Seniors Take The Walk

The watery eyes started at the sounds of "Pomp and Circumstance." After years of teachers, books and growing pains, members of the class of 2014 received their diplomas.

Friends and family gathered into a packed gym as Glasgow High School graduates accepted their diplomas on Sunday, May 25. While some seniors walked with bright smiles, others wiped away tears, perhaps of joy with a mix of sadness, as they walked toward the next steps in life.

The senior address speaker voted for by the students was Dillon Pankratz, who made several jokes about the teachers and staff, and brought up memories that the seniors shared over their years. While most of his speech was lighthearted, he did end with some good advice for his fellow classmates.

"Take a risk my friends. Go do something with your lives," Pankratz said.

The commencement speaker was Glasgow Police Chief Bruce Barstad. He told the seniors that he had graduated from the same school 29 years prior, he couldn't remember what was said, who spoke, or any of the details. He could remember taking his diploma. He told the seniors how he visited the principal's office a few times , but as he went onto college things turned around.

Barstad had some advice for the seniors. It got a few unexpected chuckles and perhaps raised a few eyebrows in the crowd.

"You're all going to die," Barstad said.

He explained that you can't predict when it will happen, but you should plan on how you want to live before that time comes. He suggested finding work to be passionate about and writing the obituary that they might want to have when the time came. That way they could discover the goals and the things they really wanted in life.

Barstad told them to be ready for change, that loved ones telling them that a change was needed was usually good advice. He also explained that with all of the changes in life, we all have to adapt.

"Get involved, be part of the change," Barstad said.

His last word of advice was learning to be a leader and to follow your instincts. His speech was followed by a video presentation that showed several leaders in history who failed, but still became great.

Soon after diplomas were received the seniors enjoyed photos and memories presented by the GHS Media Class. The concert choir and the concert band also participated in presentations during the ceremony.