Text of Joe Frey's Valedictorian Address
June 2, 2006
Good evening Fr. Peter, Fr. Jones, Bishop Rassas, priest sponsors and honored guests, it is my distinct honor to conclude the past four years of high school with a speech extolling the Class of 2006. This may strike some of you, especially my classmates and teachers, as rather odd, since I am known as a man of few words. However, this was well-planned on my part – what better way to guarantee that everyone would listen to every word, instead of falling asleep!
In an ideal world, all students would aim to reach their maximum potential. In our flawed world, we try and fail, then try again. However, we have truly begun the path to this ideal goal, and Quigley has been our guide. From this moment, seek your maximum potential in your future. We all have our Quigley memories and lessons to help guide us in those moments when we doubt ourselves.
On a lighter note, or darker note for some, it is finally time to say farewell to Quigley, the place where we, the class of 2006, have studied, prayed, laughed, and driven ourselves to great achievements. We have struggled with upperclassmen when we were freshmen, freshmen when we were upperclassmen, daily masses, bibliographies, in-text citations, ACT's, SAT’s, Advanced Placement courses, and all our varied teachers. Our class has endured hardships, overcome fears, achieved the unexpected, developed bonds that will last a lifetime, and become men; bringing us to the climax of our high school career, which is this very moment. We have reached an end and a beginning, the moment when we say goodbye and set off into our futures. We have all experienced growth in the realm of the physical, intellectual, emotional, and the spiritual. Yes, I am talking about PIES, which you all have hopefully memorized by now, if you have memorized anything at all over the past four years.
I have to congratulate and thank the class of 2006. You have truly earned your place in Quigley history. When others look back at our class, they might not remember the sports teams, the chess team’s state championships, our retreats and lunchtime escapades, but they will remember our genuine accomplishments, our spirit, and our slogan “out of the past we build the future." Quigley’s doors have been open for over one hundred years and our class is here for year 101. Each one of us has contributed to this tradition. I would like to thank all of you for helping to keep the tradition of Quigley alive so that others could come to this place and learn side by side, just as we have. We, the students, will never forget our wonderful years at Quigley. The values we have gained will enrich our lives and those of the people around us.
From personal experience, these are the most important qualities that I walk away with as I leave this place: patience, perseverance, kindness, and prayerfulness. Without patience, I would never have been able to endure the challenges of Quigley. I could not have succeeded without perseverance to push me through the difficult times, kindness made the atmosphere more positive, and prayer to help me surmount seemingly impossible tasks, like getting a perfect bibliography grade from Sr. Inez. We all posses these qualities to some degree or another, whether we realize it or not, and Quigley brought them out of us, even when they sometimes seemed hidden.
Our teachers, parents, and priest sponsors cannot go unmentioned, for it is they who drive us, support us, and love us. Some of those teachers are gone now, leaving an empty void, but there is always another wonderful teacher who arrives and the void is filled. Specifically I would like to thank my uncle and former physics teacher, Mr. Tim Stoelinga, or Mr. Stoe for short; without him I would never have come to Quigley, or even known that it ever existed! Thanks to my parents too, and all our parents, for putting up with our shenanigans and rebellion and raging hormones. Without your patience and support, who really knows where we might have ended up. It would not be here, at the pinnacle of our high school careers: our graduation, the day when we step forward into our futures at college and beyond.
I am certain the future will be full of new challenges that will sometimes seem insurmountable too, but Quigley has equipped us well to face those challenges. We have learned so much over these four years, and we will carry those lessons with us into the future. We came here as boys, and we leave as men: men who know and trust in God’s love.
Good luck and enjoy our graduation.