Iola High Schools Class of 2018 learned much more than the three Rs over the past 13 years, one of the graduates said Saturday.
Olivia Taylor, voted by her fellow graduates to deliver the keynote address at Saturdays commencement, talked about the little things the students learned, such as:
How to write: I know, this sounds really stupid, but being able to express your thoughts in written form will help you someday, she said. Like when youre applying for an apprenticeship or internship or writing a letter of apology to the county judge in an attempt to get a speeding ticket removed from your personal record. (Taylor joked she was not speaking from experience.)
Memories theyve made: The ones that randomly pop into your head and make you grin like an idiot, or the ones that make you cringe with embarrassment, will always be with us, no matter how far we go, she said. These memories will carry us through the rough patches of life and remind us what friendship truly means.
Balancing busy schedules: Now, Ive pretty much never mastered this skill, and Im sure a lot of my peers feel the same way, Taylor said. Between homework and sports and a job and extracurricular activities, those trivial things, like eating and sleeping, were sometimes forgotten. But we made it this far so obviously we figured something out.
Friendship: The stuff that weve helped each other through these past four years has solidified friendships that will last lifetimes and taught us what it truly means to care for one another, she said.
Taylor closed her speech with a song dedicated to her classmates, based on the song I Am Me from the popular movie The Greatest Showman.
Taylors song brushed on a number of items, from entering high school as wide-eyed freshmen, physics homework assignments, having to run in gym class, lunch times and culminating with Saturdays pomp and circumstance.
TAYLOR, who was named a National Merit Scholar semifinalist one of only 400 or so nationwide joined eight other IHS graduates on stage in recognition of their academic prowess. Taylor, along with Katie Bauer, Madison Carlin, Camryn Freimiller, Sloan Geddry, Erin Klubek, Mackenzie Palmer, Colbi Riley and Isaiah Wicoff were named class valedictorians for maintaining perfect, 4.0 grade-point averages. Also honored, but not at Saturdays ceremony, was the 10th valedictorian, Sophie Whitney, who remains in Italy as part of her study abroad endeavor.
Wicoff, based on his GPA and stellar 34 American College Test (ACT) score, was presented a Rotary Watch.
Cale Barnhart was recognized as Class Salutatorian.
