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As Iola High School’s Class of 2025 ventures out into the world, many likely still do not know where their paths will lead, Maxwell Andersen said Saturday.
“After today’s ceremony, some of us may not know what to do, and feel a sense of dread, and that’s OK,” said Andersen, voted by his classmates to deliver the keynote address during Saturday’s commencement.
But it’s important to move, Andersen continued.
“A CEO won’t judge you for starting a business,” he continued. “A track star won’t judge you for running your first race. The stars will not judge you for shining brightly.”
Andersen expressed gratitude to Iola High’s faculty and administrators “who chose to deal with our crap.”
The high school experience was not without tragedy, he noted, recalling classmate Koda Cole, who died Feb. 21.
Andersen described her as “unbelievably kind and bright.
“I have a message for her loved ones,” he said. “We all remember her. We all still think about her. We still care. We always will.”
Andersen praised the school and community for coming together, but noted it was not a surprise.
“Iola and its people have always had a strong sense of kinship,” Andersen said. “Even those who claimed they didn’t care, I still see that Mustang pride.”
It’s a sense of pride Andersen noted when he and his family moved to Iola in 2015.
“That sense of community that’s fostered and ingrained into every single one of us is exactly why I have faith in every single one of you,” he said. “I know all of us will shoot for the stars.”
During the ceremony, IHS Principal Scott Carson noted the Class of 2025 carried the distinction of having 63 of its 84 graduates who completed various forms of career and technical education coursework, the most ever, and a reflection of an added emphasis on having students ready to embark on careers as soon as they walk out the door.
Seniors Elza Clift, Kaysin Crusinbery and Madeleine Wanker were honored as co-valedictorians, while Mariah Jelinek was named salutatorian. Crusinbery received the Rotary Achievement Award, given to the graduate who maintained the highest grade-point average, coupled with the highest ACT score.
