Grand Rapids High School - Pirate Yearbook (Grand Rapids, OH)

Page 31 text:

W:i'f4.E ON our WAY Classmates, parents, friends, it is my great pleasure to greet you to this com encement tonight. T After twelve years of preparation we have arrived at the time when we are ready to start life's journey. WWe're on our way.W Our years of preparation are over and now we willtest that preparation and see if we are ready to face life's battle. Lincoln once said, WI will study and get ready, and some day my chance will come.H We have finished our studying and now we must see if we are ready when our chance comes. Many people work only hard enough to get by, thinking that they will never need or have opportunity to use this knowledge. Our future is uncertain but if our school time has been spent wise- ly and earnestly, we can go out and make our way up the stream of life instead of being driftwood, content to float along with the current instead of fighting against it and going to the top. Webster's description of Commencement Exercises is, QThe ceremonies at which degrees are conferred by colleges andHigh Schools, and Commencement asg act, fact,g or time of commencingln But to us it means more than that, more even than starting out in life. It means' the start of a test of our ability to see how well we have prepared ourselves while in school. Commencement can be compared to a race. On the radio one would hear an announcer describe the starting of a race as this: WThe athletes are lined up at the starting post. There goes the gun! And th9y're On their Wayan In the same way we are at the starting line. The Commencement is the signal and We're on our way, and are going to try to win life's race. The runnermust learnthe correct way to run, develop a stride, train so that his wind won't cause him' to fall by the wayside. In the same way we have to develop our minds, trained so that we will be able to stand the pace, and reach the goal of success. A runner that neglects one small thing in his training will not be a winning racer. The runner must have the desire and the belief that he can win. The same is true of us. we have to follow the training rules of life and have the desire and self- con fidence to win. Now as we start out on life's race you can be the judges , and watch us, and see how we have trained, and if we have the grit and persistency to win. ..................... Donald Miller Salutatorian I

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C oMMf,NC3Mm'f PKOGK A M GRAND RAPIDS VILLAGE SCHOOL Wednesday, May 25, 1938 8:15 P. M. SCHOOL AUDITORIUM Superintendent D. W. Oman, Presiding Piano Solo ------------ Robed Mandarinn ---- nBlue Invocation ---------- - - Vocal Solo NFriend O' Minen ------ Salutatory --------- - - HWe're On Our Wayn Trumpet Solo ---------- nMy Heart At Tm 8weet Voicen Valedictory - - UOnward ---- - Valedictory - - To Succossu - - - Vocal Solo ----------- HA Brown Bird Singingu - - - I Prelude, HLifen ------ Class Address -------- - - HThe Making of the Mann - - Music ------- - ---- - - UA Song of Friendshipn- - - nHail To Our School ---- Presentation of Class - ----- Presentation of Diplomas ---- Benediction ---- ----- - - -.---...- ---.- -.-sw - - - - -Marie Huffman - - Eastwood Lane Rev. Stanley Weed Richard Box - Sanderson - Donald Miller Charles Sherwood Saint Saens N - Leona Tolles - Margaret Vogel - - Miss Arlene Gill Haydn Wood - - Landon Roneld Dr. Franklin H. McNutt State Dire c tor of Teacher Training. - - - Double Quartette Haydn M. Morgan Haydn M. Morgan - - -Mr. Virgil Sloan Mr Clrl Laske -'-'REv. 'Stanley weed

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O N W A fi D To-night is our commencement. This is just another step in the direction of our goal, which is success. Sometime dur- ing our school years, we selected U0nward to Successn as our motto.. We have worked these twelve years with that goal in mind. These years have seemed to pass with surprising rapid- ity. Webster says that onward means to move forward to an ad- vance state. This gives one a chance to advance, no matter what he is doing. It makes no difference who the person is, he never reaches to the state of perfection, so that he can-- not be improved. During our life, we are never at a standstill. We are either pushing ahead or slipping backwards. It all depends upon the individual's viewpoints and ambitions. We have two different types of persons in life. There is the one who is contented to sit by the roadside and see life rushing by him. There is little probability that this type of person will be interested in finding a way to improve himself. Cn theother hand, there is the person who is never satisfied until he has rea ched the top in his selected field. That old saying, UHitch your wagon to a star, take your seat, and there you are,N illustrates the principles of on- ward very well. We should make our aim and then strive for it. If one works hard enough toward his goal, one will suc- ceed. We should make our aim high. Perhaps we may not reach the top, but it is better to have high ideals than to drift aimlessly through life, never having some specific course. We don't have the power to foresee all the rough spots which we are going to meet, but if we plan our future, we Will be bet- ter prepared to overcome some of the hard parts. Oliver Wendell Holmes has said, Like a child in ocean's arms, We strive against the stream, Each moment fa rther from the shore, Where life's young fountains gleam:- Each moment fainter waves the fields, And wider rolls the sea: The mist grows dark,--the sun goes down-- Day breaks--and where are we?U To-night the Seniors leave their high school life. Each one will go out to work in his individual field. We have reached one of the goals which we have long sought, but wecan not stop here. Our high school education has been one way to promote ourselves toward our goal. To-night is the beginning of a new life for us. . Leona Tolles Valdictorian