“We are proud of you,” principal Mark Fletcher spoke to the graduating class of 2019, just moments before the seniors accepted their high school diplomas.
A sea of purple caps listened intently as Fletcher continued to list their “many achievements and accomplishments”. The “very impressive” and “superior” cohort not only ranked in the top 10% in SAT and ISTEP+ scores in Indiana, earning with it 244 honors diplomas, but also “[orchestrated] the most successful Dance Marathon in the state of Indiana” and led every South fall sports team into regional competition.
A school record of 160 National Honor Society inductions also marked the class of 2019, where acceptance is based on a national standard of curriculum.
“It’s not just us who thinks [our seniors] are special,” Fletcher said.
There was a lot to be proud of for the Bloomington South class of 2019, which could be seen in the roaring cheers of students, faculty and audience members as each senior walked onto the stage, flooded in purple light, to accept their diplomas. Despite the length of the presentation of diplomas, the applause never died.
The energy and excitement of the seniors as they took their first step into a new world was infectious, and only enhanced by the grand makeover of the gym, which was cloaked in prideful school colors.
“The future is an unpredictable phenomena….the most important part is that our hard work will not go to waste,” senior Vincent Andrews said in his welcoming speech.
South’s 146th graduation ceremony was highlighted with many wonderful speeches from Fletcher, Andrews, and seniors Lucy Anderson and Nidhi Krishnan. Anderson focused on expressing her gratitude towards the staff at South and explained how attending the school “helped [her] grow as a person.”
Krishnan gave an inspiring class speech at the end of the ceremony, encouraging the 2019 alumni to utilize their new independence as way to improve the world and to exercise the “privileges” of being able to hold a high school diploma by taking “small and meaningful steps” to help “the underdogs” of the world.
“With knowledge comes power and with great power comes great responsibility,” she said, instantly being met with uproarious applause to her uplifting metaphor.
The class of 2019 stepped into the graduation ceremony to the sounds of ‘March from Scipio’, played by the school orchestra, and emerged with their honorable diplomas, memorable experiences and a new face of pride, anticipation, joy, and, perhaps, nostalgia.
Graduating from high school is a commemorative experience that each student attending earned with their hard work and “collective positive attitudes”, as Fletcher said. This year’s graduation was a perfect blend of sentimentality and incisiveness, leaving a wonderfully significant mark on our seniors’ life as they part from our school.
Congratulations to the class of 2019!
