RCHS graduates 63 in commencement

by Richard Lamb– Advance Editor

With a simple turn of the tassel, the Rogers City Class of 2009 completed the graduation exercises and 63 students became alumni of the school. As class president Samantha Brege gave the word to move the tassel to the ?graduated? side, her classmates tossed confetti, hats, and sprayed canned string at each other in celebration. After the class marched in, the RCHS band, under the direction of Edward Wilbert, played the ?Star Spangled Banner,? the ?Alma Mater,? and ?Never Let You Go,? a song chosen by the senior band members.

Then senior choir members sang ?Our Lives? before principal Jamie Huber introduced salutatorian Carly Claus. She welcomed parents, family and friends to the graduation. ?For the most part we have spent the last four years at Rogers City High School together. We have had happy and sad times, victories and defeats. A great part of growing up in a small community is being able to build relationships with our classmates, their parents and friends. I am very grateful for the time and effort the community took to make our time here the best it could be,? she said. She said everyone in attendance had a set of memories from their high school days that could make him or her smile. Attitude plays a huge part in a person?s success, she said. ?Think of your life in terms of a timeline. If you live to be 80 or 90, these next three years will go quickly and yet, what we decide to do in the near future, will determine the rest of our lives,? she said. She advised her classmates to appreciate everyone in their lives and love people for who they are and she thanked teachers, family and friends for their support.

HUBER THEN introduced Kaylee Kreft for the valedictorian?s address. ?After watching so many go before, it is finally our turn. Looking back now I can say these were a short four years, but looking forward as a freshman, I thought these four years would never end. Whether considered brief or lengthy, high school has greatly shaped us,? she said. ?We have been molded, stretched, hardened, and defined by our experiences.? She thanked her family, school administrators and counselor Marilyn Dimick for their support of her in her high school years.

?To the graduating class of 2009, I wish you all success in your future endeavors. When times get difficult, try to focus on what you have gained. Don?t dwell on what you have lost. We have made happy memories over the past four years, keep and treasure them, but don?t long for the past and don?t regret,? she said. Huber shared his thoughts on the important day for the 63 members of the graduating class.

?PLEASE BE sure to take a moment throughout today?s ceremony and the upcoming celebrations that are to come, to commit to memory your surroundings one last time and all that it means to be a graduate of Rogers City High School,? Huber said. He said graduates should reflect on

the decisions and people who made the day possible. ?Consider and learn from each of these memories and the people associated with them as you begin to experience a new freedom of choice and decision making as a high school graduate,? Huber said. Huber stressed the importance of attitude in a person?s daily life. ?I am convinced that life is 10 percent of what happens to me and 90 percent of how I react to it. And so it is with you. We are in charge of our attitude,? Huber said. He then presented the class to acting superintendent Donald Schaedig and school board president Mike Marx for the awarding of diplomas.

After class president Brege introduced each person, they received their diplomas from the school board and were congratulated as they walked across the stage and entered a new phase of their lives.

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