Good evening, Class of 2025, faculty, parents, and guests. While my time at Schechter has taught me that I am definitely not a math person, I took it upon myself to figure out how many days we have spent together throughout these past 4 years. As a class of 2025, from freshman to senior year, we have spent roughly 710 school days together. In the amount of time we have been in high school, the Eiffel Tower was built. In our time together, the world invented the iPhone. In less than 700 days, great works like Beethoven’s 5th Symphony and Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird were born. Don’t worry, English teachers, I got this information from reliable sources and can show you my work cited page after. In the same length of time that great architects, inventors, musicians, and writers have created some of the most impressive works society has seen, our grade was creating great bonds, memories, and a sense of family that nothing else can replicate.

Just like those monumental works, the journey to what we have built has not always been easy. We’ve seen each other through tests that felt like they had to be the hardest ones we’d ever take… until the next one came along. Together, we survived the very exhausting college application process. We pushed through weeks packed with exams, practices, rehearsals, and club meetings,  all while somehow staying (mostly) sane. As a grade, we have seen each other through some of our hardest times, but these times are what allowed us to appreciate the more fun ones. 

Through all of it, we showed up for each other. We went to each other’s events, like sports games or performances. We sang and danced our hearts out during retreat karaoke. Laughed endlessly in Salach rehearsals. We turned the school into ancient Egypt for our Ten Plagues senior prank, and that’s just scratching the surface. 

While what we created over these 710 days might not hang in the MET or change the course of world history, it is just as meaningful. Because what we have built is a family. It is the kind of connection that doesn’t end when we walk out of school every day at 3:30 or even when we are scattered all over different cities and campuses next year. This connection will last us a lifetime. 

Next year, everything is going to change. We won’t be walking in our familiar hallways, seeing the same familiar faces. For the first time in a long time, we’ll be in new places, surrounded by people who do not know us yet. People who didn’t grow up with us in the Schechter classrooms, or see each other bright and early at 7:40 AM for years. Leaving this Schechter bubble is both exciting and scary. Here, we have always had a safety net. No matter what the situation, there has always been a community of people ready to help us at a moment’s notice. We’ve been part of something that felt small in the best way: a place where we were seen, heard, supported, and loved. 

But if these 710 days have taught us anything, it is that we are ready. We are coming out of this bubble equipped with everything we need to go on and be the best possible version of ourselves. We have learned how to lead and how to listen. We have learned analytical and critical thinking skills. We have learned how to show up for each other and for ourselves. We have found our voices, and not just during karaoke. 

So, while we might be heading off to all different places, I know that we will each always carry a piece of Schechter with us in everything we do. Not only in the memories we cherish, but in the values, friendships, and confidence that, whatever is next, we can handle it. No matter where we are, together or apart, we will always be a part of this family. 

The people we have become today would not have been possible without those who have guided us through it all. 

To our teachers: thank you for your patience, wisdom, and endless commitment, even when we didn’t make it easy. Thank you for pushing us to think deeper, reminding us that our voices matter, and for teaching us lessons way beyond the classroom. Even if our complaining didn’t sound like it at the time, we truly appreciate and are endlessly grateful for everything you have done to help shape us into who we are today.

To the staff: Denise, Nurse Jen, Tom, Gary, and more, thank you for everything you do behind the scenes. Even though we were never in the classroom together, we have learned from you, too. Thank you for keeping us safe, making sure our days ran smoothly, and for always being a friendly face in the halls. Thank you all so much.

To Ofra: None of this would have been possible without you. Thank you for always being a strong guiding force for these past years in our lives. 

To our parents and families: Thank you for being our biggest supporters and advocates. For always pushing us to be strong and be the best we can be. Thank you for sending us to a place where we have been able to flourish. Thank you for the unconditional love you have given us every step of the way. Thank you for everything. There is no way any of us would be standing here in our caps and gowns without the work you have put in. 

Everyone here has shaped us into who we are today, not only as students but as people, and for that, we are forever grateful. 

So, to my fellow Class of 2025, thank you. Thank you for becoming like my brothers and my sisters. For making these past 710 days unforgettable. For being the reason that walking through those halls every day was never boring. As we step into whatever comes next, new schools, cities, people, and routines, don’t forget what we have built here. Don’t forget the inside jokes, late-night study sessions, hallway chaos, or the quiet support when someone needed it most. We are more than a class, we are a family. No matter where life takes us, we will always have this. These years, these memories, and each other. I cannot wait to see who we all become and what we achieve. I know it will be something incredible. 

Mazal tov, class of 2025, I love you all, we did it!