Dear Mom and Dad, 

We did it. I am about to graduate high school. I am going to college to play the sport I love on scholarship, I am a captain of the baseball team. I started for every game in basketball, and I continued to keep playing the saxophone. I even have a girlfriend! Who would have thought that I would actually care about something other than sports? I remember Dad and I talking about me going to college for a sport. I always would say that I wanted to be like him and play a sport in college, not just for myself, but for the people most important in my life: my family. You guys pushed me to my limits and I am thankful for it.

Dear Mrs. Gimpel, I know that towards the end of the year our class was giving you a hard time and I do take partial credit for it. I honestly did not mean to make feel disrespected and if I did disrespect you in anyway, I apologize. Mrs. Gimpel, I have had four ELA teachers at Carroll and you are the only one that made me look forward to class. I know I may act like I don’t like doing work or don’t pay attention at times, but you have helped me to understand and I can honestly say that I have learned a lot from you. After Kairos you really helped me with my brother having autism. You helped me become closer with my brother and showed me that he can make it on his own when I leave for college. The stories you told me on Kairos about your son made me confident that my brother won’t need me all the time. I thank you very much for everything you have done for me.

Last but not least: Dear Hunter, I want to tell you, Hunter — thank you for everything, brodie. I would not be the person I am today without you. I know I am hard on you for a lot of things but that is because I know what you can bring to this Earth. I know that you will one day make this Earth a better place by using that big behind brain you have. Again, Hunter, I thank you because you are the reason I push myself so hard for everything that I do. 

I would like to thank my whole family for everything that they sacrifice for me. 

Sincerely, 

Harold Ivery III