By Luke Putvin
On June 14, in front of a stadium filled with over a thousand attendees, 350 Meadowdale High School seniors were awarded their high school diplomas at Edmonds School District Stadium.
Meadowdale High School Bands performed the “Star Spangled Banner,” and then Principal David Shockley gave opening remarks.
There were three different ways a senior could speak at graduation: be elected by their class, be ASB president or be valedictorian. Jordan Wright was the elected class speaker, Max Baxter was the ASB president and there were eleven valedictorians that all got a 4.0 this year. Each valedictorian chose to speak.
ASB President Max Baxter quoted the Will Ferrell character Ricky Bobby in his speech saying, “’If you ain’t first, you’re last,’ and Ricky Bobby never lost a race.”
Jordan Wright also provided wisdom from a fictional character. She quoted Albus Dumbledore from the Harry Potter series. Her advice to the graduating class centered around living in the present and enjoying the journey of life. “Don’t be so consumed with the future you forget to live in the present.”
Valerie Nguyen, one of the class valedictorians, said, “It is up to us to redesign our own world.” She said that she “craves equity” and stressed the importance of questioning the current system. She closed, “This is not a call for action, but a call for compassion.”
Edmonds School District Superintendent Dr. Kris McDuffy among others presented the class its diplomas.
Over 70 percent of seniors completed a voluntary exit survey, a higher amount than normal, said Principal Shockley. “I’m really proud of this class’s positive relationship with the staff,” Shockley said. “The staff had a really great influence on the class too.”
Author: Mario Lotmore
