MHS commencement held Sunday
The 118th graduation ceremony at Marion High School took place Sunday.
The hour-long graduation gave recognition to 40 students, including six foreign exchange students.
Maggie Powers was named valedictorian. Becky Taylor was named salutatorian.
Stacia Williams and Andrew Brookens were selected as outstanding seniors.
Thirteen students were named honor students, selected for maintaining high academic scores.
They were Greg Bowman, Andrew Brookens, Kelsey Craig, Amy Goentzel, Tamra Holub, Maggie Powers, William Scriven, Dainne Shipman, Braxton Skiles, Becky Taylor, Robert Verbic, Steven Waner, and Stacia Williams.
Others graduating were Brent Cleeton, Jason Davis, Keith Dudley, Crystal Hager, Amanda Hoffman, Stephanie Hoffman, Chris Janzen, Stephanie Jensen, Rebecca Kukuk, Lisa Loveless, Christina McCarty, Jeff Moody, Cory Nelson, Jessica Ottensmeier, Kelly Robinson, Jared Smith, Jayme Steele, David Tharp, Laramie Trapp, Michael Warren, and Matt Williams.
Foreign exchange students participating were Olga Karpenko, Denis Krompass, Yuriy Privezentsev, Ocatvio Quijas, Alex Saxonis, and Robert Viewig.
Diplomas were presented by board of education president Rex Savage. Following a long-standing tradition, board member Bruce Skiles presented his son, Braxton, with his diploma.
MHS Principal Ken Arnhold read the name of each student, their parents' names, and the student's plans after graduation. Most indicated either entering the work force or going to college or post-high-school training.
Student speakers
Instead of a traditional commencement speaker, class members asked classmates Maggie Powers, Andrew Brookens, and Becky Taylor to speak.
Powers recalled humorous memories of school, particularly involving teachers. She emphasized that the Class of 2002 was a success, with numerous academic, community, and athletic achievements, and that the support of family, friends, and teachers made those achievements possible.
"We hope you will follow us as we continue on our separate roads," she said.
Taylor read from the Robert Frost poem, "The Road Not Taken."
The poem was included in the program, and MHS Singers, directed by Adam White, performed a sung version.
"Sometimes you just have to take the road not always taken, and that can be scary," she said.
Roads that are less traveled often are more rocky and difficult, she said, "but ultimately, the most successful."
Brookens said the word "commencement" meant a beginning, not an end.
"Most of the best things in life are surprises," he said.
To illustrate his point, Brookens asked Amanda Hoffman to present each classmate with a plastic fork. He then told the story of a terminally ill woman, who asked to be buried with a fork in her hand.
The reason was that at church dinners, helpers always say "keep your fork" when they clear the dinner plates before bringing dessert. The fork symbolizes "something wonderful, something of substance," is coming next.
"The best is yet to come," Brookens said. "When we accomplish what we set out to achieve, we will have our dessert."
MHS Band, under the direction of Mike Connell, presented processional and recessional music.
After diplomas were presented, a PowerPoint slide show, prepared by Jayme Steele and Amanda Hoffman, was shown. It featured pictures of each graduate at various points in their lives.
When Arnhold formally presented "the newest alumni of Marion High School," class members pulled out harmless party poppers, pulled the strings, and sent a brief flurry of confetti into the air.
Cool temperatures outside kept the gym relatively temperate, making the crowded conditions much more bearable than usual.
Immediately after the processional, the crowd remained standing while Arnhold led the Pledge of Allegiance.
