Flemington High School - Memories Yearbook (Flemington, WV)

Page 23 text:

In today. Already Waites Tomorrow (continued) And now it is ti nr.o to say farewell» Now we must part from schoolmates of many years stardii ?, from neighbors, from teachers, and in 3omr. cases from parents. Now we shall scatter to the four comers of the world, to use a slightly exaggerated figure of speech, and a new class will fill up the empty places we are leaving behind. But even though we become but names and memories in school history, we know that we have been a honor to our Alma Mater, that she has reason to be proud of us. We the members of the graduating class of 1957, wish to express our sincere gratitude and appreciation to our parents for their sacrifice, to the faculty for their cooperation with us, and to the Board of Education for making possible the completion of our new addition. We know you have done this through the realization and the foresight that it is from the visions of yough that como3 the inspiration to make tomorrow better than today. For in Today, Already Walks Tomorrow. Nancy Johnson Co-Valedictorian THE CHALLENGES OF GRADUATION It is my privilege and honor to give these, our last and final words of farewell, for this graduating class of 1957 to you, friends, relatives, students, guests, and members of the faculty. Twelve years ago when we entered the classrooms of school for the first time this was only a dream but now it is a reality. From that first experience of school life we have strived to obtain this goal and now that it has been attained we find ourselves face to face with the challenges of graduation. Of course, from the time of our birth, we have been facing challenges every day of our life. We have been faced with challenges that did not appear to be such because they seemed to be the natural thing to do such as walking and talking. But now, at this moment, with our high school education, a more important challenge, successfully accomplished, we find ourselves facing a climax of our life. Can we face with courage, this climax? For new we are not the high school students that we were a few moments ago but we have commenced a new chapter of our life—our live on our own. Will we be able to accomplish this challenge as successfully as we have our present one? For we must remember tonight we are the cen- ter of attention to all but tomorrow we may be forgotten. Just another person trying to attain success out in the world. Now that we have achieved our high school diploma we are facing a decisive question of great importance. How will we face the challenges ef graduation? Do we have the courage to accept the challenge that is pro- posed to us by our high school diploma? Can we be as successful out on our own as we were during our high school years while under the guidiance of the facility? Have we accomplished enough knowledge, understanding, ’ ’'- n«nce to step out into the world, completely sure that we ■ «i n we find it a dif-

Page 22 text:

IN TODAY, ALREj DY WALKS TOISORRO!: To the members of the Board of Education, to the teachers ef Floalng- ton High School, to the parents, neighbors, and schoolmates, X make ny hew as eo-valedictorian of the class of 1957- Now the moment has arrived to wish you farewell, and to speed the graduating class on its path to fame and fortune. It is said that every rose has its thorn, every joy has its under- current of sorrow. Certain it is that the class of 1957 finds the plesure of achievement dimmed by the severing of school and class friend- ships. To the shortest path, to the longest lane, there canes an end; in- evitable change brings the sweet sad words of farewell. Ue have come to the first harbor in the Jomey of life—graduation from high school. What will the next Journey hold in store for us? Where will the next harbor be? With the passing of the months the problem has grown nearer and bigger. We have been conscious of its shadow at our side even while we went about our everyday affairs. Wa have realized that there were decisions to be made, important decisions that would have their influence on us all the rest of our lives and we tried to make those decisions with the realisation that we the graduates of today will be the leaders of tomorrow. For seme of us there is more education, a continuation of the days we have known in the paat. For others there is a change that must be made from high school phaee of life to the actual. And each one of us has been thinking and thinking. Vtiat is best for us. In which course lies happi- ness, success, and well-being. But whatever our final decision may be, of one thing we are sura; the days we are leaving behind ue are some of the happiest we shall ever know. The hours we have spent with sympathetic teachers and close friends have yeilded a store ef memories that will never be forgotten as long as we liva. But so it will always be. Nothing remains; all things pass. The best and only thing to do is to make the mest of each part of life as it pre- sents itself to eur attention, and that we feel, is exactly rtiat we have done with our school career. We have made the most af it. We have worked, studied, thrived, and accomplished. And so, though we regret that it must pass yet we know it has all bean worth while. With that conclusion wo turn to the future. What possibilitiea fer the imagination the furure holds, What will it bring? It is a question that each one of us asking with eagerness, but it is also one that must content itself with an indefinite answer. The most hopeful answer that might be made is that the future will bring just what we take to it. If we advance to meet the new life before us with the qualities ef ceurage, determination, and honesty, we shall recline full value for the same, We shall be repaid with the fruits of courage, determination, and honesty. If on the other hand we lag and dolly, we shall find the fruits - «ur as lemons and puckery as persimmons. I think, there- .salf while wo simply

Page 24 text:

The Challenges of Graduation (continued) Many of us have a complete outline of eur next few years and have thus made the first achiex'emer.t of our commencement into the world. Some have chosen marriage, a earner in the Armed Service, college and then a career, but some are still wondering how they can accept and accomplish the problems ti.at are now facing them- For twelve years, six of those twelve being spend here in this building, we have been trained to accept the responsibilities of adults. We have learn- ed, through our childish pranks, many things that adults should not do and have thus accomplished much. But does this high school training insure us success in the world? No, it is only a helper but it is one that cannot be overlooked for this training and eur home life have fixed in our minds the responsibilities of adults that is necessary to begin our adult life. We have now obtained the knowledge that is offered to us by this insti- tution of learning and we go forth to accept the responsibilities that now face us. To our parents we offer our deepest thanks and appreciation for the guidiance they have given us during our adolesence. To the faculty we sin- cerely give our thanks for their patience and understanding. For without this special guidiance we could not have advanced this far and we would net now be facing the challenges of graduation. And now as we go forth we will remember our teachings and thus we will make you as proud of us as you are now. Jacqueline Stewart Co-Valedictorian SUCCESS IN LIFE It is my privilege and honor as salutaterlan of the 1957 graduating class, to represent them and to extend the words of welcome to our friends, our schoolmates, our faculty, our community and most of all to our parents, who have guided us and helped us these past years. We wish to thank all of them for giving us the opportunities and pleasures, we have enjoyed during the years of our high school. To us who now graduate from high school, our life seems as a challenge, which has yet to begin. It is the challenge for our role as a successful adult. During our school days we had the protection security and safety of our own homes and loved ones. We have always had the guidiance of our parents with us and behind us. We have had happy times with our friends our friends and classmates. And last, but not least, the guiding of fine teachers. Thus far we have been free from responsibility and worry. Free with the world. As the challenger, at the beginning of an answer thinks and plans for that answer, so must we, now take the time to think and plan for the challenge that lies ahead for us in the oncoming future. We must plan our future knowing that soon we will have our own responsibility, and net be the responsibility of our parents.