Stealing a line from the popular movie, “Legally Blonde,” the golden-haired valedictorian Jessica Pettinger ended her speech to the Diamond High School Class of 2008 with, “We did it!”
It was a fitting end to a night of celebration for the 66 students of the graduating class of 2008.
Proud parents, distant relatives and friends filled the gymnasium at Diamond High School to the rafters, taking pictures of their son or daughter, and even used an air horn blast a few times to let the entire gym know they were proud of their graduate.
“This group of graduates has a big heart,” said Mark Mayo, outgoing superintendent of Diamond High School. Mayo will serve as the superintendent of Marshfield High School starting for the 2008-09 school term.
Eli Hicks, salutatorian of the class of 2008, opened his speech by thanking everyone in the crowd, from parents to teachers.
“Without you we would not be where we are today,” Hicks said.
“I want to thank our parents for pushing us to make it this far. Not only do I want to thank the parents, but also the teachers, faculty and staff who have helped us learn from our mistakes as we move forward to the next chapter of our lives — the real world.
“It is a great honor to be graduating tonight with all of you I have known for years, and those of you who have recently come to Diamond. This is the night of our lives.”
Pettinger reflected on the journey to graduation.
“The reason we are here today is because of our hard work,” she said. “Through it all we have relied on family, friends and our teachers.”
Steven White, faculty at Diamond High School, told the crowd that 50 students will be attending college in the fall, and 24 students received scholarships. He said the students will be attending 15 different colleges or universities.
Diamond, Mo. —
