Holton seniors receive diplomas

As Holton High School graduate Abigail Heitzman noted at the outset of her commencement speech, graduation day is “one of those special days on which we are allowed to reminisce, weepy-eyed, while we treasure up all the lessons these hallways and classrooms taught us.”

Minutes later, Heitzman, seemingly taken by the emotion of the event, found herself a little “weepy-eyed” as she thanked the teachers who helped her complete her high school journey and paused to collect herself.

“Don’t look,” she said, wiping back tears and receiving an empathetic, spur-of-the-moment round of applause from those gathered on Saturday evening in the HHS main gym for the event.

The speech from Heitzman, one of five Class of 2016 summa cum laude graduates, was one of the memorable moments of the event, which also featured speeches from fellow summa cum laude graduates Alexandria Bontrager, Kaden Brandt and Sonora Sheldon. More than 60 HHS seniors received their diplomas that evening.

In her speech, Heitzman reminded her classmates that they “should be proud, but not shocked” to have made it through their school years, noting that their upbringing in Holton has provided them with a good education and good memories of their school years.

“Our parents showed their belief in this small town by planting their feet and choosing to raise us here,” Heitzman said. “And now, as some of us prepare to say goodbye to this little community, we can take a step back and appreciate the values that our parents and neighbors instilled in us — faith, hard work and pride.”

She also advised those of her class who will be furthering their education that keeping their lives organized should be high on their list of priorities.

“Organization will be our best friend in the coming years,” she said. “Punctuality will be essential, and ‘Sorry, I can’t go, I have to study’ should be our mantra. Without the order we have learned over the years, we would run out from this school and fall flat on our faces.”

Bontrager, on the other hand, humorously reminded classmates that when it comes to choosing between a comfortable life and “the scary path,” they should go for the latter and “keep moving,” even though sometimes in high school, moving happens at a slow speed.

“I drove to Topeka every day this year during morning traffic and lunch hour, and nothing moves slower than hallway traffic at Holton High,” she said. “So if you are moving at ‘excuse me while I speed-lunge, weights got released late and I have chemistry now’ pace or ‘hey man, I don’t even know what class I’m in right now’ pace… keep choosing to move.”

In her welcome speech, Sheldon noted that 43 members of her class would go on to attend a four-year college or university, 11 plan to attend a two-year college, five plan to go to technical school, two will enter the military and 10 will enter the work force.

Brandt closed the ceremony by reminding classmates, family members and friends that summarizing the class’ journey in just a few words is impossible.

“What are you supposed to say to those who have grown up with you for the last 12 years?” he asked. “What can you say to those who have been there for you during hard times and helped pick you up, or for those who you share your greatest memories with, and that you call family? Honestly, there isn’t anything that can be said that can sum up our time together, but I can thank all of you for the memories.”

The evening also featured performances from the HHS concert band, under direction of Jayme Malsom, and the Notables, led by Randall Bond. Concerning the latter, Sheldon said one of her favorite high school memories will be “the excitement I shared with my fellow Notables after receiving three 1s at this year’s state small ensemble competition.”