‘Dream the Impossible’

The class of 2007 graduates from Eldred High School

By NICK TROIANO

ELDRED, NY — Commencement ceremonies for the Eldred High School class of 2007 took place under a warm and shining sun on Saturday morning, June 23. On stage, facing a crowd of enthusiastic faculty, family and friends, sat 52 hats, 52 gowns and 52 future alumni, each of whom would be taking his or her first step into “the real world.”

Interim superintendent of schools Charlotte Gregory welcomed the crowd to the ceremony and referred to this year’s seniors as “the class with dignity.” She told them to cherish this moment in their lives, as this is “the nicest little graduation in the nicest part of the United States.”

Principal Scott Krebs remarked on how time appeared to have jumped from the day he and students entered Eldred High School to the moment in time in which they stood. He compared it to the scene from “I Dream of Jeannie” when she crosses her arms, blinks and is whisked away to another time and scenario. Krebs said he hopes in another blink of an eye 10 years from now, the graduates will have found success and happiness.

Sullivan County Court Judge Frank LaBuda was this year’s guest speaker. He told the audience that “time is a precious gift from God; we should all use it well.” Congratulations and praise went to the families and faculty of the school district, as they were the ones responsible for the final products, which, he said, “from this day forward will speak the future of this country.”

LaBuda emphasized the importance of dreaming. “Don’t be afraid to dream, and dream the impossible. Back in 1776 it was an impossible dream that a few farmers would take their flintlock rifles and defeat the English army and form a new country—but it happened. The impossible can come true with hard work and determination,” he concluded.

Class salutatorian Meghan Dembrosky addressed her fellow classmates and told them of one of Albert Einstein’s equations, A = X +Y + Z. If A is success, she explained, then X is work, Y is play and Z is keeping your mouth shut. After some elaboration, Dembrosky stated that, “I would define success as the point at which you are happy. It is not about how much money you have or who has the better car, but about the point at which you feel successful.”

Coyote Anderson, class valedictorian, also had some advice to share—advice that came through personal experience. Anderson spoke of the time when he was hospitalized, and to his surprise, one of his teachers came in and brought a box full of handmade cards from his classmates. “It was a profound moment for me,” he recalled. “Let me say this: keep that humanity… if you stay that way, you will all surely be successful in everything you do.”

After scholarship presentations, a singing of the alma mater and the presentation of the last diploma to Nicole Zub, the Eldred Class of 2007 exited the stage and embarked upon their lives, with, of course, Pomp and Circumstance playing in the background.