Close to 400 Manhattan High School students marched into Bramlage Coliseum Sunday afternoon, before being presented with diplomas. Graduating senior Christopher Davis was one of the speakers and admitted to classmates it had been a year of transition, with ongoing construction at the high school. But Davis added with all the gripes and complaints, the class needed to count its blessings…referring to various teachers, school staff, administrators, and family members.
Graduating senior Linda Pei told her classmates they’d finally made it, saying they had survived derivatives, Shakespearean monologues, and cell cycles. Pei also talked about memories from high school experiences. Pei added life is a process of figuring things out, saying the future is all theirs.
USD 383 Superintendent Bob Shannon accepted the class, and expressed his gratitude to the teachers, administrators, and support staff for contributions throughout the years to guide the students throughout the years.
Board vice-president David Colburn told the group they’re at a moment where they can start all over again, which doesn’t happen very often in one’s life.
Principal Terry McCarty noted more than a million dollars in scholarships have been awarded to members of the class of 2012.