Klein, Mr. Patti, faculty members,
parents, grandparents, siblings,
and friends. My name is Sophie
Alter, and I stand before you in
awe and amazement. That is be-
cause, behind me, sits the greatest
class in Beachwood High School
history. From social to fine arts, to
athletics, to academics, the Class
of 2016 will be spoken of with
reverence for decades to come. It
is my great privilege to be a part of
such an amazing class.
The Breakfast Club or Grease or
Mean Girls or even High School
are all based off a high school
where people learn to be friends
with everyone because it doesn't
matter if you're a nerd or a jock
or an Honors Society student
or a new girl who just wants to
sing with a basketball player. The
thing about Beachwood is that
we don't need that lesson.
for all thirteen years of our
school career. From kickball in
second grade to excellence in
high school basketball, we have
celebrated the good times and
picked each other up in the not-
so-good times. We've grown up
prepare for our futures together.
We will travel the globe armed
with resources unprecedented.
Whether we attack colleges,
universities, or life, we will do it
proudly with a thirst for knowl-
edge and development that will
enable us to become world lead-
ers in math, science, language,
fine arts, engineering, or whatev-
er we decide to pursue, because
we are from Beachwood, Ohio.
trepreneurs with the entire sum
of mankind's knowledge in our
pockets and the lessons learned
in this educational experience
etched into our souls. To say we
have a social conscience is an
understatement.
limitations of such a small class
in such a small school system
after all, all of the high schools in
the movies are so big and seem
so limitless. Here at Beachwood,
it seems like familiarity breeds
contempt I can't go out with
this person because I see them
every day in class; I can't catch
up if I fall behind; this teacher
hates me, and I have to have
them for two more years; I'll
never be as smart as them, or
as athletic as them, or as skilled
socially as they are. I believed
that for most of my thirteen
years here.
tion. When I got to my college
orientation, though, I realized
that this small school system,
because of its size, enabled me
to think like an Oscar-winning
director. I am not in the top
ten percent of my high school
graduating class here. But I am in
the top ten percent of incoming
freshmen at Louisiana State
University, majoring in film, in
case you're wondering where
this speech is going. Thank you,
Beachwood.
If you fall behind in classes, you
films and take photographs and
write essays and stories that are
compelling. You can overcome
· Gabrielle (Gabby) Hartstein, Eliana Levine
and Hannah Borow celebrate graduation.
· Sophie Alter and Board of Education
president Mitchel Luxenburg.
· Board of Education member Dr. Brian Weiss.