Chopticon High School held its 49th Commencement Ceremony Thursday at St. Mary’s College with 372 seniors receiving diplomas. Afterwards the seniors rang with pride their cowbells, a tradition started in mocking tribute to the derisive name “Cowpie High” that had been bestowed upon their by their sports rivals. The school is surrounded by farm fields in Morganza.

“We are all here to celebrate this milestone occasion of life – graduation,” said Principal Garth Bowling. 

Bowling observed how so much had changed in the past century, and listed a number of milestones and norms of 100 years ago, including the first airplane, a 47-year life expectancy, only eight percent of the people having telephones, a maximum speed limit of 10 mph, just 1.4 million people living in California, a 22-cent hourly wage and most births occurring at home.

Included among those statistics was that only six-percent of the population graduated from high school. Today St. Mary’s County’s graduation rate is 91.5 percent and hopefully going higher, according to Superintendent Dr. Michael Martirano.

“You graduates are in the vanguard of a new age,” Bowling said, with them being “healthier and wiser.” He added, “Your ability to be happy as well as financially successful is within you,” observing that a diploma doesn’t necessarily equate to financial success.

“I am proud to say I was the principal of Chopticon’s graduating class of 2014,” Bowling concluded.

Class President Davis Nash Kellogg, in his remarks, gave special praise to the class sponsor, Mrs. Christie Collins, who led the processional into the auditorium.

Kellogg detailed the number of accomplishments his classmates achieved during the past year, in the classroom and in sports. He said they had exceeded their limits on a number of occasions.

Kellogg after his speech took a selfie with his classmates behind him. “Now I have a picture of some of my closest friends,” he said.

Martirano was introduced by class member Peter Widmayer, outgoing student member on the school board. Widmayer called the superintendent his “coach and role model.” and later called him his “personal mentor.”

Widmayer also quoted another of his role models, Dr. Martin Luther King – “

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