Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Prescott Graduation Held Friday Night In Rain

Graduation night for the seniors of Prescott High School was wet, yet the commencement ceremonies went off without a hitch.

However, the graduation was delayed for about an hour while waiting for the rain to slack up.

The rain began to fall around 6:30 p.m., with a deluge coming down by 7 o'clock, when graduation was scheduled to start.

There was discussion among administrators on moving the ceremony inside to the auditorium, even though the auditorium wouldn't have held all those present.

In the end, the students said they wanted to go ahead and have graduation on Cummins Field so everyone could watch.

From there, for the most part, the rain falling was light, though it did get heavier as the festivities neared their end.

The ceremony started with PHS Principal Steve Britton confirming the class of 2000-2001, saying the students had met all requirements for graduation with the Prescott School District.

He was followed by Superintendent Ron Wright, who said it had taken 13 years to reach this point, and the students had earned the honor of having a good graduation ceremony. He asked those in the stands to give the graduates the honor they had earned.

Senior speeches given by the honor students were on the topic "From Prescott to the Future."

The students discussed the obstacles they had overcome during their years, saying they all required the same attribute  desire.

Desire, it was said, will determine if those graduating will be an employee or employer, but it had helped them graduate from PHS.

Rafeal Marlow said the graduates need to be positive role models, to be at their best and be productive adults, and in this way, their desire will pay dividends.

Jessica Hunt said the people of Prescott played an important role in the lives of the graduates, instilling values, beliefs, the importance of family, along with discipline and compassion.

Living in a small town, she said, showed the importance of family, the consequences of actions taken and compassion for others.

Friendships, Tiffany Young said, are to be cherished, as they are continuous, comforting, raise spiritual lives and are universally pleasant.

In the beginning, she said, parents and family were their closest friends, but this changed as they went to school. There, teachers gave further lessons, but were also friends.

As life continues, the concept of friendship is expanded, and being from Prescott has helped lay the foundation for future successes.

Josh Bullock said youth would fail without the community's support. "I believe without your support, many of us wouldn't be here."

Family, he said, raised their children to survive in tie world, and have been their for them.

Teachers helped give the students goals and make the grades as they prepare for college and the future.

"We have learned it's important to give everything we've got to succeed," he said. "The community has been a force teaching us to do right.

Britnie McCauley gave a chronological account of the lives the students have led, beginning with day one of school at Prescott Elementary School.

There, she said, the students developed a strong mental and physical foundation they took to middle school.

Middle school, though, was harder, as there was more to do, but showed there was even more to come.

At PHS, the students were helped to prepare for life after high school.

Angela McGough talked about a new era in the life of the class of 2001 as the students were leaving a school they learned to both love and hate, but prepared them for the future.

PHS, she said, gave them the skills they'd need to make it in the world.

The people of Prescott, she said, had an impact on the graduates and helped them arrive at the commencement ceremony in many different ways.

"We will take the friends and experiences of Prescott through our lives," she said. "Our friends have been memorable, and we all have our own definition of success.

Paula Cossey, PHS counselor, briefly recognized the scholarships awarded, saying this year's seniors qualified for $947,612 in scholarships and had accepted $478,234.