Royal Valley HS bids farewell to 63 seniors

Royal Valley High School’s graduating class of 2015, according to class president Kassidy Dahl, was like “a kaleidoscope,” one that on Sunday spread its many facets into the world at the school’s graduation ceremonies in the RVHS gymnasium.

“A kaleidoscope has many dif­ferent shapes and colors that make it beautiful,” said Dahl, who has served all four of her RVHS years as class president. “Each person in our class is an important part of our beautiful kaleidoscope. Our kalei­doscope will eventually change throughout the years, but we will never forget our background here at Royal Valley.”

For the 63 graduating RVHS seniors who put an end to their high school years at Sunday’s com­mencement, this was also a time to reflect on the lessons learned dur­ing their time at the school, as class salutatorian and vice president Leslie Schuetz pointed out.

“Some lessons are from a book, some are from friends and family, but I think the best lessons are learned through our mistakes,” Schuetz said. “We have many mis­takes ahead of us, but many lessons as well. So don’t be afraid to make a mistake. Live them and learn from them.”

As class valedictorian Brandon Broxterman noted, it also takes more than a student and the mis­takes that each student makes to make a graduate.

“Getting every one of us ready for this moment was no easy task,” Broxterman said. “It takes an entire staff of dedicated teachers. It takes parents and family that congratulate you on your victories and support you through your losses. Perhaps most of all, it takes a certain drive within a student to do well for themselves.”

Broxterman also noted that the prospect of what each member of the class will be doing in the next few months is “exciting,” and that excitement was summed up by RVHS principal Jim Holloman in detailing students’ post-graduation plans. Forty-one students plan to attend a two or four-year college, 19 plan to enter the work force, two will attend vocational-technical training and one will join the mili­tary, Holloman said.

Holloman also presented a list of 22 students receiving scholarships for their post-graduation studies, noting that students had received more than $332,000 in scholarships as of Sunday.