While there may have been traces of melancholy among some of the parents, there were nothing but smiles on the faces of the 161 graduates of the Perry High School Class of 2018 Sunday.[wpedon id=”82220″ align=”center”]
In a ceremony lasting just over an hour, the next group to enter the “real” world stepped across the stage before an overflow crowd in the PHS gym to receive their diplomas.
The class was led into the gym in single file by juniors Connor Kenyon, Mario Cruz, Kitza Soto and Jocelyn Fuentes.
Principal Dan Marburger asked for current and former service members to stand and be recognized because Monday is Memorial Day. Seniors who will enter the military or law enforcement were then asked to stand and be applauded.
Perry Superintendent Clark Wicks was the first speaker at the ceremony. In brief remarks, he urged the graduates to memorize and live out a simple sentence: “Your value is determined by what you make of yourself.”
Student Body President Luke Rathje sprinkled his address his humorous observations, with Senior Class President Karen Romero asking her classmates to reflect on the impact they had made on each other through the years.
The PHS choir sang “He Never Failed Me Yet” by Robert Ray, with Breanna Penenger and Miguel Orduna providing vocal solos.
Marburger recognized the academic top 10 percent of the class, who were each brought to the stage to receive a medal from Wicks. Academic letter winners were recognized as well, along with members of the National Honor Society.
Marburger announced the name of each student as he or she received a diploma from Wicks, Perry School Board President Kyle Baxter, Vice President Linda Andorf and Director Kenia Alarcon. A diploma was posthumously awarded to Nailea Marquez.
Shortly afterward, the class flipped their tassels from left to right, setting off a celebration highlighted by the firing of silly string and blaring of several air horns.
ThePerryNews.com congratulates the Perry High School Class of 2018 and wishes them all the best in their future endeavors. The entire class can be viewed walking into the gym as students for the final time in the video below.
