The Tulpehocken Class of 2017 said farewell to the halls of Tulpehocken Jr./Sr. High School during commencement held at the stadium on June 7.
The 99 graduates walking that night, with a total of 103 graduating, entered Commencement by walking along the stadium track and down the middle of the football field to “Pomp & Circumstance.”
Valedictorian Olivia Stephan, Class President, welcomed the crowd of faculty, administration, family and friends gathered in the stadiums stands.
“Welcome to this joyous event for the graduating Class of 2017,” said Stephan.
She started by saying thank you to everyone who helped the graduates get to where they sat that night.
“To all teachers, thank you for devoting the time to educate and prepare us for our next step in life,” said Stephan. “Most importantly, thank you, parents. If it was not for your support, who knows how some of us would have been able to survive. We could always count on you to be there.”
Stephan reflected on the past 13 years of school.
“We were small children running to the bus, excited for our first day of school with no thoughts in our head for the future. Fast forward to the present and here we are, all together in our caps and gowns, waiting to receive that special piece of paper. Every one of us sitting here should be proud of this accomplishment. We worked hard all these years to get to this point in our lives.”
Stephan said the better memories of high school should be remembered, like Tractor Day and special events such as Prom. But most importantly, she told the graduates to remember the friendships.
Referring to a quote by Mark Twain, Stephan told her fellow graduates, “To throw off the bow lines and get ready to switch that tassel to the other side of your cap. Sail away from the safe harbor and explore the area outside of Tulpehocken borders. Catch your trade winds in your sail and embark on a wonderful journey to fulfill your goals and aspirations in life. The real world will not just hand you opportunities on a silver platter, you have to go out there and find them by taking risks.”
Risks such as moving far away, changing careers or even going to a new restaurant, she said.
“Taking a risk itself is a success. It allows you to discover new things in this world. Maybe it might even help you discover yourself,” said Stephan. “Yes, there is always a possibility of a bad outcome but if that happens then it’s just a lesson learned. Do not be scared to venture outside the boundaries of the Tulpehocken District. It is a whole new world past these farm fields.”
Noting that they will not be walking through the halls of Tulpehocken High School again, Stephan said, “The best way to describe today is the end of the Tulpehocken chapter in our lives… Some of us may never see each other again after we sail away.”
While she said many will cry at the end of the evening, Stephan told them instead to smile.
“Be proud that we are able to say that we are the Class of 2017 graduates of Tulpehocken.”
Salutatorian Kayla Paulson talked about the fear of moving on from their comfort zones at Tulpehocken.
“Fear of letting go of close friends and the fear of not being as successful in life as we hope,” said Paulson.
She asked the graduates to take a look at the past 13 years of the story of their lives.
“Each story is filled with personal successes and failures, accomplishments and hard times,” said Paulson, talking about the many challenges they faced as students. “The important thing here is that we learned to never give up. We could have thrown in the towel at age 5 because we might have thought 2 plus 2 equals 5 instead of 4. However, we did it. We continued to mature, move on and be independent which allowed us to be where we are today.”
Talking about the many changes between their 5-year-old selves and their current selves, she said, “We are all about to experience one of the biggest changes in our lives, but change is what makes our story ours… Tonight, we the Class of 2017, are adding one final chapter together. This chapter, like the one we started in kindergarten, will include many common themes. There will be memories of laughter, favorite teachers, hot classrooms, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Tractor Day, Homecoming, Prom, Spirit Weeks, musicals, plays, sports and now graduation… This is our last chapter together but it is far from the end. I’m excited to see and hear about everyone’s new stories in the future.”
Commencement included the presentation of awards, presentation of diplomas and a choral performance. Senior chorus members and Show Choir sang “Breakaway” during the Tulpehocken Commencement. Soloist was Lindsey Rhoads. Pianist was Courtney Luckenbill.
