FREDERICKTOWN — Academics and athletics, opportunity and adventure, roots and wings were themes woven throughout 2008 commencement ceremonies for Fredericktown’s Class of 2008. Eighty-four students joined the ranks of Fredericktown High School alumni on Saturday night.
Salutatorian Andy Toms took his classmates back to primary school, a time when, he said, they lived in the present.
“Just as we lived in the present then, we need to live in the present now,” he said. “We can’t dwell on the past.”
But, he added, the past can not be forgotten, either, nor should the graduates look too far into the future. Rather, he told them, they need to make the most of every opportunity, whether it be in regard to a job offer, or going to college and excelling. Quoting the Apostle Paul, Toms said “if given an opportunity, we must take it.”
Valedictorian Adaleigh Pritchard said she thought graduation would be the end of tedious work.
“I thought I could relax, once the obstacle of high school was overcome,” she said. “Graduation, I thought, must be the requirement for fun.”
Not so, she said. Likening their school years to the process of learning to swim, Pritchard said the class started out as minnows, became guppies, and finally sharks, in the process learning everything there was to know about swimming.
Now, she said, it’s time to high dive.
“Graduation, once it gets here, there’s no going back to the kiddie pool,” she said.
She challenged her classmates to close their eyes, hold their breath and dive into the water below, to face new adventures.
Class president Curtis Ashcraft began his presentation by making one last announcement: “Attention, seniors. We are all graduating today.”
Saying he thought high school went by way too fast, Ashcraft said the entire high school career became a constant routine. That routine began with being woke up every half hour by their mother, brushing their teeth and getting to home room. Then, after 6 1/2 hours, going home or to an extracurricular activity.
“That routine has turned our class into one of the best at Fredericktown High School. ... No matter what, our class went above and beyond the call of duty,” he said, citing the academic and athletic accomplishments of the class of 2008.
Ashcraft acknowledged there were doubters.
“But we proved them all wrong,” he said. “We are a different breed. We knew it and we weren’t afraid to let others know it.”
Superintendent Dan Humphrey said the class of 2008 excelled academically, with over $850,000 in scholarships.
“That’s quite an accomplishment for this class,” he said.
Humphrey congratulated the graduates as they, in the words of Dr. Seuss, go off to great places. But, he said, as they go off, they also have roots.
“You know about small-town values,” he told the graduates. “You know about Sockman Lake, the gazebo ... the ball clock on the square — except Fredericktown doesn’t have a square. ... You remember when eighth grade came to the high school.
“But your roots go much deeper,” he said, noting that teachers and coaches taught them a great work ethic. “Parents and teachers have given you a base upon which to build. Take time to thank them, for they have given you those roots.
“We want you to have wings, to go out into the world,” he continued. “Your roots and wings will help you make good choices later in life.”
He challenged the graduates to know the anticipation and excitement of attaining their goals.
“Don’t get caught in the waiting game, as Dr. Seuss would say,” said Humphrey.
In trying to decide what to tell the graduates, Arthur Dremann, president of the Fredericktown Board of Education, said he saw a symbol of the class of 2008 on television.
“It was a little bunny, beating on a drum,” said Dremann. “The class of 2008 is just like that Energizer bunny — it keeps going and going.”
Citing the class’ athletic accomplishments, Dremann told the graduates that as a class, they have achieved more than just accolades on the athletic field. Participating in musicals and tutoring other students are just two of many other activities in which the students participated.
“If you can do the math, this bunny knows how to go to the bank, too,” said Dremann, referring to the $850,000 in scholarship money the class received. “Keep that bunny going.”
The graduation ceremony began with a prelude by the Fredericktown High School Band, under the direction of Ron Graham. A color guard from Fredericktown VFW Post 7671 led the graduates into the gymnasium, senior choir members sang the national anthem and the FHS alma mater was sung. Ken Conaway, Carolyn Grimm and Tracie Weller, senior class advisors, presented the diplomas.
