Sixty-two earn diplomas from Rocky Grove

 "I am in no way the smartest person up here, I am essentially
​ just the best studier and test taker."  -Dustin McMullen, Valedictorian

Editors note: These words are from Dustin McMullen's Valedictorian speech. He was gracious to allow us to print it here. We thought his words were funny and apropos.  When Dustin got to the podium he pulled out his speech and told the crowd to "get comfy."
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I had no clue what I was going to say to start this speech. I was thinking of starting with some comedy to break the ice but I was afraid that my nerves would get the best of me while I was standing up here.  

I saw this thing on the internet that I thought was really weird. It said when you are nervous giving speeches in front of a very large group of people, it is a good idea to imagine them all naked…

 Good evening Mr. Heckathorne!

​Anyways, I would like to say hello and welcome to the parents, the teachers, the administration, and to the class of 2022.

I’m extremely honored and grateful to have the privilege of standing up here today as Rocky Grove High School’s Class of 2022 Valedictorian.

​The journey to valedictorian was not in any way easy and it came with a lot of Emails to Mrs. McBride to make sure that Rylee hadn’t passed me.

​I knew since sixth grade that I was going to buckle down and do anything I could to be number one in the class. Mrs. Latshaw told me if I didn’t give up, there would be no doubt that I could be here tonight giving this speech.
 
Now a common misconception is that being valedictorian means you are the smartest kid in your class. That is sometimes correct but in this year's case, it is definitely not.

When it comes to random knowledge and facts that literally no one in the world should know off the top of their head, that award would go to Connor Elder and Devon Haugh.

​When it comes to true excellence in any of the sciences and ability to study and retain useless information, that award would go to Rylee Reed.

Random stats and records of teams that I’ve never even heard of, that’s all Reecie.

​When it comes to being the best at understanding multiple languages, that would be Abby and Jallysa.

When it comes to fixing a car, I’m virtually useless… Half these black gowns up here could tell you why your spark plug is leaking and where to put your blinker fluid.

​Basically what I am saying is, Valedictorian means that you were good at studying what you needed to study and you succeeded on the tests. I am in no way the smartest person up here, I am essentially just the best studier and test taker.
 
While writing my speech, I had no clue where to put my thank you’s. I figured the part of the speech that the majority of the audience would stop listening to is the middle so if I put my thank you’s there, then everyone might stay engaged to hear if they got thanked.

So get comfy because here it goes.

​My first thank you goes to a few very important teachers.

First, Mrs. Engles. You are one of the very first teachers to treat your kids as if they are adults and not just a class you have to get through to get to your paycheck. You found a way to integrate humor and empathy into your teaching and because of you, so many students have been encouraged to not give up and make it to graduation.
You are the heart of Rocky Grove High School and we will very much miss you when you leave this school.

​The next teacher I would like to thank is Mrs. Cohlhepp.
Mrs. Cohlhepp was the most influential math teacher I had in my whole educational career. You can ask any of the students that were in my math classes, I was the kid who sat in the front row and had a question for literally everything that was being taught to us. If a new topic was introduced, I had a question.
​If something was being re-explained, I was confused. Mrs. Cohlhepp took the time to slow it down and teach me and other students every time we were having troubles. She quickly became my favorite teacher because she too treated her students as equals, not subordinates. She is one of the main reasons I continued to love math throughout highschool and she is easily the best teacher I have ever had in any subject. So thank you Mrs.Cohlhepp for being there and explaining the things when my brain couldn’t catch up.
 
Next, I would like to thank my grandparents. Grandma Cindy, Grandma Bobbie, Ken, and Aunt Jean. If all of you couldn't make it to one of my events, then at least one of you was there. I remember one game where I was completely by myself, no parents, no grandparents, just my teammates and coaches.
My teammates were genuinely worried that there was something wrong because for every single event, you would see an old blonde haired woman walking through the door about an hour and a half too early just to sit in the stands and wait for the action to start.
​I have never felt anything but love from you all and I am extremely fortunate to have you all be a part of this journey.
 
Now onto the scary one… the salutatorian. I can almost guarantee that no Val and Sal in the entire history of education has a backstory like Rylee and I do.

Though it may not have always been rainbows and sunshines with us, you have been my very best friend throughout the majority of my educational career. You have inspired me like no other person and you are one of the main reasons I stayed up studying so long each night because I knew that even though you texted me goodnight, you just got your binders back out and you were going through your notes again.

