A Sad, But Fond, Farewell...

With the arrival of June we have the much anticipated graduation season. Each year we see groups of our young adults that we’ve watched grow up, for the past 12 years for some and the last four for others. Many of us only get a chance to really notice these kids during athletic events, a FFA presentation or band concerts.

We get to know some of these students better than others but we greatly appreciate all of their successes. I think most of us have had the chance to get to know them through this paper.

We’ve read all of the sports articles; the homecoming events and royalty; Distinguished Young Woman event; FFA judging both statewide and nationally, and other goings on that are happening around the school and community.

Some people will talk about the girls’ volleyball team going to state after missing out for several years. Others will think about the back-to-back 2B state football championships and 26-game winning streak.

Still others will talk about the two trips to the state basketball tournament, while many may talk about both boys’ and girls’ teams earning the state championship for having the highest GPA at the 2B level. There is little doubt that having a high GPA as a team is very impressive especially when the team is also competitive.

The boys and girls of this class are very impressive indeed. They have brought a lot of notoriety to the communities in which they live. It has been a fun ride, but like all fun rides this one will eventually come to an end.

The talk was beginning when these kids were in junior high and the word around town was, if you haven’t seen them play you need to watch them. And, yes, I got to see a football and basketball game and what I saw was impressive. Success needs to start somewhere and these kids seemed to work at it and did their best to improve as a team. I like that!

We all know the story about the two football seasons and how much fun it was to follow these athletes and see how they approached each victory and how great their sportsmanship was on the field of play.

We got to see two very different championship games that ended in victory for the Broncos. It was hard to breathe sometimes but what a rush when the final horn sounded.

All of that was great and we appreciated every minute. Unfortunately, all of those great moments won’t mean a lot when they are in class next fall. Welcome to the next stage in life.

There are going to be some trying times in the future and how each one reacts to adversity will have a big influence on their future successes.

There is a certain amount of the population that can go through life on cruise control. They seem to have a safety net wherever they go. That doesn’t happen to everyone. Some have to stub their toes in order to find their way. Think of this as going to the school of hard knocks. But there is a real appreciation that usually takes place after battling through tough times.

At least there should be.

Think of it this way, sometimes you start first and goal and everything comes easy. But there are other times when it is late and it’s fourth and 19. What is more stressful?

No one wants to be in a stressful situation everyday, but overcoming huge obstacles are easier for some than it is for others. I can predict that many in this class will have great success and will be the type of leaders that are needed from this generation.

Their intelligence, hard work and great teamwork are all qualities that will carry them through all of their adult life. They’ve been prepared well so now it’s time to tackle that next challenge.

It is a sad time seeing these great seniors graduate. But I wish them a fond farewell and the very best of luck in all of their future endeavors.