The Bearcat Event Center was filled to capacity Friday evening as the 131 members of the Dexter High School Class of 2019 received their diplomas. Emotions seesawed between laughter and tears.
The graduates entered the event center walking between rows of school teachers, administration and school board. The teachers and graduates had a last opportunity to say goodbye as high fives, hand shakes, hugs and tears were shared.
Salutatorian Coby Powers addressed his classmates. Powers encouraged his classmates to pursue their passions and they would never work a day in their life.
“One thousand three hundred and sixty two days ago we walked into the brick building of Dexter High School,” said Powers, “and we are not the same people walking out.”
Valedictorian Eric Hahn saluted the teachers and encouraged his classmates.
“I respect you immensely because you chose a job, and you chose to help us. Growing up the son of two teachers, I have seen firsthand the many hours that you guys put in to help your students,” he said. “It’s because of the people like you who spend your time helping the new generation that people like me are able to achieve our full potential.”
“The world is yours,” Hahn said. “Do not feel pressured by others to be something you are not.”
The most emotional moment of the evening was the address by high school principal Alana Dowdy.
As she stepped to the podium, Dowdy held up a jar with a single marble in it. A voice coming from among the graduates called out, “Don’t do it!”
“On Aug. 9, the first day of school we met at the football stadium and waited for the sun to rise,” Dowdy said. “We fought mosquitoes and finished just before a torrential downpour.”
That morning Dowdy held a jar with 174 marbles. Dowdy encouraged the seniors to watch each day as she removed one marble and that be the motivation to make every single day count during the school year.
“I said, you don’t know it now, but we will blink and we will be having our senior sunset,” Dowdy told the graduates.
The night before, at the senior sunset, Dowdy held up the jar with two marbles, reached in and removed one. Now, on graduation night, she held the jar with one marble preparing to do what the voice in the crowd asked her not to do. Remove the last marble.
“The days truly went by in a flash,” Dowdy said with tears in her eyes. “We learned so much from each other.”
“No matter how long the days seemed, I hope you noticed how they seemed to fly,” she said.
As Dowdy spoke, some of the graduates sat with tears in their eyes. When Dowdy finished, she reached into the jar and removed the last marble. With the jar now empty, the meaning was clear to all. This chapter was complete and the next great challenge awaited the 131 graduates.
Of those, 30 graduates have plans to attend two-year colleges or technical schools. Another 64 plan to attend a four-year university, and three graduates have committed to joining the military. Hunter Lawrence is joining the Army, Joe Rice is joining the Air Force National Guard and Mercades Hosfelt joined the National Guard.
If all of the scholarship recipients complete their college education as planned they will acquire over $1.4 million in scholarship money.