The Greek philosopher Aristotle said, “The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.”  Almost every person here understands the legitimacy of these words.  To become educated is not something as simple as watering a plant every now and then; it requires continuous hard work and if you continue to nourish yourself, you will surely reap the magnificent rewards. 

At AMES, teachers begin to till the soil of student's minds during their freshman year.  Once the soil is set, it is time to sow the seeds.  If properly tended, the seeds will continue to grow throughout the rest of your life. 

To get a great start, AMES offers honors, Advanced Placement, and college classes.  These are all terrific opportunities for students to accelerate their growth, but teachers can only show them the door, they cannot walk through it for the students. 

There is a common saying that, “it takes a village to raise a child,” and in the case of AMES, we are a part of that village.  The other members of this village include many other friends and family.   After enough time, the fruit will be ready to be picked.  Depending on how much work has been put in will determine how sweet the berries will be.  You can't expect to create an orchard by admiring the fruits of others; you must cultivate your fields on your own. 

Students at AMES who have rigorously worked during their high school years are all now enjoying the fruits of their labor.  Many of us have received scholarships and will be attending college this coming year.  Today is a day to celebrate what all of us have grown, it is a day of harvesting.

AMES has a mission statement that says, “Our mission is to prepare a diverse student body for success in college or other post-secondary education.”  And after looking at the crowd gathered here I can truly say “mission accomplished.”