Iola High School’s graduating class of 2016 learned more than the “Three R’s” during its years within USD 257, Abigail Taylor said Sunday.
Taylor, voted as the class speaker, spoke at Sunday’s commencement ceremony in front of a jam-packed high school gymnasium.
Taylor shared seven lessons she learned while in high school:
— News spreads like wildfire in a small town. While it could be annoying to realize many in town knew what you were up to, it was worth it to have someone in your corner, she said.
— Being the “little brother” can be tough, but it’s not all bad. Iola traditionally has been one of the smallest 4A schools in the state, so winning in athletics has been particularly tough. “But when we did win, it made it all worth it,” she said. “Besides, everyone loves a good underdog story.”
— Just because we have the same last name, doesn’t mean we’re related,” Taylor said, tongue in cheek, even though many of her classmates and teachers have become adopted families of sorts.
— A small school is full of blurred lines. Typical stereotypes are hard to come by at IHS, Taylor said. Students may be athletes who star in school plays, or cheerleaders who are valedictorians.
— Be prepared to be asked what part of Iowa you’re from, she said, and clearly enunciate the “L” from “Iola.”
— The graduates will most likely develop a love-hate relationship with “The Wizard of Oz” and hear too many times to mention “Oh, you’re not in Kansas anymore.” Not all Kansans have dogs named Toto, Taylor joked.
— Always say “thank you,” Taylor concluded, noting the adage, the habit of saying thank you is the mark of an educated man.
Taylor took the opportunity to thank her teachers, mentors and coaches.
“You pushed us to our limits, and we overcame them,” she said. “It hasn’t been an easy road, for you or us, but I hope we can all attest it was worth it. Thank you for shaping us into the people we are today, and giving us the skills we need to face the world.”
SUNDAY’S ceremony featured a notable absence.
Nathan Streeter, one of the 90 graduates scheduled to walk across the stage, remains in a Kansas City hospital room after being injured in a car accident Friday evening near Humboldt. He was one of four people hurt in the wreck. (See related story elsewhere in today’s paper.)
Among his injuries, IHS Principal Stacey Fager announced, were broken vertebrae in his back.
Fager said Streeter’s family reported he is able to walk with the assistance of a walker, but will remain hospitalized for the time being.
