Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
SEE VIDEO:
ALTON - The Class of 2020 at Marquette Catholic High School was honored in a graduation ceremony held on Friday night on the school parking lot, which gave the graduating seniors the opportunity to celebrate their accomplishments in a ceremony delayed because of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
The commencement exercises were held on the school's parking lot, with mask-wearing and social distancing guidelines in place, but it didn't dampen the evening in a very enthusiastic ceremony.
Following the opening prayer offered by senior Alaina Cribber, school principal Mike Slaughter, a 1974 graduate of Marquette, saluted the organizing committee, and also saluted the graduating seniors, talking about how much the Class of 2020 meant to him personally.
"I really, months ago, had a speech written for graduation for Lewis and Clark (Community College)," Slaughter said. "And we know that did not happen, was not going to happen. And I knew what I wanted to say to you seniors then. But COVID-19 has changed everything, basically. But one thing I was going to say at that time. And I look out at you, and maybe half of you are listening to me, maybe half of you aren't, and you're wishing I wouldn't keep talking, but I was going to tell you, in all honesty, in all seriousness, how much the Class of 2020 has meant to me, personally.'
Slaughter went on to say that he couldn't put a finger on why he was so fond of the graduating class, but the seniors knew him as a straight shooter who says what he believes in. And Slaughter knew that when this year's graduates walked in as freshmen, he felt something very special about them.
"I don't know if it's your smart, which you are," Slaughter said. "I don't know if it's because you're athletic, which you are. I don't know if it's because you're good looking, which you aren't," he said to one of the graduates with a laugh, which showed his sense of humor with the graduates.
Slaughter also said that he hadn't planned on making a speech, with a streamlined program where the graduates would be honored, but was encouraged by committee members to give a speech straight from the heart. He felt that the graduates needed closure after the school, along with other schools statewide, were closed on March 13 because of the pandemic. While sympathizing with the seniors, Slaughter encouraged the graduates to keep on fighting for their dreams, using a famous quote from Winston Churchill, "Never waste a good crisis."
"This nation of ours, this world of ours, is experiencing crisis," Slaughter said. "And not just from a pandemic, but also from the way we treat one another. And for the most part, your class, for the most part, you're teenagers. You've been pretty good about how you treat one another. But you are the future. Look at this man up here," he said, referencing to himself. "I am not the future. This is my penultimate graduation," Slaughter said, asking some of the graduates what the word penultimate means, eliciting laughs from the seniors and audience. "The point being, I'm not the future. You're the future. You are the future. This pandemic is going to define you."
Slaughter was a history teacher before becoming Marquette principal, mentioned he used to teach about the Great Depression, World War II, and the Vietnam War, mentioning that those events defined their generations.
"Kids, you're being tested," Slaughter said. "We're being tested. The whole nation's being tested, the world's being tested. How are we going to respond to this pandemic? How is it going to define you? Some of you, and I hope most of you, I hope all of you, are going to go on and do great things. You are. You are the future. Some of you are going to develop vaccines, some of you are going to go on into politics. It doesn't matter what you do. Whatever you do, you do the best that you can. And I know you can do that. You are a special class."
Slaughter also challenged his graduates not to feel sorry for themselves because of the pandemic, but to pick themselves up, move on and do great things for themselves.
"You are 18- and 19-years-old, and you've got a bright future if you seize it," Slaughter said. "Seize it, go out, make something of yourself. That's what I ask about all of you. You are smart kids. You've got a lot going for you. And you know what? If we adults have messed this world up, why don't you go out and fix it? We need you. So please do."
In a joint speech, senior class president Natalie Ellebracht and student body president Peyton Zigrang talked about favorite memories of Marquette, and their hopes for the future for the graduating class.
"What we learned from this time apart wasn't how to operate Zoom," Ellebracht said, "we realized that our time as seniors, our time at Marquette, isn't forever. We found that we needed to stop wishing time away. Many of us still remember the first day we walked into Marquette freshman year like it was yesterday. What I don't recollect from that day is the mindset of how time flies here. Some of us wish we could start over and break out of our shells sooner than what we did. Some of us wish we could start over and try harder in our classes than what we did. I caught myself saying 'I wish, I wish, I wish' a lot these past four years. At times, I found myself wishing the time away, which is what seniors above us told us never to do. All 84 of us have our regrets and bitter memories that we wish we could fix. Mine would be all the I wishes. I wasted time trying to change outcomes we couldn't control. None of us could control the way high school ended."
Zigrang emphasized the family atmosphere of the school, and knows that the Class of 2020 will always continue to support Marquette through thick and thin.
"The family feeling does not stop when you walk through the Marquette doors in the morning," Zigrang said. "Our family puzzle would not be completed with pieces of Marquette. Mr. Slaughter never forgot to greet us every morning as we walked into school like it was some grand entrance. Mr. Cerio always made our day better with some cookies and smiles. No matter where we go, or who we become, we can always fall back on our Marquette family. Honestly, no matter how badly we could have bombed this speech, all the family and faculty would have been out here to tell us we did a good job. Maybe," she said with a smile.
After the speeches, the Class of 2020 was introduced and awarded their diplomas by board president Gerard Fischer and Student Council Moderator and teacher Elizabeth DeCourcey, along with awards and honors earned. The college or future plans were also announced, along with their planned majors. Slaughter gave each graduate their diploma and awards, greeting each senior with an elbow bump and congratulating them on a job well done.
The senior class video was then shown, highlighting the four years at Marquette along with events and favorite memories, after which DeCourcey announced the prom king and queen, Jacob Reis and Ellebracht. Reis reacted with surprise when he was announced as king.
"This wasn't supposed to happen," Reis said with genuine delight to the laughs of his fellow classmates, who went wild with delight when he was announced as prom king. The ceremonies ended with the traditional throwing of the caps and congratulations from Slaughter and DeCourcey.
Charles Thomas also contributed to this story.
More like this:
Related Video:
