It was a great evening for many young men and women gathered together at George Mason University’s Patriot Center, June 19. They were all proudly draped in glossy, purple caps and gowns. There were 374 of them, to be exact. It was the night they celebrated completing their high-school education at Ashburn’s Stone Bridge High School, and moving on to bigger and, hopefully, better things.
There was music by the Stone Bridge concert band, the singing of the national anthem by the choir members, and of course, words of wisdom from the school’s top officials and students.
"We live in a culture that emphasizes success and achievement," said Assistant Superintendent Ned Waterhouse.
The students were encouraged to make the right choices in life, but Waterhouse also let them know that "you can afford to make a mistake or two and [still] come out smelling like a rose."
AFTER WATERHOUSE’S opening comments, the choir, directed by Debbie Settle, gave a beautiful rendition of "Bridge Over Troubled Water." Jacquelyn Anna Piccolo gave the valedictory address.
"You have not only taught us [different courses and subjects]," she said, "you have [also] taught us how to become a better person. Everything you have given us is a foundation for the rest of our lives. Do not lose sight of who you are now, but do not be afraid to learn from new experiences as you move on in life."
The guest commencement speaker was Tim Brant, the sports anchor for ABC’s Channel 7. He told the students to not get discouraged when things got difficult for them in life because, according to him, "life is filled with opportunities ingeniously disguised as problems."
He also said, as most could agree, that "life is not easy, we live in a crazy world." He told the students that "it’s not about what happens to you, it’s how you handle what happens to you." He mentioned how defeat makes you and how the great athletes he’s interviewed and covered don’t reach their greatest accomplishments until after failure.
After Principal James Person had given acknowledgements and recognition to certain students, it was time for the presentation of diplomas.
Things went smoothly and there was lots of applause and wild shouting from the people sitting in the Patriot Center seats, watching their friends and relatives graduate.
LAUREN JENNINGS, Stone Bridge’s Class of 2007 president, delivered the farewell comments.
"Not one of us can claim to be the same as we were a year ago. It represents a lot," she said of her and her fellow students getting their high-school diplomas.
"This diploma is a record of what everyone has achieved," she said.
Besides the success of graduating she also mentioned the stress that high-school life had caused and how "the best feeling was to wake up and find out it was a snow day."
The closing remarks were made by Person who said he felt like he had the greatest job in the world sometimes.
"We will certainly remember you," he said of the jubilant, graduating students. Person said, it is "a world of uncertainty, but a world of opportunity."