Class of 2007 graduates from RCHS

by Richard Lamb– Advance Editor

To the refrains of Pomp and Circumstance, played by the Rogers City High School Band, under the direction of Ed Wilbert, the 64 members of the Class of 2007 marched into the gymnasium as students and marched out as graduates. After the band played the National Anthem, the school?s alma mater, and Ain?t No Mountain High Enough, principal Deb Jones introduced co-salutatorians Chelsea Kreft and Tricia Frost, and valedictorian Andrew Tulgestke.

KREFT WAS FIRST to speak before the packed gymnasium audience. ?Graduation is a day that none of us are likely to forget, anymore than the many other successes we have had along the way. Success, whether it is graduating at the top of the class, receiving honors or awards through different sports or activities, earning recognition for being in groups or clubs, or simply making it through high school, we have all achieved some level of success,? Kreft said in her salutatory remarks. After congratulating her classmates for their success, she credited teachers, coaches, administrators, and family for her success, singling out councelor Marilyn Dimick for her encouragement and dedication.

?She has not only affected my life as an individual with her constantly cheerful, reassuring attitude, but has also kept everything going smoothly and enabled our class to graduate and reach its highest goals. She is always smiling and rarely shows if something is bothering her. Our class, as well as the people in the rest of the high school, would not be able to operate fully without the efforts of this wonderful individual,? Kreft said. She then thanked parents, especially her own, Randy and Karen Kreft, for encouraging their sons and daughters and supporting them along the way.

FROST OPENED her remarks by saying she took a road less traveled and that made all the difference, paraphrasing a famous writer named Frost while praising the opportunities available at a smaller school. ?At Mt. Pleasant High School I was just another face in a class of 300. But here, slowly, but surely, I have become something more,? Frost said. ?I?ve gotten the chance to experience opportunities here that I would not have had the chance to experience otherwise. I?ve become class officer, captain of the cheerleading squad and even find myself graduating with top honors. But above all, I have found the most close-knit, unbelievable group of people I could have ever imagined.? She said high school is not only about classroom learning, but all the lessons learned outside of the classroom. Frost, the daughter of Rose and Larry Frost, thanked Mrs. Dimick ?for welcoming me into the school in such a caring way,? her parents and to her newfound ?family,? her fellow classmates for their contributions to her success.

TULGESTKE, THE son of Mike and Kathy Tulgestke, said that graduation has got him thinking about all the things the class experienced through their 12 years in school. ?In the last 12 years of our lives, we have spent a lot of time together and have made many great memories. But now we are all splitting up and moving on. We will have to make new memories with new people in a new place that is not home. We will have many new challenges and opportunities and hopefully we will be prepared enough to be successful in whatever we do in the future,? Tulgestke said. He said the education his class received in Rogers City has prepared the class for a bright future. ?Success does not come easily without the aid of a mentor. So we need to thank our teachers, parents, principals, guidance counselor, coaches, other family members and anyone else who has helped to get us to where we are right now. We can only hope there will be people like these where we end up,? he said. He left his classmates by asking them to remember that ?success only comes to those who work hard and I hope that you have success in the rest of your lives.?

Later, Dimick and Jones gave out awards to students who earned special academic honors before Jones offered her thoughts on the graduating class. ?The class of 2007 is very diverse

and you have many abilities and hobbies that make you unique. Your ability to get along with one another, no matter what has come your way is truly an asset to each of you,? the principal said. She used an analogy from the movie Forrest Gump to describe the class.

?The Class of 2007 is like a box of chocolates, because from day to day and year to year, we never knew what we were going to get,? Jones said. She praised their diversity and offered her parting advice.

?Use your knowledge and good sense to make good choices in whatever direction you choose. Class of 2007, you are a special box of chocolates.?

CLASS PRESIDENT Heather Szumila read the names of her classmates as school board president Mike Marx handed out the diplomas, sending the RCHS Class of 2007 into the world. Then they sprayed each other with confetti and canned string, celebrating their accomplishments after Szumila asked that they move their tassels to show they were finished.

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