June 14, 2016 at 8:47 a.m.
Class of 2016 joins the ranks of Hodag alumni
Class of 2016 joins the ranks of Hodag alumni
As mentioned by several of the speakers, the day marked both a milestone and a crossroads for the 205 members of the Class of 2016. As the school principal, David Ditzler, told the class, like the seeds he planted in his garden recently, they are starting to grow into what they are supposed to be.
Katie Olkowski told her fellow graduates that although they are going off to college, the workforce or the military, they will always be members of the Class of 2016. The class has had to overcome many challenges, she added. While its members developed interests in many diverse things, nothing could hold their spirit down, she added.
"We never let anything get in the way of being individuals," Olkowski said.
Faculty speaker Mischell Fryar asked those in the audience who were RHS graduates to stand. She then told the class that after today, they, too, are members of that group.
Her speech centered on having dreams and passion in life, and to be driven by the right things.
"I suggest you don't spend a lifetime learning how to do something you don't enjoy," she said.
Isin Seda Sahin of Turkey, one of two exchange students in the class, spoke of the things she learned in her 10 months in Rhinelander. She said one thing she learned to love was snow, although she didn't particularly care for temperatures near zero.
"I was lucky it was a mild winter," she said.
She also said she will really miss snowmobiling "something I definitely would not be able to do back home."
Sahin also said she had developed a love for American food, but won't miss bugs and bug bites. Most importantly, she said she would miss the members of the class she met during her stay here.
"I feel uplifted by being a part of this," she said.
Faculty member Daniel Elliot told the graduates to not be afraid of dreaming for success.
"Failure and setbacks are not a destination if you expect great things," Elliot said
Ramon Elizondo likened high school to the shipbuilding process, with the graduates each being a mere framework when they arrived four years ago. He said over the course of high school, their planks and masts took shape and now they are ready to leave the safety of the harbor.
Instead of being the end of their story, it is time to write a new chapter in their ship's journal.
"And that is maiden voyage," Elizondo said
Valedictorian Emily Ditzler urged her classmates to discover what their passion in life is if they haven't already, and pursue it. She said her generation is very comfortable with the way the digital world works, with answers just a Google search away. She cautioned them that if they don't have passion in their lives, someone else will write their stories for them.
She also gave them a word of advice about continuing to learn after taking off the cap and gown.
"The world is a big place, and believe it or not, we don't know everything," she said.
Jamie Taylor may be reached at [email protected].
Comments:
You must login to comment.