CARDINGTON — The Cardington-Lincoln High School community bid farewell to the Class of 2019 during the 123rd commencement ceremony on Sunday, June 2.
Sixty-seven seniors received their diplomas in front of a capacity crowd of family and friends in Dr. Lowell Murphy Gymnasium.
“I do have something to say about good character,” said Principal Joseph Mills during his remarks to the Class of 2019. “You know, I want sunshine and happiness to surround you. I want you to be proud, dignified, and true. Do unto others as you’d have done unto you. Be courageous and be brave.
“My charge to you is to set goals for your life that are yours,” Mills said. “Make friends with like-minded people with similar interests that are motivated to be the best at what they set out to be. To you, the graduates of the Class of 2019, I offer my congratulations for your commitment, for challenges conquered, for projects completed, for goals reached, and even surpassed.”
Valedictorian Aubrey J. Curtis and salutatorian Grace Elaine Patrick addressed their classmates. During her speech, Curtis offered a simple reminder for her fellow graduates.
“My message is simply a reminder; a reminder of something we have been taught since we were little kids — always be kind,” said Curtis, who plans to attend Ashland University and study mathematics. “When we started kindergarten, we were told to be kind. Don’t call names; share. As we grew older, we learned that being kind also meant to be inclusive and to treat others the way you wanted to be treated. Not to bully. Honor and respect people.
“Now as we prepare to go out into the world, that message becomes even more important,” Curtis said. “Neither these teachers, nor your parents, will be monitoring how you treat others. That’s all on you. There’s a quote that says, ‘No matter how educated, talented, rich, or cool you think you are, how you treat people ultimately shows who you really are.’ How you treat people ultimately shows who you really are. Integrity is everything.”
Patrick, who plans to study music education at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, used the following portion from President Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” as the basis for her message to her classmates: “The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.”
“We have to remember what we’ve done in high school; how we’ve lived and grown up and become who we are,” Patrick said. “We can’t forget the lessons our teachers have taught us. And not just algebra, government, or English, but the lessons on how to be good people. And we can’t forget the things we’ve learned from high school in general, even outside of class.
“But even though we’ve spent the last four years trying to figure out who we are, you don’t have to stay who you are right now,” Patrick said. “College is a chance to make a new you. If you don’t like who you are now or what your reputation may be, you can totally reinvent yourself when you get to college or to your job or whatever you’re doing. Become who you truly want to be. Stop waiting for the right time or the right group of people to come around. Go out there and be you.”
Superintendent Brian Petrie told the audience that local donors presented a total of $95,250 in scholarship funds to the Class of 2019. The presentations were made during Senior Night.
The following students were recognized as the Top 10 in the class: Paige Amanda Clinger, Aubrey J. Curtis, Delisa Michelle Goodman, Dylan Duane Goodman, Katelyn Leigh Lester, Maci A. Morgan, Grace Elaine Patrick, Gabrielle H. Snodgrass, Sebastian Stolpa, and Haley Wheeler. Guidance counselor Carey Ballinger presented the Top 10 to the audience.
The following students were recognized for completing studies at Tri-Rivers Career Center in Marion: Allison Marcell Arnold, Jakob Parker Edgell, Zakary Alexander Heimlich, Katona Shy-Anne Hickman, Abigail Lorimer, Clayton Miller, Gregory Osborne, and Addie R. Wilhelm. Principal Carol Bebout represented TRCC at the ceremony.
The following students are members of the National Honor Society: Paige Abagail Artz, Paige Amanda Clinger, Aubrey J. Curtis, Delisa Michelle Goodman, Dylan Duane Goodman, Katelyn Leigh Lester, Brianna G. McConnell, Jacelyn Ella Mills, Grace Elaine Patrick, Heather Rene Sparkman, Branden D. Steckel, and Sebastian Stolpa.
Clinger, president of the 2019 senior class, led her fellow graduates in turning the tassels on their caps to conclude the ceremony. Troy Ruehrmund, president of the board of education, presented diplomas to each senior.
