Gateway Regional School District Superintendent Dr. David B. Hopson.
This past Friday marked the Commencement Ceremony for Gateway’s Class of 2017. After a week of changing weather conditions, and a bit of a concern mid-afternoon, the weather cleared up and provided a great evening for graduation with cool temperatures, sunshine, and enough of a breeze to keep the insects at bay. As always, the graduating class was feted with some outstanding musical selections by both the Gateway Band and Chorus, which also provided the last opportunity for our graduating senior musicians to perform with their respective groups.
In addition there were some great speeches by selected seniors that expertly summed up the many years these students had spent together throughout their time at Gateway, the shared experiences they had, their hopes for the future, and thanking parents, staff, and the community for the support they provided to ensure that they made it to graduation. As has been the case in the last few years, the seniors also had some beach balls that they tried to keep in play, which proved difficult due to the gusting winds.
The seniors chose Mr. Kleber, a retired English teacher from Gateway, for their commencement speaker. Mr. Kleber made the most of this opportunity speaking at length about just two subjects. The first was the responsibility to think deeply and clearly using information that was factual and unbiased rather than just listening to people who shared similar thoughts and ideology. The second point was the need to support the idea of freedom through equality across a broad range of items, including sexual orientation and income, which was brought down to the actions of each individual being free to express themselves but to keep at the forefront the shared responsibility to think of, and support, others. Mr. Kleber also reminded the Class of 2017 of a number of works they’d studied in class via numerous quotations that were sprinkled liberally throughout his speech.
The awarding of diplomas was the highlight of the evening for both the graduating students and the many family members and guests present. This ceremony also marked two changes in the Commencement proceedings. The first was that all of the graduates wore blue and the second was that graduates were permitted to decorate their caps. While not all of the members of the Class of 2017 decorated their caps, those who did so created a number of memorable comments, colleges being attended, and tastefully done designs. One particular cap that had ‘Oh the Places You’ll Go’ on it brought me back to numerous 8th grade transition ceremonies, along with the Class of 2006—where I read Dr. Seuss’s book with the same title at the Senior Awards Ceremony, as I had promised my daughter I would if she graduated as valedictorian.
Overall I thought the graduation went well and, in closing this current chapter on the Class of 2017, I wish them well as they move forward with their lives and commend them for the work they each did to achieve this milestone.
