The Aubrey Class of 2025 joined their friends, family and teachers for the Texas high school tradition of rose cutting on May 16.
This year’s speaker from the past, kindergarten teacher Kristie Sanders, joined several of her old students to enjoy the nostalgic senior slide show after giving her speech.
“I am so excited to be here with you guys,” Sanders said. “It seems like just yesterday you were walking into school with your backpacks that were bigger than you.”
Sanders opened with the assertion that students had learned every lesson they’d need in life back in kindergarten.
“How to share, be kind, play nice, be a good friend, take turns, clean up after yourself, and say please and thank you, and I’m sure you remember,” she said joined by a chorus of voices, “You get what you get, and you don’t throw a fit.”
Sanders then tossed the lessons out to those seniors could have learned from their peers, naming several kids and attributing them with properties like bravery, ambition, happiness, competitiveness and others.
“I wouldn’t be a good kindergarten teacher if I didn’t share a book with you,” she said to round out her speech, beginning to recite lines from “I Wish You More.” “I wish you more ups than downs. I wish you more give than take. … I wish you more hugs than ughs. I wish you more woo-hoo than whoa.”
The speaker of the present, Assistant Principal Dr. Duane Flowers, focused less on lessons and more on resilience, which he said the graduating seniors had shown repeatedly.
“You’ve endured the exasperating sounds of con- struction, the sounds of jackhammers and drills,” Flowers said. “You’re able to say that you went to class while listening to what sounds like construction workers bowling overhead or taken tests while dodging ceiling tiles falling overhead.”
Flowers continued, spurred on by the thunderous, prolonged roar of cheers and applause that accompanied his approach to the podium.
“You persevered, you hiked through mud, avoided construction obstacles, sacrifi ced traditions and survived constant changes,” he continued. “Class of 2025, you are resilient.”
The senior class leaders, Dayzee Tovar, Elisa McMillian, Grace Michael, Jaycee Torres and Chloe Nguyen rounded out the ceremony with a shared speech on the Rose Cutting tradition.
“The rose you hold represents you,” Tovar began. “Cutting the ribbon represents the separate paths you’re about to take from one another.”
McMillian followed.
“Webster’s dictionary defines a friend as someone whom you can depend on, respect, trust and hold affection for,” McMillian said. “In other words, friendship is priceless. Look around the room. Many of you have known each other for most of your life.”
Michael continued.
“Aristotle once said that a friend is a single soul in two bodies,” Michael said. “This is another way of saying you never have to carry the weight of the world alone when you have a friend.”
Reminded of lessons learned thanks to their former kindergarten teacher of their own ability to persevere and the words of their assistant principal, seniors of the Class of 2025 took one step closer to graduation, a rose to remember their time as Chaparrals by in hand.
