IF each new learning experience is a garden, said Columbus East salutatorian Laurel Knight, then the challenges of the last few years “may have felt like a bitter winter in garden terms, the sort of environment that requires grit and perseverance in order to survive.”
“Yet, by sitting here today, ready to walk across the stage and complete our journey, each and every one of you has proved you can thrive in any classroom,” she told her classmates. “You have shown tremendous growth.”
And as the sun beamed down on Stafford Football Field at Saturday’s graduation, there was little frost in sight.
“Each and every one of you has one unique success story that now includes graduating high school,” Principal Mark Newell told the 2022 East graduates. “You persevered. You stepped up, met the challenge, and we’re here to celebrate your story.”
Superintendent Jim Roberts commended the class of 2022 as well and also told them to keep moving forward.
“Dream,” he said. “Dream big. And then try like heck to achieve it. All of you have demonstrated that you have it in you. On behalf of all of our 2,000 staff members in our corporation, we are proud of what you have accomplished today and know that you will accomplish much more when tomorrow becomes today.”
In reflecting on time and what lies ahead, valedictorian Jenna Boewe encouraged her fellow graduates to make the most of every second.
“Live every moment as if it were your last,” she said. “If there’s someone that you’ve been wanting to say something to, say it. You might not get the opportunity again. If there’s something that you’ve been wanting to do, do it. There’s no time like the present.”
The future brings changes, she said, but these should be embraced.
Likewise, Knight advised her classmates to continue learning and “make the world our new classroom,” despite the challenges that come with it.
“As we leave, as we migrate beyond the comfortable soil that best encourages us to grow, our pursuit of learning may be riddled with hardships,” she said. “We may be tempted to stop learning without easy access to the nutrients that feed our minds. The overwhelming, foreign environment of our future may make us want to wilt. Even so, never stop learning.”
