HOPE — Hauser High School salutatorian Maclyn Greenlee talked about the graduating seniors’ shared experiences Friday night at graduation ceremonies, as the 56 Hauser graduates smiled at the memories.
Starting with every first-grader’s love of cinnamon rolls and extra recesses, Greenlee recalled how Hope Elementary officials once had assessed the future Hauser Class of 2016 as mischievous and extremely loud.
As the salutatorian remembered it, junior high was a period of “questionable fashion sense” — of rumors that high school teachers were “scary, hard-headed dictators” — and of unwavering belief that their parents were always wrong, Greenlee said.
“Sitting here today, our parents seem a little smarter — and our teachers a little less like they’re out to get us,” the Hauser salutatorian told her classmates. “Both helped us to get to where we are, and now, it’s up to us to get to where we are going.”
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The graduating seniors matured into an “exceptional class” that has “gone above and beyond to ensure their success,” Hauser Principal James Mayer told parents and other family members at commencement.
Mayer said 17 seniors earned the Hauser Academic Excellence diploma by maintaining a 3.2 grade point average or higher.
Graduates in the Class of 2016 include:
•28 who plan to seek at least a four-year college degree.
•19 who are pursuing two-year degrees.
•27 who have collectively earned a quarter-million dollars in scholarships for their first year of post-secondary education.
•Eight who have already secured full-time jobs.
•Three who have enlisted in the military.
While goals and plans are necessary, Mayer advised the graduates to be prepared for evolving circumstances in adulthood.
“Your plans will change — several times,” Mayer said. “But that’s OK, because you’ve shown you have what it takes, and you have the ability to persevere.”
After citing her belief that God has a plan for everyone, valedictorian Abbey Ashbrook advised the Hauser Class of 2016 to avoid the temptation of losing hope by focusing on obstacles.
“If the goal in one area fails, the whole ship doesn’t sink,” Ashbrook said. “Take the hope from your dreams and put it into action.”
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Graduates: 56
Valedictorian: Abbey Ashbrook
Salutatorian: Maclyn Greenlee
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