By STACY MILLBERG
Staff Writer
smillberg@starbeacon.com
ASHTABULA TOWNSHIP - Parents, friends and guests patiently fanned themselves in the muggy gymnasium as 170 seniors filed in, donning colors of red and gray.
In keeping with tradition, a former Edgewood Senior High School graduate is called upon each year to deliver the commencement address. This year's guest speaker was WKYC Channel 3 meteorologist A.J. Colby. Colby is a 1992 graduate.
As Colby looked out at the sea of audience members frantically trying to keep cool, he jokingly said, "If Mr. (Timothy) Essig would have listened to the Channel 3 forecast, we'd have been outside tonight."
Colby then directed his attention to the graduates, offering them some sound advice as they prepare to embark on the future course that lies before them.
"We all need encouragement," he said. "We all need a pat on the back for our achievements. This is the beginning of that." Colby stressed the importance of setting goals and following through with them. He outlined three key components in achieving those goals: commitment, focus and passion. He also told the seniors to remember always to take responsibility for what is going on.
Colby then shared some personal experiences with them, relating his experiences to issues they may need to overcome.
"Throughout the process, things don't always go as planned," he said. "Life happens."
Colby also offered one of his favorite quotes as advice to the graduates.
"Tough times never last, but tough people do," he said. "Remember, even though today is your graduation day, the true student never graduates. I urge you to commit yourselves to your goals."
Each year, the senior class selects two students to serve as class speakers. This year's speakers were Matthew McCormack and Jacquline Kohl.
McCormack expressed his gratitude to his fellow students for choosing him as one of the speakers. He spoke to his peers about life, relating it to a playground.
"Over the years, I've come to the conclusion that life is like a playground," he said. "The choices we make in everyday life determine our true character."
McCormack used several pieces of playground equipment as metaphors for life. The monkey bars represent the challenge of overcoming obstacles, he said, with the swing set representing the ups and downs in life.
"We go through life with few ups and downs," he said. "How you handle them is the true definition of character."
Kohl addressed her classmates on the little things in life that matter.
"As we, the Class of 2006, are graduating, many thoughts are going through our heads," she said. "All of us have had significant people who have influenced us in more ways than can be expressed."
She told the graduates throughout their school careers they have grown together and changed together.
Kohl spoke about learning from mistakes and achieving goals and dreams. She said the past is the past, and it is there to show them to learn from mistakes they have made. The present is who they are now, and the future is what lies ahead on the horizon.
"We cannot let fear get in our way," she said. "Do not be afraid to fall. Never be afraid to go beyond what others think you can do."
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Discussion
June 1, 2006
Edgewood Senior High School graduates the Class of 2006
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