Student commencement speakers instill optimism in Hampton Class of ’24

Inspiration for commencement speeches can come from just about anywhere.

For Hampton High School seniors who gave addresses on behalf of the Class of 2024, sources included the title of a English-Albanian singer’s latest album and a bird that decided to settle in a family garage.

Shane Noone, Tiffany Habib and Andrew Kaehly, class president, presented a trio of meaningful and well-presented talks on May 31 at Fridley Field, prior to 246 graduates receiving their diplomas.

“Radical Optimism” served as Noone’s theme, based on what Dua Lipa called the dance-pop collection of songs she released just four weeks before Hampton’s commencement.

“To have radical optimism means that even in the most dire of situations, even when we feel as though we are falling forever, we acknowledge our vulnerability and use it as motivation,” Noone said.

“It’s the end of an era for us,” he continued, citing the name of the album’s lead track. “But I challenge us today to embrace the transition out of these walls and into a new season. We’ve all been dealt cards that make our life just a little bit harder, have had things that make us question, what am I doing? But optimism offers light in the darkest of situations.”

Throughout his address, he encouraged such positivity.

“It sounds childish, but this glass-half-full mentality is very powerful,” he said. “Practicing radical optimism, though, can lead us into realizing our biggest hopes and dreams, as long as we choose to believe in it.

Habib related her speech, “Flying High,” to a nest-building bird at her house.

“We worried that this bird would die if it was trapped, so we transferred the nest to our backyard,” she said. “But the very next day, we found the bird and its nest back to its original spot in the garage, back to where it started. It was clear to us that this bird, by now a de facto family member, was staking its claim, making it known that our house was its house, too.”

While members of her family left the garage door open for considerable periods on behalf of the bird, it still faced the challenge of not being able to return to its nest, or possibly having to dive beneath the door as it closed.

“As time passed by, I started thinking about this bird more often. I even started to like the bird. It had some admirable qualities: persistence, perseverance and commitment shown in the face of hardships,” Habib said.

“Class of 2024, this bird — yes, the one in my garage — represents us. We started our freshman year with desk shields and masks. We made it through hybrid courses and construction, and from these experiences we learned not just to navigate Zoom, but social connections,” she recalled. “Like the bird, we pressed past our obstacles and we not only survived, we thrived.”

Kaehly said that in preparing for his speech, he talked with Hampton alumni.

“I learned that while many find themselves in completely different places now than when they graduated, they still carry the traits that Hampton instilled in them,” he said. “So while our class may travel different directions, forge different paths, they will always be the faces of Talbots: faces of eager learners that reveal strong integrity, knowledge and character; faces of a tradition that precedes us by decades, a tradition that will continue to grow long after we leave our mark.”

He acknowledged the accomplishments of his classmates in a variety of endeavors, from athletics to academic excellence, plus the role of teachers in their successes.

“They understand that what a student needs isn’t just to learn what to do. It’s figuring out how to do it that truly makes us better,” Kaehly said. “For them, we are endlessly grateful.”

His speech opened with a class profile, including facts such as 85% of graduates attending two- or four-year colleges, 5% attending trade or career schools and 8% joining the workforce. Two are joining the military full-time and two others as Reservists.

Of particular interest regarding the Class of 2024 is that four Hampton School Board members had children graduating: Elena Herchenroether, daughter of Denise Balason; Gavan and Margaret Hamlin, children of Jill Hamlin; Jason Midgley, son of Jill Midgley; and Devin and William Perkins, children of Maureen Perkins.

The mothers presented the diplomas to the respective grads, as did Chad Himmler, high school band director. Braylee Himmler, his daughter, is another Class of ’24 member.

As the class president neared the close of his speech, he congratulated everyone involved with the seniors’ educational experience in Hampton.

“To us, it isn’t where we end up that makes this moment so rewarding,” Kaehly said. “It’s remembering the steps we took and the people that pushed us forward to get here.”