By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Of course, the rain held off from 5-6 p.m. Sunday evening in Great Bend. But a forecast of thunderstorms likely moving into the area around the time of Great Bend High School’s 137th Annual Commencement forced USD 428 officials to move the ceremony indoors for the first time in 26 years. Two hundred and nine seniors crossed the stage in front of a packed GBHS gymnasium, with spillover into the school’s auditorium where the event was live-streamed. Many area schools often hold their graduations on Mother’s Day. Class of 2024 Salutatorian Emilee Hall took note that it was Great Bend’s turn.
“All of us here today have someone you look up to in life, whether it be a family member, a coach, or a teacher, someone has made an impact on the person you are today,” she said. “My mom is that person for me. Each day is a gift within itself, but is also another opportunity for us to become an inspiration for others. I would like to think that many of us already have people who look up to us. I hope that number only grows with us as we experience the highs and lows of life.”
Hall and Valedictorian Samantha Mayers took time to thank all the mothers, grandmothers, and other motherly figures who got the seniors to where they were Sunday. Mayers also had her eyes set toward the future.
“Nonetheless, this chapter in our lives must come to an end,” she said. “But we have to remember that this end is simply the beginning of the rest of our lives. Whatever your next plans may be – college, tech school, military, or the workforce – I want all of you , over these next few years, to think about how you can make your version of the American Dream come true.”
Whatever that version of a dream is, Mayers said, be it traveling the world or building a successful career or family, work will be involved.
“Without hard work and dedication in everything you do, the outcome will never be the best that it could,” she said.
Sunday’s commencement ceremony also marked the end of the road for Great Bend High School Principal Tim Friess, who spent 41 years with the district, including the past 16 years in his current role at GBHS. He announced his retirement at the end of the school year last November.
“I used to think of Great Bend as my home, or Great Bend High School as home, until I was in a hospital in Virginia about 25 years ago, and I shared a room with an older man,” Friess told the crowd. “I asked him where he was from and he said, ‘My home is in heaven, but I live in West Virginia.’ That was a comment that stuck with me for these past 25-plus years. It got me to thinking about what or where we truly call home.”
Friess reminded the graduates of the story of a Son who left the right hand of his father. Over time, many asked the Son how they could get home. His answer was simple: follow Him.
“Each of you, the Class of 2024, has spent four years here at Great Bend High School,” said Friess. “I have talked for the past 16 years at Great Bend High School about building relationships. As you leave Great Bend High School and go your separate ways, remember there is only one relationship you need to develop: your relationship with the Son. It has been a blessing for me to be a part of your lives for the past four years.”