Every adult wishes they could recapture their youth, Iola High School graduating senior Jeremy Waldman told the Class of 2019 during commencement ceremonies Saturday.
But time marches on, and the graduation ceremony is but one marker of the end of childhood, Waldman said.
?This is the very last time we are all going to be in the same place together,? he said. ?I get to look out and personally address every single one of my friends and thank them for growing up with me.?
?I can remember when all of us were little, when my biggest worry was what I was going to do at recess. When we had to ride bikes to each other?s houses instead of driving cars. When boys were gross and girls had cooties.?
Iola High School?s graduating seniors launch their caps skyward at the conclusion of Saturday?s commencement ceremony in the IHS gymnasium.
But, just a few years later, those same students checked off a list of high school moments: first homecoming, first Friday night lights, first prom, first heartbreak.
Then, they checked off a list of ?last? moments: last Friday night lights, last homecoming, last prom, senior prank, ?last day as a true kid.?
And, finally: ?Graduate. Check.?
?Most of time we feel that time is working against us. Everybody in this gym has uttered the phrase, ?There?s just not enough time in the day,? or ?If I only had a little more time to (fill in the blank),?? Waldman said. ?We?re literally moments away from walking across this stage, not only to leave high school but also to leave our childhood behind. If we only had a little more time.?
Iola High School senior Jeremy Waldman addresses his fellow graduates Saturday.
SUPERINTENDENT of Schools Stacey Fager welcomed the class, encouraging students to embrace the new chapter in their lives and warning them of the setbacks they may face. It?s important to make mistakes, get back up when life knocks you down and learn from the process. He also encouraged students to take time to say ?thank you? to those who have helped along the way.
The past four years were especially poignant for IHS Principal Scott =. That time not only saw the Class of 2019 through high school, it also marked the time Crenshaw spent as an administrator of IHS.
IHS graduate Hailey Willis holds her younger brother, Larry Clarke, after the ceremony.
?Four years ago, we started our journey together. You were freshmen, wide-eyed and wondering what high school was going to be like and I was a new administrator, wide-eyed and wondering what it was going to be like as an assistant principal,? Crenshaw said. ?Look at us now. You are graduates after four years, and I?ve aged 10 years.?
He told the class they hold a special place in his heart and reminded them of a quote by Thor?s mother in the ?Avengers: Endgame? movie: ?Everyone fails at being who you are supposed to be. The real challenge is being who you are.?