​You have made me more confident in my abilities as a student and you have helped to encourage me to never give up on any topic no matter the class. You have believed in me the whole way and have made me into a better person. I want to commend you for all that you have accomplished in your highschool career and I want you to know how unbelievably honored I am to call you my inspiration, my best friend, and my girlfriend.
 
Alright, now that I have that out of the way, it’s time to thank the most important people in my life.
Mom, Dad, and Courtnee. I first would like to simply say thank you.

“How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”
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​I have put you guys through so much unneeded stress in our brief 18 year period together and you never once gave up on me. You have held me while I cried like a baby and you have celebrated me at my highest highs.
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​I have had the opportunity to watch my mother get laid off from her job, go back to college as an old person, and then graduate and find a new job in a completely new field. She has surpassed all expectations of a “farmgirl” and has taught me more about determination and honesty than anyone in this world.

​I also got the opportunity to watch my father be the only one from the same plant my mother was laid off from, get offered a new job at the same company. He is the only person in his office building that did not need the college degree to get to the level that he is. He worked for his experience and his knowledge in his field and earned the position he has through his unbelievable integrity. With that, I would like to thank my father for teaching me that working smarter and having a good work ethic will get you farther than you know in your future endeavors.

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And finally I would like to thank Courntee for being the best big sister a little brother could ask for. I have always looked up to as a role model. We have always been extremely competitive with each other and I knew that you were the best at everything singing and it drove me absolutely crazy. You taught me how to get out of my comfort zone and try new things both in and out of school. I want to thank you for instilling this need to be involved within me  and propelling  me into this position where I am today. You walked through the halls of RG so that I could run. And with that, I now conclude my thank you’s… ​

As I stand up here tonight attempting to hold in my tears, thinking about closing this chapter and immediately being thrown into the next one, I think about what Dr. Suess told us when we were too young to understand. He said, “do not cry because it is over, smile because it happened.” This quote made me think back on some of the times that I and some of my friends have had over the years. So, I asked some of my close friends to please tell me some of the random memories they have from the past few years. The following is the best they could come up with. (Prepare for a whole lot of Reece)
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The memories that they chose that I decided not to go into detail on were our numerous taco bells runs, our famous tik tok, (one second, let me find the senior moms…) the intersection of Martz and Diven road and rerack, Reece taking out the call of duty dodgeball mats in gym and Mr. Sanner again threatening a detention he would never give, Travis saying whoopsies with some random kid at splash lagoon, Brett and Michael learning how to weld in Beary’s room whenever Mr. Beary was absent, Isaac running with the horses on the covid Google Meets, Connor everyday having to do his calming exercises to not lose it on Brett or Evan at lunch, Brett accidentally requesting that the front office have his high school transcript emailed to our own front office, Braden saying every single sentence backwards and usually being the only one to laugh, and finally staying up all night playing poker and then leaving at like 4 in the morning to go to Oakmont bakery.

​These memories are barely the surface of all the memories that were created during our time here, but it is these same memories that are the most important thing to me from the past twelve years.

​More important than this cap and gown and whatever this thing around my neck is called. The only other quote I could find that would help describe how I am feeling right now comes from none other than Winnie the Pooh. He said, “How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”

We had no clue coming into the high school what we should be expecting. We had no clue that if you dropped one of Mrs. Cohlhepp’s calculators you would have a permanent grudge held against you until the day you leave this world. We also didn’t understand why the administration thought it would be best if Mr.Beary didn’t have the incoming seventh graders in any of his classes.

​Though we didn’t know about any of this, we did know that we would support each other through the thick and the thin no matter the obstacles thrown in front of us. If there is anything you take from today, remember that to “leave a legacy” and to “achieve greatness” is not equal to getting money and receiving recognition. It is to give those with whom you cross paths with a little more happiness and hope. Our time here together as a senior class will not be remembered by grades, popularity, or likes on Instagram. It will be remembered by the relationships that we created. The kind of person you were, these are our legacy’s. The same legacy that we must leave.

Tables turn, bridges burn, and you live and learn and oftentimes it’s the journey that teaches you about the destination. So, as I go to sit down, preparing for someone to come up here and tell us to move our tassels, I start to put this day into memory because that is what I have realized I want all my memories to come from. Dreams I got to live out and reflect upon down the road. It has been my dream to be up here since sixth grade… It was worth every single second of sleep that I missed out on studying, every morning I puked before a test, and every comment I got about messing up the curve on a physics test. And with that, I want to thank you the class of 2022 and thank you mom and dad for never giving up on me.

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Mom, Dad…  I did it.
 
Thank you all very much!
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