Waldorf, MD – The first of six Charles County high school graduations took place Friday, May 29 as 156 La Plata High School Warriors walked across the stage to receive diplomas.

Ryan William Burton, president of the Class of 2015, told the assemblage that this year’s class was one of the most successful classes in La Plata High School history.

The class garnered more than $12 million in scholarship money, he said, “including 10 SMAC [Southern Maryland Athletic Conference] titles, nine regional and three state titles.

“Our four years at La Plata have been no walk in the park,” Burton added. “There were many challenges and obstacles we had to overcome. We started from the bottom as freshmen. Then came the first girlfriend, the second girlfriend, the third girlfriend, and then figuring out that you were the problem. Our hearts were prepared and we matured figuratively and mentally.

“Graduates, you are all destined for greatness,” he said. “You have grown into powerful, intelligent individuals. Live life. You are Warriors. Be influential or be forgotten.”

Salutatorian Gabrielle Scanlon, who will attend Wake Forest in the fall, told her fellow classmates, “It’s hard to believe it’s time to leave this all behind.

“We started as a freshman two days after the earthquake of 2011,” she said. “We will always be Warriors at heart together.”

Clara Albritton, valedictorian, told the class this would be the last time they are all together.

“As we look to the future, we realize nothing will ever be the same,” Albritton noted. “We won’t see our familiar faces. I don’t believe we’re going to wake up tomorrow and feel any different. No matter where you are in September, joining the workforce, in college or military service, you will succeed. Others will struggle. Our successes will be different. We can’t compare ourselves to each other. Our path to success won’t be easy. We live in a world where some have to fail for us to succeed. Achieve what you’ve been told you can’t. You are beginning a new chapter. I can’t tell you where this dream will lead you or take you along the way. Never forget where we started, because the class of 2015 is unforgettable.”

La Plata Principal Evelyn Arnold told the graduates this was a “bittersweet time.

“It signals one of life’s most significant moments of change,” she said. “Some of you have mapped out a very detailed five year plan. Others haven’t decided yet. Life will bring consistent change. None of us know when crisis or triumph will follow. It is how we react to what happens to us that makes a difference.

“You have adapted, persevered and succeeded, but you have not done these things alone,” Arnold noted. “Your family and teachers have been with you all the way, people who nurtured and taught you dried your tears and corrected you when you were wrong, and taught you to think for yourselves. Be thankful when you don’t know something. It gives you the opportunity to learn. Be thankful for your mistakes. They will teach you valuable lessons.”

Contact Joseph Norris at joe.norris@thebaynet.com