Giltner Public Schools faculty, family and friends celebrated the accomplishments of 20 graduating seniors Sunday, capping off their days in orange and black with an emotional-filled graduation ceremony.
The Class of 2024 was presented by three student speakers recognized for their academic achievements to share the class’s memories and outlook postgraduation.
Welcoming the assembly for the commencement ceremony was senior class president Cooper Reeson, who thanked everyone in attendance for showing their support. He also shared his insight for the future.
“Oh, how quickly had the last 13 years have gone by,” Reeson commented. “It was just yesterday, we were walking into our first day of kindergarten. Now we are here. The day that every child looks forward to and the day they wish would come sooner, graduation day. As this chapter of our lives ends, we have to face the future. Some may fear the unknown, but I do believe that this class has what it takes to be successful and will make an impact on this world.”
Sharing some of the class’s fond memories was salutatorian Preston Larson.
“Our class will never forget buying Mrs. (Debbie) Janzen’s massive supply of beanie babies or when an American historian came into Mrs. (Jeanie) Good’s class and used Marshall (Humphrey) as a human prop,” Larson shared. “Now fast forward to high school, and I don’t think any of us forget ane-act season when Tracy (Wiles) attempted to pick up a hamster that was in one of the classrooms we stayed in. The hamster decided that it didn’t like Tracy all that much and it gave her a good bite and then immediately fell on the floor when she dropped it out of her hands. Everyone thought that she had killed the hamster, but I assure you that the hamster is alive and Tracy’s hand is doing pretty much alright, although I’m convinced she’s going to turn into a hamster herself.”
While Larson expressed there are more stories he wishes he could experience, he concluded his speech stating class memories and hard work won’t stop after graduation.
“Our class can be proud of the dedication, leadership and involvement here at Giltner Public Schools,” Larson said. “It is these skills and our character that will serve our class well as we enter the next chapter and phase of our lives.”
Following Larson, class valedictorian Kylon Jurgens stepped to the microphone.
“Being up on stage is an exulting feeling,” Jurgens began. “The amount of work that has taken from not only me, but all of us is truly astounding.”
The valedictorian took time to thank the school’s faculty for its support the past 13 years.
“I’d like to thank our teachers for pushing us and putting up with us for this long,” Jurgens commented. “Our coaches, for teaching us about much more than just their respective sports and activities. Our community members, for cheering us on at all of our school-related events and watching us grow into who we are today. And finally, I would like to thank our parents, for putting us on the straight and narrow and not once faltering in their support for us in our endeavors.”
The word Jurgens used to define his graduating class was passionate.
“One can be passionate about anything from personal development to the largest political issues,” Jurgens stated. “This is a very passionate group. I see ambitions, goals and ideas in this room that signal a very bright future for us as a group. Like a web, the passion to be more connects me with each and every one of these young adults and fellow peers.”
Speaking toward his friends and classmates, he asked his class to focus on the “why” when they pursue their dreams after graduation.
“Whatever your ‘why’ is, grab it, mold it into a driving force,” he said. “Mold it into something that makes you leap out of bed every day. Don’t let the fear of failure stop you from your ultimate goal. In the words of Arnold Schwarzenegger, ‘You must see it. You must believe it and then you must never stop working to make it happen.’ Success doesn’t come from participation, it comes from everything, every ounce of your being.”
Concluding his speech, the valedictorian shared his pride for his class and what they could accomplish.
“These people I have called classmates for the vast majority of my life give me faith in the fact that there’s hope for tomorrow’s America,” Jurgens said. “I want to encourage them to find their ‘why.’ I want to encourage them to make their dreams a reality. America was built on dreams and I’m glad to know that each of us can make our dreams a reality. Giltner Public Schools has given us the tools, you just have to use them.”
Guest speaker at Sunday’s commencement was former Nebraska Wesleyan University football coach Bill Busch, who began by sharing a story from his graduation, helping a friend get a deal with a teacher and their high school principal so he could graduate with his classmates.
“The dude would come back the next day and wash school buses if he was allowed to graduate with his class on that day,” Busch explained. “The class that had 38 people, so just it is right here, if you guys have to wash buses tomorrow, stuff’s going to work out just fine.”
Busch shared another story of Harry Belafonte, who pushed through hardships before receiving a play ticket that lead him to become the beloved musician, actor and civil rights activist known today. He asked the graduates to use Belafonte’s story to seek their opportunities.
“You never know where you’re going to get your ticket,” Busch stated. “You don’t know if it’s tomorrow and somebody at a gas station. You don’t know where you’re going to meet them at.”
Sharing the lows of his own career when he was unable to work with another team, Busch commented that failure is not a means to an end, but a tool to push oneself for the better.
“Failure has been my friend,” Busch stated. “When this is who you are, here’s the deal. Rock bottom gives more chances than a gifted lifestyle ever has. That rock bottom lifestyle is so much fun. It is so much fun to live it, because when this is who you are you get excited from your setbacks and say, ‘Watch this. Watch how I come up with this. Watch what happens when I come out of this one.’ For adults, it’s my version of ‘Hold my beer.’ How are you going to come out and say ‘Well, this is who you are.’”
Principal Kurt Finkey announced all the students have met the requirements for graduation. After the students turned their tassels, Finkey announced them as the graduating Class of 2024. The students tossed their caps into the air, celebrating the end of one journey and the beginning of another.
