strike and one ball the next ball the pitcher throws is a ball but goes past the catcher and I sprint home like never before and slid for the win and the catcher didn’t get there in time! WE WON all that pain i've gone through has been relieved knowing that i won this game and that all my effort paid off in the

The crowd went absolutely wild, and everyone was hugging (compound). My team and I were in a group hug in the middle of the court with our coach. When we turned to the crowd, it erupted with applause (complex). I went over and hugged my best friend, Delaney, and we told each other that we each did outstanding. We then were presented with medals and the State Championship trophy. We all stood huddled on the floor, holding the trophy high above our heads. After that, all the fans and parents came onto the floor. I could tell that my parents were ready to embrace me.

The team was ready, we had been working extremely hard for the past seven months for this. We were all in great shape and very rested. A few of the returning players were meeting me at my house to carpool to the final game of the state championship tournament. Everyone knew that the hard work had paid off when we won the semi-final game the preceding day.

After only 10 minutes, all of the Illinois cheer teams started piling up in the practice room backstage getting ready to perform. It was our teams turn to practice. The recording lady set a timer for 8 minutes, but for us 8 minutes was not enough. “Everyone load your basket tosses and practice

My teammates and I faced the reality that we were going to have a losing record for the first time in three years, as we were currently at 3-6. We had finished walk-throughs for the last time before our final Friday night lights, when I realized that this was the last time I would suit up with my brothers. Walking into that locker room to put my equipment away, I just sense some type of sadness but happiness because I’d be playing one last time for my school, Bethesda Chevy Chase, a public high school located in Bethesda, Maryland.