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158 ECHS grads turn tassels
The commencement exercise was held in the gym due to the construction of new bleachers underway at Standifer Field. The commencement was likely the last event to be held in the gym which was built in 1954. A new gym complex is under construction which will replace the old gym. Salutatorian Hannah Nicole Nolen opened her salutory address quoting Dr. Seuss's "Oh, the Places You'll Go." "Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away... And You are the guy who'll decide where to go." "We are stepping out of our comfort zone and into the unknown where we will face many choices," Hannah said. "We will have to decide whether to go to college, go to work, who to marry, where to live… the list is endless. It will be up to us to make the right decision." Further quoting Dr. Seuss... "You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed. You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you'll be best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest. Except when you don't. Because, sometimes, you won't." Turning to 1 Corinthians 10:13, Hannah tells her classmates, "God will never give us more than we can handle. When you come to a detour or even a dead-end life, think back to all of the lessons we have learned from our teach- ers, parents, and even each other. And know that you will be able to overcome them." Valedictorian Breanna Nicole Miller opened her remarks by quoting Matthew 7: 7-8. "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened." "As we begin to reach the end of this special ceremony, many will begin to think that this is the end of a long journey of hard work and dedication," she said. "I am here to say it is not. We are just taking the first steps toward a new beginning." "Commencement is often thought of as a door closing on the past ... but the definition of commencement is 'a beginning.' The way I see it, a commencement is a ceremony that celebrates a series of gradual changes, a ceremony that pushes us into a hallway lined with thousands of doors, entryways to another phase of our gradual change." "Passing through some doors, we will have to set aside fear and prejudice before we may advance," Breanna stated. "To unlock others, we will have to uphold our sense of justice and dignity." Quoting Walt Disney ... "All of our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them." She encouraged her classmates, stating, "As we walk out of this gymnasium and embark on this new direction in life as high school graduates, our paths are still unpaved and our future still undiscovered. We face hardships and disappointments, but also a life full of wonderfully unexpected moments and glorious successes." Breanna closed by quoting Ivy Baker Priest ... "The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be the beginning." "Graduates, we have made many memories together as we worked our way to this point and I am very proud to say that I am graduating with you."
Diplomas in hand, the graduates marched out of the gym to the music of "Pomp and Circumstance" played by the ECHS band and were greeted with hugs and a crowd of well-wishers.
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