Rob Szpila ($20) – for the Disc Golf bench crew.
Bill McKim ($8) – for Carl Lynde’s year as club president
Bill McKim ($8) –for the Rotary Foundation.
Bill McKim ($9) –for Rob Szpila’s leadership for the disc golf bench project.
Bill Vermouth – for Carl Lynde’s year as club president
Bill Vermouth – for Rob Szpila and Josh Trager’s leadership at the Living Memorial Disc Golf Course
Bill Vermouth – for Cheri Ann Brodhurst’s good nature.
Bill Vermouth ($33) – for Bill McKim’s years of service as a Rotarian.
Carla Lineback ($5) – for the good times her family had at Landmark Trust USA properties over the past decade.
Mike Mandracchia ($2) – for the Landmark Trust USA property in Whitingham. https://landmarktrustusa.org/amos-brown-house
Dart Everett – for Carl Lynde’s year as club president.
Dart Everett – for Marty Cohn’s work on behalf of the club.
Dart Everett – for Student Rotarian Alex Schriver’s speech at the Green Street School graduation.
Hello everyone. My name is Alex Shriver and I was in your very shoes, graduating from Green Street six years ago. Believe me, before you know it, you’ll be in my shoes: only a few days away from graduating high school. Gosh, I feel like it was just yesterday I was sitting in the gym for all-school-sing. I’m sure you feel the same way… well, except for you I guess it probably was just yesterday. I really liked my time here at Green Street. It prepared me for what was next: a whole new world. I’m not just talking about a new, bigger school with lockers and new teachers, I’m talking about everything that accompanies the next stage of your lives.
I’m about to give you a little metaphor. You might have heard it before, but I want to flesh it out a little bit more. You are all sponges; really cool sponges. You got that? Not sea sponges who live in a pineapple under the sea… no, definitely not. You’re the kind of sponge that expands when you run it underwater. And as these sponges, you have become damp with knowledge and experience from the last seven years of elementary school. You have learned a great deal about things like math and science and reading, and you have also learned about the world around you, learned about the importance of respecting your fellow man, and become a bit more independent. Think of this knowledge and experience as water that has made your spongey-selves damp. You could have avoided getting wet, but then you would just be dry sponges who hadn’t learned nor become prepared to graduate, as I know you all are now. Because you’re damp, you are ready to take on middle school and eventually high school and all the joys and challenges you’ll face.
Think of these next levels of school and of your lives as big puddles. Once again, the water of this puddle is knowledge and experience. You are all going into that puddle of life, whether you like it or not. The question is, how much will you absorb? How much of that knowledge will you take in? Here’s a quick fact about sponges: when they’re damp, they can absorb more water because of the cohesion of water molecules. Remember how I said you’ve all become damp sponges here at Green Street? Because you’re a damp sponge, you are more prepared to take advantage of the opportunities ahead. However, you must be careful, because a sponge can dry out. All the good work you’ve done so far will be for nothing if you don’t continue to apply yourself and keep absorbing water. You all can take advantage of the experience you carry with you into middle school so that you can stay damp and soak up even more of that water.
This puddle of water is so much more vast than I ever realized when I was your age. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase: “the world is at your fingertips.” Well, that’s true! The world is just a giant puddle ready to be soaked up. In middle school, you will continue to expand your knowledge, you’ll meet new people who can enrich your life more than you ever knew, and you’ll have the opportunity to try all sorts of new things. There are no limits to what you will be able to soak up. No drop of water is out of your spongey reaches!
If something interests you in school, pay attention to it, dive into it. If you want to make a sports team and be a great player, work your butt off and make it happen! If you want to make friends with a new classmate, go for it! Because chances are, they want to make new friends as well. With every passing moment from now on, you will have more and more opportunities to be who you want to be.
Each of you is positioned for great success. Remember, you’re damp sponges ready to absorb more and more and more water! Please, keep up the good work and continue to put yourselves in great, big puddles. You’re graduating… graduating to new desks, independent schedules, many new teachers, more students, lockers, sports teams, school clubs, and a whole lot more. I’ve laid some pretty lofty expectations on you. It is understandable if you’re nervous about moving on. I remember I was. But here’s the thing: most everyone else is too. We all just show it differently You’re taking on the world together. With everyone by your side and your own self-drive pushing you forward, you have an incredible foundation to be great! And believe me, I know what I’m talking about. It feels like just yesterday I was one of you, listening to a speaker, moments away from graduating sixth grade. The world awaits, Green Street class of 2021! Remember, you’re all brilliant sponges, ready to soak up every bit of what this world has to offer. Take advantage of your opportunities! Good luck and congratulations!
