PHOTO GALLERY: Watkins Glen holds commencement ceremony

WATKINS GLEN--Watkins Glen welcomed the Class of 2018 to their alumni status, Saturday, June 23 in the school auditorium. The graduation ceremony featured a number of speeches by class leaders and many monetary awards to the graduates.
Salutatorian Trevor Thurston said, "Now we turn to the next chapter, and transition to the next section of our lives. For some of us, this will be college or trade school, others will be the military or to join the workforce...we are going through this transition, and now is the time when we can give thanks to some of the people who have helped us get to this point in our lives."
Meghan Hayes delivered the senior oration and talked about many of the accomplishments of the class. "The group of students in front of you today has greatly contributed to much of the history of our school and indeed our town."
She mentioned the athletic merits of numerous teams and athletes, including state championships. Hayes also commented on two students who earned state-recognized bilingual certifications, talked about the class being at the old middle school and the 100th anniversary of students traveling to Washington D.C. There were also many other memories she recalled from their years together.
Valedictorian Clara Chedzoy talked about the importance of determination and perseverance when approaching challenges. "Quite recently I listened to an audiobook, you can thank my mom for that one. At the end of this book, it talked about some of the hardest jobs, trainings and programs one can go through. It was a psychological study. The psychologist named Angela Duckworth was examining what determined who made it through these tough situations when many did not. That key ingredient she would find is grit. It was not talent, it was how badly did that person want to succeed and the measures they would take to do so even in the face of opposition and failure."
Chedzoy concluded saying, "Congratulations to our gritty Class of 2018 for sticking with it through setbacks and hard times and I hope that each and every one of you will continue to show your grittiness throughout your life."
After the awards were presented and the diplomas distributed, the group moved the tassel on their mortarboards from right to left signifying they were graduates.