Blossom graduates ready to keep growing
Published 12:00 am Monday, June 2, 2003
Mark Herron, the 2003 Blooming Prairie Snow King, began the Blooming Prairie
graduation commencement ceremony with the words, "Let’s get it on!"
Sixty-five students graduated from Blooming Prairie High School on Sunday at the commencement ceremonies that were held in the high school gym. Valedictorian Gary Tashima spoke of regrets he had in graduating.
"I regret that we have to go away and leave friends from high school. What will we do without our counselors and no class every day? This event is just another transition in our lives. Like we had from grade school to high school, college will be another one," he said.
Tashima went on to say that the school secretary Susie Kramer almost didn’t have enough red or gold scrolls for all the honor students to wear over their black gowns. Forty-two students wore these scrolls over their shoulders, which indicated red for a grade point average of 3.3 and gold for 3.8 or higher.
The community of Blooming Prairie helped this class achieve such high standards, Tashima said, with attending their school activities and events.
"We are losing a part of ourselves in graduating, a part we became
accustomed to each day," he said.
He urged his classmates to come back and visit Blooming Prairie
when they moved on. He compared lives journey to stepping-stones -- some are smooth and some rough or jagged.
Salutatorian Emily Butler removed her flat graduation cap from
her head and donned a large decorated sombrero for her speech. She did this in order to be different. The 2003 class motto is vini, vidi, vici, which means we came, we saw, we conquered. Butler compared their exiting Blooming Prairie as conquering it.
"Dare to follow your own path. Do not try to achieve a goal, but achieve it. Wear a sombrero and be bold," she said.
Counselor Mary Worke acknowledged the scholarship
recipients and more than $200,000 in scholarship money was awarded to the 2003 senior class, the most of any previous class.
The senior class sang the song, "Come Sail Away" with direction
by Janet Oman. An original song that paid homage to fellow classmates was sung and written by seniors, Emily Wencl and Laura Mans with Lisi Ingavalson accompanying them on violin and Tashima on piano. The high school band, under the direction of Ross Reishus, played the processional music and recessional music. The band also played a piece by John Williams, "1941". The principal, Barry Olson, and members of the school board, presented the class with their diplomas.