Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

49 Graduate At Commencement

Parents, relatives and friends of students in the Class of 1997 began filling the stands of Gus Brown Field early Friday night.

This was in anticipation of seeing 49 young men and women receive their diplomas and take the first steps toward the rest of their lives.

As the sun sank in the west, the seniors gathered at the west end zone beneath the goalposts. When the Gurdon Go-Devil Marching Band struck the chords on "Pomp and Circumstance," the class began its final march on the field.

It was a solemn occasion as the graduates marched across the field, taking their seats to the left of the stands where the Gurdon School Board was.

Following the invocation by Mitch Plyler, one of the honor graduates, Cassidy Allen spoke.

In her speech "Thoughts," she talked of the successes the students have already had in their lives, learning of different things, which, she said, were also successes.

Allen challenged the class of '97 to apply the successes they have achieved in the past to their future lives, using them as goals and ideals.

"We can't sit back and wait without working," she said. "We need to become leaders in society. We must work to earn our success."

She was followed by Wendy Warren, who read the poem "Angels Forever," by Lisa Angel.

Then came Kadre Clark with the salutatorian speech, "Count on Me."

Clark said the ceremonies were part of a special day which would affect the rest of the lives of those graduating.

"I can't count the times I've counted on my friends and teachers," she said, thanking all for what they did for the class of '97 for the past 13 years.

"They molded our minds and spirits," she said.

Clark praised the parents of the graduates for the love and support they've shown them during their lives.

She told the class there would always be special memories of the times they shared with one another, and the bonds would last a lifetime.

"Embracing Each Other," was the first of two valedictory speeches. "Embracing," was given by Terrie Brown.

She said each of us is an angel with one wing, only able to fly by embracing each other.

"As I look back," she said, "I remember happy and joyous times and sorrowful times. But we made it through the hard times because we relied on one another."

The class of '97, Brown said, has been a close one, and when things went bad, it pulled together. "No one has ever been alone," she told the packed stands.

"After tonight many paths will be traveled. Tonight, as we leave we become individuals, meeting others we will learn to depend on. They will be your angels.

"No matter where life may take you, never forget where it all began."

Melanie Wilson made the final valedictory speech, called, "Spring Bouquet."

She said the class of '97 was similar to a spring bouquet because it took a variety of different flowers mixed together to make a beautiful arrangement -- each flower complementing the others.

"We're like that," she said, "different in many ways. We've accomplished a lot with our differences making it an interesting blend.

"I'm proud of our differences. We need to be individual thinkers and I hope we carry this with us in life."

"Thanks," was Amanda Calley's speech to everyone. She said the class of '97 took its first collective steps in kindergarten, where it was first molded.

Kindergarten, she said, started the foundation which allowed the class to reach this plateau.

Calley had to stop momentarily as she was choked with emotion. The next step, she said when she was again able to talk, was middle school.

This is where their lives began to change, Calley said. The students now had to change classes, were in a new environment and had different expectations placed on them. "We were scared, but determined."

Then came high school. "As we entered high school," Calley said, "we had no idea of the changes of the next four years."

These changes included more difficult classes, learning to drive and going to a brand new school.

She thanked those involved with the class for the compassion and caring shown during their high school careers, praising the parents for their direction in helping them reach this goal.

With the speeches completed, the students were called, row by row, to come and receive their diplomas. The graduates showed mixed emotions as they accepted these documents, vital to their future, with smiles, trepidation and sadness.

However, all ventured back to the west end zone where the mortarboards traditionally came off and flew into the air, accompanied by screams of joy.