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The 53rd annual ceremony — which featured a moving speech from class officers on money raised to help schoolmate Lindsay Simpson, who is battling cystic fibrosis and recently underwent a double lung transplant — saw Hannah Elizabeth Ertzgard named valedictorian and Selma Mahmutovic salutatorian.
"It is often stated that the only constant is change, and many of you and your families have experienced monumental change with the economy," Garden Spot principal Carol Kelsall said in a speech to the graduates.
"You have been given a foundation," she said. "Live purposefully and deliberately and proceed with wisdom and courage and love."
Also at the ceremony, superintendent Robert Hollister spoke about Arizona Sen. John McCain's experiences in a North Vietnamese prisoner-of-war camp, when a fellow prisoner secretly sewed a makeshift American flag using a bamboo needle.
"You must never forget about the sacrifices that have been made to build our world," Hollister said. "By accepting your diploma today you are signing a contract with your community and your country … Graduates, serve and fulfill your obligations with passion and conviction.
"As an American, you are afforded much," he said. "I challenge you to take advantage of the freedom you have."
After students celebrated their graduation by tossing their blue-and-white caps into the air, 18-year-old Julia Smith — who plans to major in French and English education at Eastern University near Philadelphia before pursuing a career abroad as an English teacher — said she will miss high school but she's "ready to pursue what's next."
"I'm excited to go to new places and meet new people," she said. "There's a huge change coming in my life, and I'm ready for it."
For 18-year-old Jeremy Bowe, who plans to attend Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, to study civil engineering, graduating from Garden Spot left him with mixed emotions.
"I'm eager to start college, but I don't want to leave my friends," he said. "Continuing my education and starting work is very appealing to me, but this will always be my high school."
For Dylan Spade, graduation was "overwhelming." The 17-year-old, who plans to attend WyoTech (formerly known as the Wyoming Technical Institute) in Blairsville, said he hopes to pursue a career in automotive technology.
"High school was great, and it will be weird not being with my friends, but I'm excited to go on to the next stepping stone," he said. "I'll miss my friends. That's what I'm thinking about the most right now."
