Goshen High grads ready for next chapter

Perseverance as the key to success was the focus of valedictorian Davon Elder’s address to the 50 seniors who received diplomas Friday night at Goshen High School’s 91^st commencement exercises.

Elder talked of the importance of perseverance and the value of family, highlighting the journey ahead for the Class of 2012.

“The best part of graduation is your family coming together and seeing all of your hard work finally pay off,” he said. “I’m looking forward to going into the real world and conquering all the obstacles in my way.”

For many of the Goshen seniors, graduation means an introduction to the next phase in life and a point of pride for their family.

“I’m the first person in my family to graduate high school so it’s a big accomplishment for me,” said Destry Cravens. “This puts me a step closer to college. I plan on going to Troy University and attending nursing school.”

Many of the class also saw graduation as a chance to look back at the memories and events that made high school special to them.

Salutatorian Chelsea Speigner took her time at the podium to reflect on her past four years as a Goshen Eagle, as well as offer up encouragement for her fellow seniors.

“It’s all about being involved in the clubs and the activities the fun things you do in high school,” she said. “I’m going to miss being able to see all of my friends every day. I want to remind everyone to be thankful to the people who helped get them this far.”

Among those are the administrators and teachers. Principal Warren Weeks offered praise for the graduates.

“This is a very eclectic group of young people,” Weeks said. “They’re very well-rounded and excelled academically as a class. This is a group that has been quiet, done their work and done an excellent job. I’m very proud of everyone. There is so much potential and I can see members of this class making a big impact in the future.”