Carla Clark | For The Republic The graduating class of 2023 cap toss in the auxiliary gym during the Columbus Signature Academy New Tech High School graduation held at Columbus East High School in Columbus, Ind., Friday, May 26, 2023.
For the students at CSA New Tech — a high school centered on a project-based learning model — every school year is filled with new endeavors and experiments.
However, as senior Ethan Burton put it, the past few years, in and off themselves, have been a long-term assignment.
“We launched the four-year project of high school after eighth grade and now we have finished up that project,” he said. “We are gathered here to celebrate an end to this project in a CSA fashion.”
CSA New Tech held its 2023 graduation ceremony Friday night in Columbus East High School’s gymnasium.
Burton was among those who spoke, encouraging his peers that even though endings can be bittersweet, they can look forward to a new beginning and be confident in the skills they’ve honed during their high school career.
“During this project that we call high school, we developed our collaborative, oral communication and written communication skills,” he said. “These are things that we practice every day. Whether it’s a group project, public speaking or an essay, we can use these skills for the rest of our lives — like practicing my public speaking right now.”
Principal Mike Reed likewise commended students on their achievements.
“Members of the class of 2023, we’re proud of who you’ve become,” said Principal Mike Reed. “All of you have demonstrated great perseverance through an especially challenging senior year.”
Senior Abigail Shute noted that the challenges began their freshman year, with classes going virtual in the fourth quarter due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, even as she recalled the different transitions and obstacles her class faced during their four years, Shute commended her peers on their ability to succeed amidst shakeups.
“Our class is the definition of defying expectations,” she said. “And we don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.”
Superintendent Jim Roberts compared students’ path from elementary to high school as a journey upward, with students reaching the apex at graduation and then beginning a new journey, “an assent up the mountain of life.”
He advised them, as they move forward, to remember the words of country singer Tim McGraw: “I know you got mountains to climb, but always stay humble and kind.”
“Everybody is climbing a mountain, and we can’t always be sure what that mountain is,” said Roberts. “My mountain is not your mountain. But your being nice and polite, doing the right things, helps both of us with our climbs and contributes to the success of our assent. Always stay humble and kind.”
The end of the school year marks a transition not just for seniors, but also for CSA New Tech science facilitator Peter Warren, who said he is also beginning a “new adventure” — retirement.
In his remarks to students, Warren told them of the time he walked the Camino de Santiago, a challenging 35-day pilgrimage from Pamplona, Spain to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain.
“I got to visit a magnificent cathedral on my final day,” said Warren. “Words cannot describe the awe in that place. It was worth all the days of just putting one foot in front of the other, making progress slowly but surely. My journey across Spain was later in life, but your journey is just now beginning.”
He expressed hope that this year’s graduates will find a goal and path that motivates them each day, be bold despite the unknowns, and meet other pilgrims who help them along the way, as he did.
“Your facilitators, your parents, your friends, and all who love you wish you well,” Warren said, choking up. “We hope you’ll send us a postcard along the way. Buen camino.”
