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Class of 2003 graduates
A windy but otherwise perfect day was on tap for the 223 seniors at Mountain Home High School who marched across the stage at Tiger Field Friday to receive their high school diplomas.
Commencement exercises marked the end of their high school careers, and their first steps toward adulthood.
"I cannot think of a better way to celebrate," Senior Class President Jake Bledsoe said, "than to be gathered with friends and mentors and those who love us most," to share in the commencement activities.
Principal Barry Cahill told the 2500 people who packed the stands for the evening ceremonies that "these students hold a special place in my heart," since they were the first class to go all the way through high school with him since he was named principal three years ago.
"They are a great group of young people."
Cahill noted that "in our district, we recognize that all our staff teach seniors," from kindergarten students on up, and praised the district staff, administration and the school board for their support.
And, as he has in the past when, for example, he asked the teachers to appear in their own collegiate graduation robes, Cahill added a new tradition to the ceremonies, asking the students to stand, turn and salute the family and friends who had supported them as they worked toward graduation.
The ceremonies featured two valedictorians, Adam Blanton and Adam Duresky.
Blanton spoke of key moments in life, and their student careers, telling his peers to "find appreciation in these precious moments.
"Life is only what you make of it, so make it enjoyable."
Duresky told his fellow classmates that "life is a marathon. Take each step one at a time."
His speech was themed to the concept of a marathon. "We are now at the starting line-up," he said, noting that commencement was "a celebration of a beginning."
"Look behind you at the crowd of people, all there to support us. They will be there at every checkpoint in our lives," continuing to encourage and support each graduate.
He said that the teachers and staff "have been our coaches for the race... spurring us on.
"The search for the correct pace may come sooner for some than for others," but each will find it in the end, he said. "Now we must concentrate on ourselves, finish our stretching, and find our place at the finish line."
The morning before graduation Cahill had arrived at the high school to find it plastered in toilet paper. Throughout the ceremonies, students reaching the stage dipped into a box of rolls of toilet paper and each handed their principal a roll as they crossed the stage to receive their diploma from members of the school board and administration.
Some of those rolls found their way into the student seating, where they were tossed back and forth during the ceremonies.
The high school a capella choir and the high school band provided musical accompaniment to the ceremonies, and for those suffering from the heat in the stands, iced tubs of bottled water were made available.
As the speeches ended, each graduate was called out, crossed the stage, received their diploma and then turned the tassel on their graduation caps to indicate they were now graduates. Cheers could be heard throughout Tiger Field as each graduate made their way across the stage.
Finally, it was time for the alphabetically last graduate, Benjamin Zurfluh, to cross the stage. He stopped, raised his gown to display the word "THE" painted on his levis, then turned, bent over, and displayed the word "END," causing the crowd to break into both laughter and applause.
And as Cahill announced his presentation of the "graduates" of the class of 2003, the students rose and tossed their hats into the air, then headed for the exits to meet with family and friends, to share hugs and tears, and to step out into the real world.
Many of the students attended the Senior Celebration party at Hacker Middle School that lasted most of the night. Others spent the evening with family and friends. Police reported no serious incidents related to graduation that evening.