Whitewater High School hands out diplomas to 152 graduates
By Tom Ganser
correspondent
More than 150 members of the Whitewater High School Class of 2016 were awarded their diplomas on June 5 in the high school gym to the cheers of family and friends.
After the processional march accompanied by the Symphonic Band and the singing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” by the Music Masters Ensemble, Sally Kate Hixson extended a welcome and expressed thanks to parents and guardians for their support.
Lan Vo introduced faculty speaker Paul Majors, the agriscience teacher and FFA advisor at WHS since 2000. Majors began by stepping down from the speakers’ platform to be among the 152 graduates. He said he came to WHS for a job interview, “there was something in here that I could feel. There was a special feeling in this school and it’s still here today.
“People learn from us constantly. It also means you’re going to be a student for the rest of your life. If we sit around and do nothing, that’s what we teach people about ourselves,” he said.
Majors challenged two graduating athletes, Allison Sedmak and Daniel Soto, to fit different shaped cutouts into the correct holes in a Shape-O Ball, a toy intended for pre-school children.
In addition to helping children learn about shapes, he suggested the toy also teaches lessons about life – and graciously offered the graduates the next 100 years or so to figure out what those lessons might be.
Majors led the graduates in completion of 11 quotes, including “When I change the way I look at things… the things I look at change” and, in displaying his sense of humor, “I will commit to become the kind of person… a horse would want to be around.”
In closing, Majors offered these simple words: “Go out and make this world a better place.”
Speaking in groups of three, the nine valedictorians offered a variety of insights from their years at WHS as well as their futures, beginning with Jonathan Caldwell, Emma Stutzman and Devin Samaranayake.
“It seems that true education is not the memorization of facts and figures, not the regurgitation of numbers and equations, but more about achieving a higher level of thinking. High school is about exciting interest, building connections, and providing students the tools to succeed,” Caldwell said.
“The biggest lessons I’ve learned in high school are that a great support group makes all the difference, hard work never goes unnoticed, don’t sweat the small stuff, and that it’s OK to fail… We only have one life and one chance to make a difference, so don’t throw away your shot,” Stutzman told her fellow graduates.
“You have to find something you are passionate about and hone your skills in it. I realized that talent will only take one far enough to realize his or her passion, but without hard work and focus you will never be your best,” Samaranayake said.
Following a performance of the Beatles’ song, “In My Life,” by the Music Masters Ensemble and graduating senior choir members, speeches were given by Holly Hough, Sarah Schiltz and Sarah Ziolkowski, followed by Cheyenne Minton, Isabelle Zahn and Allison Sedmak.
“Wherever you are going, no matter what you intend on pursuing, know that you have purpose. In whatever profession you choose, you matter and you will make a difference if you are doing what you love,” Hough said.
Describing Steve Jobs as one of the most successful men in history because he “followed his passions and ended up changing the world as a result,” Schiltz said, “Now it is our time to become a locksmith and create our own unique key to happiness and success.”
Ziolkowski cited the early failures of Jim Carrey, J.K. Rowling, Franklin Roosevelt and Walt Disney.
“These individuals faced difficulties, yet their struggles fueled their fire. They decided to fight even harder to reach their goals. We each have the ability to greatly impact the world, just as they did,” Ziolkowski said.
Minton warned her fellow graduates about viewing high school as the best of times.
“If you do not dismiss that age-old saying, that these were the best four years of your life, you have a lifetime ahead of you, with nothing to look forward to,” Minton said.
“Our graduation is simply a single stepping stone from one stage in our lives to the next. I hope that while you were here, you collected the right set of tools to use along with your newfound knowledge to do bigger and better things in whatever path you go down,” Zahn said.
Sedmak began her comments in Spanish, adding “The places we have been, the memories we have made, and the knowledge we have gained will lead us to not only experience a state champion’s euphoria, or advocate for children, or bond with others in a tongue they understand, but to do much more.”
Before certifying that the Class of 2016 had met all graduation requirements, Principal Doug Parker spoke.
“It never ceases to amaze me the accomplishments of our young adults in this Whitewater community. Triple A Proud does not do justice to the academic, art and athletic accolades they are received over the past four years,” Parker said.
Whitewater Unified School District Board President Casey Judd and District Administrator Eric Runez presented diplomas to each graduate.
Graduate Travis Winger presented closing remarks.
“We created a legacy. What is a legacy? It’s planting seeds in a garden that you never get to see. Today we are moving past our years at WHS and celebrating what is to come, knowing that the seeds we planted will grow and affect all those who come after us, as we, ourselves, continue to grow.”
Winger then joined Hixson, Minton, Schiltz, Stutzman and Vo in leading the traditional turning of the tassels.
This ceremony also marked the last WHS commencement for Cynthia Teal, a senior class advisor, who is retiring, and Runez, who is leaving at the end of June for a similar position in the DeForest School District.
