By Stephen Kasko, Haddonfield Memorial High School Valedictorian 2020

A wise man once said, “What is today, but yesterday’s tomorrow?”

That man was none other than Mr. Eugene Krabs, proprietor of the Krusty Krab, who taught our generation the value of hard work and financial responsibility. What may seem like an insignificant, off-handed comment from a kids’ cartoon show actually has an important meaning: it is easy to repeatedly put off fulfilling your hopes and dreams until tomorrow without realizing that tomorrow may never arrive.

Throughout high school, we have been taught that our current lives are nothing more than preparation for something bigger, whether it be college or a career. We become so focused on the destination that we lose our appreciation for the journey that gets us there. So today I hope to reflect on the journey that got us to this moment and why we need to appreciate it more.

I think we can all agree that our journey through high school would not be possible without the love and support of many people. First, I’d like to thank our administrators who have truly put their all into helping us through this unique senior year. I’d also like to thank all of the senior parents for the love and support they’ve given us over the years. Especially you mom and dad, I never could have done it without you. Without all of them, none of us would be the people we are today.

Next, I want to say thank you to my friends and classmates for all the great memories. And finally I want to thank all the teachers and coaches at HMHS for their time and dedication they’ve given over these four years. Thank you Coach Baker for teaching me that Don’t Walk signs are optional. Thank Mrs. Pracher for teaching us the art of cooking bacon during class. And thank you Señora Rodriguez for teaching us the value of teamwork when completing homework assignments.

As we all know, no journey is complete without its share of both ups and downs. I’m sure we’re all proud of our accomplishments these last four years, however, every achievement follows a certain amount of setbacks. For example, before making the varsity cross country team I had to learn the consequences of falling backwards during a run on a rainy day in bright blue shorts. Before getting into Madrigals I had to fumble through a series of scales I could only sing if castrated in front of TMills. And before earning a red pencil in Dr. Sohn’s chemistry class I had to learn that no one ever seems to forget the time you spilled concentrated phosphoric acid on your lab partner.

As a class, we’ve shared many amazing moments, like winning hallways our sophomore year, getting a brand-new senior lounge, and countless sectional and state championship titles. Likewise, we’ve also experienced our not-so-amazing moments, like suffering through rain at every class dance, reacting just a bit too harshly to the StopIt assembly, and a controversial end to our final rec hall.

There’s also the small individual mistakes, like forgetting your keycard and getting locked out in the breezeway, getting kicked out of the library for playing games, getting kicked out of the library for talking, getting kicked out of the library for eating on the wrong side, or, my personal favorite, getting kicked out of the library for moving a chair.

So although the road can be rocky, some of our best moments are actually during the journey, not at the destination. I never actually read Walden in English, but Sparknotes tells me that Henry David Thoreau once said “Live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find eternity in each moment.” So go out and live for today before it becomes tomorrow.

I’ll miss you guys.