‘Bittersweet’ Ending

The theme of the evening was “bittersweet” for many of Morris Community High School’s class of 2012 graduates.

Some were giddy with excitement while others fought back tears as they lined up in the school gymnasium waiting to walk onto the football field to receive their diploma. On Friday night, Morris High School had 180 seniors graduate.

“It’s bittersweet. I’m excited to go to college, but sad to leave all my friends behind,” said Jordan Cummings, an honors graduate signified by her yellow cords around her neck. Cummings is going to Ashford University in Iowa this fall and will study biology and chemistry.

Getting ready for the line up, Cummings and longtime friend Jake Paulson, also an honors graduate, gave each other one last hug as high school peers.

Paulson and Cummings have been in school together for the last 10 years. The realization that they would no longer be classmates was “surreal” to them.

“I could not sleep last night,” Paulson said. “I woke up bright and early at 6 a.m. It felt like a normal day, but I had goosebumps all day.”

Just minutes from graduating Paulson reminisced about his first day as a freshman and how excited he was to start high school. He was warned then that high school years flew by quickly, but of course he said he didn’t believe them. He admits now they were right.

“It’s been the four best years of my life, and I am so thankful for them,” he said.

The class of 2012 is Kelly Hussey’s sixth graduating class as principal. But he said each graduation day still brings a special feeling.

The seniors are looked at as leaders for the school, he said, and this class embraced that.

“This class is driven, hence why they achieved a lot of success both inside and outside of the classroom,” Hussey said. “They seem to excel especially when people don’t think they would. They go beyond expectations because I think they think that is what they should do to be successful.”

Waiting to go outside, Annie Barrins took some time to help her fellow graduate Sydney Bail straighten her collar over her gown so she’d look her best for her graduating moment.

As Bail counted down the minutes for high school to be officially over, Barrins said she was a little more emotional.

“I cried this morning, to be honest. I really did, because I knew it was going to be over and we’re not going to come back again,” Barrins said.

Emily Ryder was too nervous for her emotions to take over. Despite the fact that she was wearing her cap and gown, she was still in disbelief.

“I’m a little nervous, it’s a big deal,” she said.

“It still hasn’t really set in that we are graduating,” she said.

The seniors waited in the gym in alphabetical order and just minutes before they would take their last walk out of their school, their teachers and administrators came walking in line through the gym to guide them out one more time.

All of the students applauded and yelled as loud as they could, cheering and thanking the faculty that have taught them the last four years.

“It’s so surreal. It’s actually happening,” Cummings said.