East Grand graduates 8

Contributed photo
ONE LAST TIME — Graduates of East Grand School, from left, front row: Victoria Roy, Kimberly Armstrong and Shelby Oliver; and back row: Dustin Morse, John Massey, Cleveland Kenyon, Robert Cousins III and Jon Wright, get together before graduation last Thursday night for one last class photograph.
By Gloria Austin
Staff Writer
    “My fellow classmates and I stand here in our gowns ready to graduate and start the next chapter in our lives,” said East Grand Salutatorian Dustin Morse at last Thursday’s commencement ceremony.
    Morse noted some of his classmates would leave the doors of East Grand School to start their “new” lives in the “real world,” while others would only be “part way towards the journey,” beginning with a new educational chapter … college.
    “The years in high school will be the ones we will remember for a lifetime,” Morse said. “Personally, these last few years have taught me a lot.”
    With distractions and temptations to trip up students, Morse related that as they get closer to their senior year, they will begin to realize they need to become more serious.
    “You are preparing for your future,” he said. “Looking back from freshman to senior year, the time goes by fast. Everyone should make sure to take all the opportunities presented.”
    Grades and aid of teachers are important as students move through the educational process.
    “To all the underclassmen, I really want to stress, you really want to start being nice to your teachers and staff. They are the people who help and push you towards graduation day. In spite of how it seems, they really do care about you being successful.”
    Morse thanked the teachers and staff of East Grand for “preparing and helping with recommendations, school work and overall, giving of their time and energy so we can graduate and be successful.”
    From teachers to coaches, family and friends, Morse expressed his thanks, especially to his parents.
    “Parents are the ones that made sure that our work was done, that we behaved in school, and personally, gave the greatest support by telling me that I could do anything I wanted, as long as I worked hard.”
Contributed photo
HAVING FUN — East Grand graduates, Victoria Roy and John Wright, have a laugh together during last Thursday’s Commencement Exercises.
    Valedictorian Kimberly Armstrong delivered her address to the graduating class and audience, speaking on the learning curve.
    “I didn’t just get here today by reading books all day,” she said. “I got here by doing my best, while learning as much as I could through life.”
    Armstrong noted education is an important aspect of life.
    “Everywhere you go there is going to be something new to learn, as long as you are willing to learn it,” she said.
    Armstrong explained how her parents provided the basic necessities of life, along with the important aspects.
    “They taught me how to be responsible, make my own decisions, take a joke, stand up for myself, and be independent,” she said.
    School was a teaching tool, too.
    “In addition to basic literacy, I learned to communicate with others on a day-to-day basis,” Armstrong noted. “The bottom line is, I learned that school is more important than many of us thought.”
    Armstrong explained she played three sports at school and she discovered she couldn’t do everything on her own — she needed teamwork.
    “I learned it is not about winning or losing,” she said. “It is about trying your best and having fun while doing it. I also learned that I am a role model for the younger players.”
    In conclusion, Armstrong said, “My friends have made my life very interesting, while teaching me at the same time. They taught me how to resist peer pressure and that no matter what, how bad things get, there is always a brighter side. They have also taught me not to sweat the small stuff, have fun, laugh and enjoy life.”