Hope.
It’s one of the most powerful words in the universe “and I believe it was on display since March of last year,” according to Warsaw Community High School Principal Troy Akers during his graduation address to the Class of 2021.
“Why hope? Well, Aristotle said hope is a waking dream. And here at WCHS, we talk a great deal about dreams. And you all are about to experience that after the conclusion of this evening,” he told him.
This past 180-day school year wouldn’t have been possible without hope, he said. “We needed to be in school this year. All of us should have a lot of gratitude to the people who made that happen,” Akers said, listing county health officials, the Warsaw mayor and the school board.
The COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, forcing schools to go virtual or online for much of that remaining school year. The WCHS Class of 2020 held their graduation out on the Tiger football field, and the Class of 2021 did the same Friday evening.
“Acclaimed psychologist C.S. Snyder said, ‘Hope is much stronger than the emotions of happiness and optimism,’” Akers continued. “However, he also suggested that happiness and optimism are both impossible without hope.”
Having a hopeful attitude gives us a goal to work toward, and in turn, we create an internal plan to achieve that goal, he said.
“Hopeful people are more likely to experience happiness, joy, courage and empowerment in their lives,” Akers said before asking the graduates to close their eyes and picture their lives in a year. “Having hope is an excellent place to start. … You are all destined and prepared for success. Having hope will get you there.”
Student Body President Hannah Hutton said, “Despite all the tribulations that have tested us this year, I have been nothing but inspired, humbled and filled with gratitude from my student peers. We led the charge in thinking creatively and showing our teachers, administration and community how to be problem solvers and make the most out of every little gift God gave us.”
She said Friday was a celebration of “every little victory we had.”
Hutton encouraged her classmates to fight for what they believe in, even when it’s hard or when they fall short because “there’s no better way to live than like that.”
“There will be dark days ahead of us. And on those days when you feel all alone, that’s when hope is needed most,” she said. “We need to keep our hope alive and we have to be greater than what we suffer. My wish for all of you is that you become hope.”
After a prerecorded presentation of “Ashokan Farewell” by The Festival Choir, Senior Class Co-Presidents Audrey Carl and Tessa Wood took to the stage for the senior class address.
Alternating lines, they talked about things from the past that led the seniors to their graduation day and what lay ahead.
“First of all, as you begin this journey through your next steps, remember to put forth your best effort. As Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson once said, ‘Success isn’t always about greatness. It is about consistency. Constant, hard work leads to success. Greatness will come,’” they said.
They told their classmates that the people they surround themselves with going forward should push them toward success.
Senior Elizabeth Stone gave the commencement address.
After reflecting back on their four years of high school, she said, “Although I told myself I wouldn’t mention anything about the pandemic in this speech because it already has too much attention, I do think it’s important to note that in our year full of laughs, we were the first to graduate after the craziness of 2020.”
She said they truly learned what it meant to embrace change and tackle adversity. “We became more cognizant of the world around us and the needs of others,” she said. “And now as we are bursting into this new phase of adulthood, we’ve become more fully aware, maybe even for the first time in our lives that we are all a smart part of a much bigger human experience,” Stone said, in part.
Lastly, she said thank you to “our parents, our friends’ parents or those who have served in a parental role in our lives. You are our village and we wouldn’t be here without you.”
Warsaw Community Schools Superintendent Dr. David Hoffert gave the last address.
“In my role as superintendent, I get a special privilege. I get to see glimpses of students’ lives, dreams and actions every day. I get to see our mission statement in action with our students and it’s an incredible honor and privilege,” he said.
He thanked the students for “being the most important part of our mission and living out that mission and now carrying it forward.”
He said at the start of the 2020-21 school year, he didn’t know what it would look like on graduation day. “As students, we asked you to pivot, adapt and move forward under new sets of expectations. Less than two years ago, we never could have imagined or planned for the changes that the pandemic would require,” Hoffert said.
The Class of 2021 “showed class, patience and understanding,” he said, with a desire to make this year special. “You made it by overcoming the odds that were stacked against you.”
The students’ courage and determination were an example to the community, he said.
“I also fully expect that the last year has changed your perspective of the future. It showed the importance of relationships, friends and enriching the lives of others,” Hoffert said.
After his comments, the graduating class was presented to Hoffert and the Board of School Trustees and the diplomas were handed out. After all diplomas were given out, Carl and Wood directed the graduating seniors to turn their tassels.
Of the approximate 466 members of the Class of 2021, about 435 chose to cross the stage and receive their diplomas Friday night.
The class motto is from Steve Maraboli: “Incredible change happens in your life when you decide to take control of what you do have power over instead of craving control over what you do not.”
Class colors are gold and white, and the flower is Alstroemeria (Peruvian Lily) and sunflower. After each student walked off the stage with their diploma, they also were handed a sunflower.
