Hampton grads celebrate commencement
In keeping with their class quote, “Life moves pretty fast; if you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it,” (a quote from classic movie character Ferris Bueller) the 15 members of the Hampton High School Class of 2024 appeared to savor every moment of their graduation exercises on Saturday. They took the pictures, made their speeches, rang the school bell, played in the band, sang in the choir and finally walked the stage to receive their diplomas, all while celebrating the warm fellowship of their classmates and the adulation of friends and family.
Gathering in a high school classroom at about 1 p.m., the class members donned their robes and caps and received boutonnieres or long-stemmed versions of the class flower (the purple ranunculus) to wear or carry throughout the program. It was also a time for last minute pre-graduation selfies with classmates, photos with family and a formal class photo.
Shortly before 2 p.m. and following some last-minute words of instruction from Supt. Holly Herzberg, the class made its way out of the high school building and down to the sidewalk in front of the school so the seniors could circle around and pass by the old school bell near the main entrance which leads into the new gym where the commencement was to be held. In a time-honored tradition, each of the grads reached out and rang the bell as they walked by, an event that was live-streamed for those who couldn’t attend.
At the appointed hour, the underclassmen of the high school band struck up “Pomp and Circumstance” and the processional began. Once the members of the class were seated on the platform, graduating senior Brayden Dose took to the podium to deliver opening remarks.
After taking the opportunity to thank the audience for attending and the school staff for providing their guidance throughout the class’s educational experience, Dose also spoke about the moment at hand.
“As we take the time to reflect over our time together as classmates,” Dose said, “we’d also like to remember that this is a celebration. Though tears will be shed, we’re all here to celebrate our history and look to the future. Not everyone up here has been here since we started school, but it sure feels like we’ve known each other for a while... Despite the seemingly never ending days of school, I feel like we’re all pretty thankful for the time we were together.”
Salutatorian address
Several members of the graduating class joined their fellow choir members in the bleachers to sing “Go the Distance,” from the movie “Hercules,” and then it was time for the Salutatorian Address by Kylee Young, one of the newer members of the Class of ‘24.
“In the process of writing this speech I can say that I received a decent amount of suggestions but the most common being ‘Please, just keep it short!’ I am proud to tell you that I have full intentions of doing just that so we can all move this little tassel thing and get to celebrating,” Young said.
Noting that while writing the speech she was “hit with a large range of emotions,” Young said she instead of focusing on “finding your destiny and needing to know where you are going in life,” she would talk about the art and skills her class had mastered, such as the “art of procrastination.”
“As many of you know I have only attended Hampton for two years and in those years I have gotten the chance to learn who each of my classmates is and, for many, who they would like to become,” Young said. “Don’t worry parents, I think your kids are pretty cool. When I switched to Hampton I was terrified. I had no clue where my classes were nor who I would become friends with. However, this fear didn’t last long. Every student and faculty member you see here today welcomed me with open arms and made Hampton feel like a home to me, especially my classmates.”
“These students have the capability to make any place feel like home and make any new student into a family member,” she said. “Though collectively we have little in common, my class has a very unique bond. We have laughed, cried, sang and maybe even gotten into a bit of mischief here and there together.”
Saying that class members have ambitions to be doctors, healthcare providers, business leaders, educators, farmers and ranchers, Young said the class had been challenged by Principal Carson Klute at the beginning of the year to be leaders and set an example for the rest of the students.”
“Hopefully he agrees with me when I say most of us have set a good example and have grown to be some of the greatest leaders within the school,” Young stated. “While a certain some of us may know Mr. Klute’s room a little too well, all jokes aside I would say we are good role models and I hope that is one of the marks the Class of 2024 leaves here.”
Closing with a quote of Winnie the Pooh, “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think,” Young concluded here speech by saying, “Congratulations guys, we’ve finally made it!”
Valedictorian speaks
Class valedictorian Dani Dowling began her address also by saying she had promised her classmates to keep her speech short and went on to thank her teachers, the administration and her parents for their support.
“Fun fact, despite having competed in speech all four years, I’ve never had to write a speech,” Dowling confessed. “So this will be my first.”
Dowling went on to list some “fun facts” she had learned about her classmates over their years together, concluding by saying, “The coolest fact about all of us is that after this we’re all going in different directions. Some of us are going to four-year colleges, others to community (college) or trade schools and some are going straight into the workforce. But before we leave to go in those directions I want to tell my classmates something. It’s a quote from a song by my favorite artist. The lyrics say, “It’s alright to not have a dream, if you have moments where you feel happiness for a while.”
Elaborating on the statement “It’s alright to not have a dream,” Dowling said it’s okay that some of her classmates have not decided yet on a career path.
“Seniors all over the country feel pressured to have a career path, to have a dream, but in reality we have plenty of time,” she said. “We are 18 and 17 years old; we don’t need to have a destination, just a stable path to walk on until we’re ready to switch courses. And that path will have pot holes, it will have branches and even a fallen tree, but as long as we push through and stay on that path, we will find our way eventually.”
Referencing the class quote from Ferris Bueller, Dowling said, “This goes for everyone here; as we get going in life we can get used to living in the fast lane and that looks different for everyone. Whether it’s throwing yourself into school or your job, or even being the life of the party a little too often. Life will get away from you and when it does you’ll need to slow down and look around. Ask yourself if that’s the life you want to be living.”
“I want to leave you all with this quote that I heard the other day while watching the movie ‘You’ve Got Mail,’” Dowling concluded. “In the movie the female lead says this: “So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn’t it be the other way around?” I think what the character is trying to say is that you should be able to read a book and instead of thinking ‘I wish I knew what that felt like’, you say ‘I know exactly what that feels like.’ Instead of wondering what something looks like, you already know what it looks like. My point is don’t be satisfied with living your life through books. Go out and feel it for yourself!”
Honoring their moms
Following the speeches, the class members left the stage again during the playing of “When God Made You My Mother” to present flowers to their mothers and grandmothers in the audience, sharing hugs and tears with other family members as well.
The senior slide presentation featured pictures of each senior as young children and was accompanied by snippets of favorite songs of the graduates. Following the slide presentation several members of the class joined other members of the concert band to present the song “Aztec Fire.”
The graduates each stood to be recognized as Herzberg read the list of the scholarships each had been awarded, then it was time for the reading of the roll and the awarding of diplomas. As each name was read, the graduates made their way the short distance across the platform where School Board President Grant Dose waited to hand them their diploma, accompanied by a handshake of congratulations.