Waldorf, MD – With all the pomp and circumstance they could muster, 297 Thomas Stone High School graduates walked across the stage at North Point High School in Waldorf Friday, May 29 to receive their diplomas.
Senior Rainey Southworth told her classmates she estimated that she had devoted roughly 5,005 days and 87,600 hours to Thomas Stone High School.
“Together we have formed relationships with our peers, teachers and principals, relationships we will not forget,” Southworth said. “Together we did some great things. Some things were not so good, but they were all stepping stones to greater things.
“This isn’t an ending, this is a beginning,” she added. “The hard part is never over. You have to set fire to yourself, which is going to make you a little uncomfortable, and a little burnt, but we all have the capacity to shatter our own expectations.”
Salutatorian Faith Breads quoted Winston Churchill, saying, “A good speech should be like a woman’s dress. Long enough to cover the subject, but short enough to keep interest.”
“Close your eyes and think of your greatest high school memory,” she implored. “I’m sure it will make a great story to tell your kids someday. We are not even close to our peak,” she added. “There is so much we have yet to accomplish. The past is behind us. Learn from it. The future is ahead. Prepare for it.”
Valedictorian Amanda Riegel told her classmates, “We are not entitled to tax breaks or government assistance. Nobody owes us anything. Life is not like school.
“Once you stop seeing the same people every day you become more who you were meant to be,” Riegel said. “You are true, good people, bright, intelligent and funny. We are the future, though maybe not for a while. There is no elevator to success. You have to take the stairs. The stairs are a lot of work.”
Stone Principal Michael Meiser told his charges, “Four years ago you entered our doors as children and now you leave as young adults. I can guarantee along the way, someone had to make an impact in your success: Parents, teachers, friends.
“It takes work to get through life, to days that are memorable,” he added. “On this last day, be sure to take time to thank those around you who helped make today possible.”
Contact Joseph Norris at joe.norris@thebaynet.com
