‘The end of an era’

Eldred’s Class of 2009 graduates

By ISABEL BRAVERMAN

Eldred, NY — “Today marks the end of an era.” Such were the words of Eldred Central School’s valedictorian Regina Young at the graduation commencement last Saturday. Indeed, for Eldred’s class of 2009, June 27 did mark the end of an era. With their achievements and motivation it is now time for the class to move on to bigger and better things.

The graduation began on a cloudy day (luckily the rain waited for the ceremony to be over) at 10:00 a.m. in the front yard of Eldred Central School. The traditional “Pomp and Circumstance” played as the 59 graduates walked to take their seats on stage. Male and female pairs walked step by step, arm in arm, in a slow manner that caused some couples to stumble a bit. Once all graduates were on stage, a singing of the National Anthem ensued. When everyone was seated, the speeches began.

After principal Scott Krebs’ short welcome address, and the biographies of this year’s Hall of Fame inductees, Betsy Conaty, former Eldred student, came to the podium as this year’s guest speaker. Her speech was a unique one, filled with humor—some of it self-deprecating: she noted that graduates probably won’t remember who their guest speaker was 30 years from now. Ironically, just that humour made it a memorable speech.

Next was the speech of the salutatorian, Benjamin Steimle. He encouraged his fellow graduates to follow their own path by quoting Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Less Taken.” He encouraged his peers by ending with “Whichever road each of us chooses, we will succeed.”

Following Steimle was valedictorian Regina Young. She perfectly pinpointed the feeling that graduates often have of excitement for the unknown, yet fear for leaving behind what they know so well. She said that no longer will they worry about who likes who or what to wear to school, because they are entering a place in life where those commonalities will be unknown as they move to larger and unfamiliar environments.

Principle Scott Krebs then made a speech in which he compared life to a day at the beach. In planning for a day spent at the beach, one must decide what to bring, what to wear, what kind of sun block to use, what food to bring and which games to play with friends. He related each task to a larger task in the grand scheme of life. The overall message: be prepared. However, he ended the speech with a refreshing beacon of advice: to enjoy being a kid. With the mounting pressure that graduates feel, the simple message of “it’s great to be a kid” relieves the stress and reminds graduates that they are, after all, kids.

After the graduates listened to the speeches, or rather advice, from their peers and mentors, the big moment finally arrived. A sense of alertness and excitement was felt as Krebs took to the podium and announced that all those on stage had graduated from high school according to New York State law. And so, the presentation of diplomas began. Each student walked off stage and over to receive their diploma and returned to their seats as an official high school graduate. The audience clapped and cheered as each name was called, and some even blew toy horns, much to the amusement of the crowd. When all students had received their diplomas and the announcement, “Ladies and gentlemen, the class of 2009” was made, it was time to rejoice as the graduates threw their caps high into air.

Although they walked in on unsteady feet, the graduates left the stage with a visibly apparent addition of confidence, bravery and, above all, joy. So, here’s to you, class of 2009. Go out there, be prepared, and enjoy yourself.