Healdsburg High School held its 126th commencement Friday night, graduating 126 seniors at Recreation Park. Students were welcomed by Principal Bill Halliday and Senior Class President Minerva Nuñez. The Greyhound band played “Pomp and Circumstance,” Lucinda Carroll sang the National Anthem and student speakers included Lola Plum, Celia Pérez Isquierdo and Emma Esquivel. The keynote address was by HHS English teacher John Linker. After the ceremony, students threw their mortarboard hats in the air and embraced family and friends.
Keynote Address
Healdsburg High School English teacher John Linker gave the keynote address at the HHS Class of 2018 commencement on June 8:
Amidst the Halo of Twilight upon the Graduating Class 2018
By John Linker
There is a student who first came on to the campus four years ago and thought it the biggest place in the universe. And it became her universe – a milky way of books, numbers, boys, girls, teachers. This is only one universe.
There is a student who registered for classes with excitement and who liked all his teachers that first day of school and went home and told his parent that he was happy, especially with his math teacher. I am content.
There is a student who forces herself to get up at the break of dawn to be on time to her first period class, 8 a.m. – better – 10 minutes to 8 a.m., to greet her teacher, talk about homework, or the Netflix show she was surprised by the night before. Stay ahead, walk with purpose.
There is a student who struggled that first day, that first year, to find his place in this biggest of worlds then, to find himself, whether it be through algebra, computer science, cross country, soccer, Key Club, friends, To Kill A Mockingbird, numbers, Mr. Mo, Mr. Flores, Mr. Sheehy. Stay strong in struggle.
There is a student who smiles wryly at the fact that he didn’t do his homework the night before, felt a twinge of guilt, but grateful that it was not wrath but an encouraging response from his teacher. Remember how you failed.
There is a student who felt elated at the school’s year end, first year of high school over, the first seminar class finished, and a memory of a ropes course, and a record of an average GPA, and who thought next year, I will do better. Do better.
There is a student who struggled with that terrible sophomore malaise, that sluggish year of sluggish mind, and who could not do one more proof, one more essay, one more history lesson, but somehow got through. Stay hungry.
There is a student who, junior year, had to think about an internship and a job after high school. Life becomes real.
There is a student who loved baseball, the whimsy of the curve ball, the speed of the fastball, the sound of a hard thrown ball solidly slapping the leather of the glove. The arc of beauty.
There is a student who found a place in the sun in the new construction, on a granite stone every lunch and who soon had friends follow her. Cold comfort.
There is a student who with genuine awe and wonder found himself sent to the office again and again and who by now could probably run the front desk, tell visitors directions, give students passes. What will you do with your collection of referrals?
There is a student who searched for water all summer long and who fell in love with reading what he actually wanted to read in those hot days of July by the newly found jumping rock and swim hole. Russian River rolls on.
There is a student who sang a duet with Mr. Sheehy on a poor reworking of a great Eagles song. Some things are too sacred to be messed with.
There is a student whose head, all too much and all too easily, eventually lands softly on his desk, dreaming of his own novels and short stories. Dream on.
There was a student who suddenly found himself writing poems in Statistics class. All things are connected.
There is a student who joined Rotary club and Kiwanis that provided a place for her to give to the community. Give back.
There is a student who started understanding the flute in a different way and who played the saxophone with a little more wind, a little more staccato, a little more Coltrane than Souza. Notice change.
There is a student who found her first love first semester … and who had her first break up second semester. Notice yourself in relationship.
There is a student who suddenly realized that next year is junior year and that she would be halfway through high school by then and that her English teacher told her it would go by fast and who realized the teacher was right … as they are so many times.
There is a student who had to help out for the senior prom and wondered how much money it would cost her to go herself. Make money.
There is a student who made the cut on the basketball team and that was the hardest thing he had ever done. It will get harder.
There is a student who needs to look at her phone, quite quickly, looking for some sort of answer to some sort of question. Patience.
There is a student bubbling with enthusiasm so much that she slurs her words as she shares her speech and becomes the enthusiasm. Stay present.
There is a student who cares about grades; there is a student who does not care about grades. Care.
There is a student who has said countless times that she hates poetry and then writes the line, “her sweet child of mine is much better than her purple haze.” Love what you hate.
There is a student who took the time to travel to a college, look up his English teacher’s thesis, brought it back to school and read it to his classmates before the teacher showed up. Power of language.
There is a student who broke her addiction to her phone by breaking her phone. Accidents happen.
There is a student who gave her teacher a gift that she made in her art class. Kind.
There is a student who read every single word assigned to him – not only senior year, but all four years of high school – I counted it up, approximately 12,000 pages of reading. Read everything you can get your hands on.
There is a student that no matter what she did she just could not understand the math problem in front of her, and she cried out, and she cried, and the library tutoring hour fell quiet, holding her pain solemn and real. It’s okay.
There is a student who in his junior year didn’t make the basketball team. He plays hard on the blacktop at lunch. I took the time one lunch to watch him. Witness your children.
There is a student who suddenly found a way to write poetry. Find the poem within the poem.
There is a student who tried all year to kick a bad habit; She is still clean. Stay sober.
There is a student who never liked academics; her senior year she was voted most improved: She translated Macbeth, act three, word for word, phrase for phrase. Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow.
There is a student who every time she comes into my classroom brings me a message of some sort with a smile and laugh. Let your heart take over.
There is a student with ear plugs permanently cemented to his ears – unplug, listen to silence as much as you possibly can.
There is a student who chose to not join any club, any sport, who just got by, who daydreamed every single class no matter the subject, who went home every day and lived a life of mostly teenage freedom. Know your privilege.
There is a student who has had to put in twice the effort as other students to make grades and graduate. Teach your perseverance.
There is a student who worked every morning before coming to school and then after school helped her mom clean homes. Teach your grit.
There is a student who plays in the HHS Hounds band, played the national anthem AT&T Park before a San Francisco Giants game in front of 30,000 people, watched the game, and then after the midnight hour was part of a rescue mission for the broken junior high bus, who then travelled back to the high school sitting next to a junior high student, told stories and didn’t make it back to Healdsburg until 2 in the morning and the next morning came to school, homework finished, ready to participate in all her classes from 8 in the morning until 3:45 in the afternoon, then went to track practice. Heart.
There is a student who for an entire week while Sonoma County was beneath the wrath of flames and smoke, shared their homes, provided clothes, water, kindness, and food. Give when you can.
There is a student whose parents supported her by contributing to her education through donations, through volunteer work, support of clubs, support of scholarships; Goodness counts.
There is a student who rose high above the volleyball net, rebounded the fall of the basketball, hurdled the height of the fence, shot the weight of grey lead into a clear blue California sky, sprinted green meters, swam blue lengths; Grace affords.
There is a student who changed her verbs to present tense, who brought the novel idea into the novel seminar, whose every paper grew in strength and confidence and inquiry; Ask the right question.
There is a student out there who is waiting for me to finish my speech so that we get on with this celebration, and so,
Class 2018, you are all these and more; the trials, challenges, lessons and directives you have learned are now your own; it is what you have and it is now who you are – walk light, exercise both your brains and your hearts and become the holy halo around everyone’s earth.
Thank you.
John Linker is an English teacher at Healdsburg High School.
