Oh, the places 2016 will go

Congratulations!

Today is your day

You’re off to great places

You’re off and away

From Cherry Lane to high school

We’ve stood hand in hand

Correct me if I’m wrong

This went faster than planned

We’ve conquered our fears

We’ve fallen on our faces

But everything that we’ve learned

Will take us to great places

Cherry Lane passed

In the blink of an eye

It's hard to believe

How many years have gone by

We planted tulips in our garden

And learned how to be polite

I really wish i'd paid attention

When we learned left from right

From falling off monkey bars

To walking on stilts

Those were the days

Upon which our friendships were built

But those three years flew

To Rushmore we went

So now let's look back

On four years well spent

We bought Silly Bandz and Webkinz

And watched caterpillars grow

And do you guys remember

That sixth grade talent show?

Some of us took up new instruments

And all those concerts; we were cute

But honestly eight years later

I still can’t play my flute

Let’s not forget Ashokan

And hiking that steep path

Or the canoeing and the night shows

And really needing to take a bath

Then we left Rushmore

For bigger and better things

Yes, we were the middle school kids sprinting

Each time the bells would ring

We had middle school dances

Then went to the diner after

And in spite of bad music

We enjoyed all the laughter

The middle school olympics and the boat trip

Were the highlights of eighth grade;

The music, the dancing,

And the games that we played

The thought of going into highschool

Really made my heart race

Though I was never shoved into lockers

I kept my guard up, just in case

So now I’ll speak about high school

And do so in the past

Because here we all are

Graduating at last

In freshman year

It all moved so fast

We had our first homecoming and battle

And of course, came in last

But tenth grade was better

We’d adapted quite well

We’d made friends in other grades

And came out of our shell

I’m not sure how to talk

About junior year

And thinking about SAT’s

Still makes me shed a tear

There was too much homework

And even more stress

Try two hours of sleep a night

That year was a mess

Our junior prom and AP’s

Brought the year to a close

It’s safe to say we checked out

When we bought senior clothes

Our senior year started

In that old parking lot

Way back in September

When this school was too hot

These last one eighty two

Were full of goodbyes

Doing things with best friends

For the very last times

Our last homecoming and battle

No more turf field, no more court

An assembly in a new auditorium

One hundred and eight seniors short

So class of 2016

Here are some words before we part

There’s so much to say

I wasn’t sure where to start

But thank you all

For these past thirteen years

Because i’m  certainly lucky

To call you my peers

There isn’t a group

I would have picked over you

So please hear me out

All of this is true

Our class is unique

We’re one of a kind

A group as smart as us

Would be too hard to find

We have thespians and athletes

And scholars too

What an amazing thing has come

Out of such motley crew

I can easily say

I’m going to miss you all

It just won’t be the same

Starting school in the fall

But we’re older now

We’ve outgrown so much

Whatever happened to field day

And recess after lunch

The real world does scare me

But how lucky we are

To be so well prepared

That we’ll all go so far

College goes much quicker

Don't miss Carle place too much

You'll never lose the people here

Just try to stay in touch

Life's not always smooth

There will be obstacles in the way

Don't get caught up in little things

And make the most of every day

You've got the tools to be your best

The path is never straight

But if you get back up each time you fall

Your life will be so great

You have brains in your head

You have feet in your shoes

You can steer yourself

Any direction you choose

You're on your own

And you know what you know

And you are the one

Who will decide where to go

So 2016

Today is your day

Your mountain is waiting

So get on your way