High school graduation might mark the end of an era, but it’s just one step in a years-long journey.
This was the message of Mancos staff and student speakers at the Sunday ceremony in the campus’ Performing Arts Center.
“All too often we focus on the end, that grand accomplishment, much like this graduation today,” said social studies teacher William Custer, who was selected as this year’s graduation speaker. “It was an end you all strived for and accomplished. Going forward, I encourage you all to try and shift your focus a little bit, and embrace the journey that you’re soon to be on.”
Hundreds of friends and family members crowded onto seats on the auditorium floor and bleachers along the walls to cheer on the 28 graduating seniors.
Even from his first days at Mancos three years ago, he realized this was not a “normal” class, Custer said. “This class is full of students who are so focused on their future,” he said. “Many of them felt like they had their whole life planned out.”
The determination, ambition, and creativity continued to shine through to the end, he said, when students combined forces to pile every single chair from the high school’s second floor into his classroom, as part of their senior prank.
Custer’s journey theme continued through the student speeches, as both the Mancos salutatorian and valedictorian spoke about defying others’ expectations and staying true to themselves as they move forward in life. Salutatorian Sarah Knezek acknowledged that high school had not been easy for her, and at times she had struggled to find her place and fit in. The Marvel comics had provided her with solace and shown her “less-than-perfect people” responding to heroic challenges even though they still made mistakes.
“You don’t have to be perfect to be the hero of your story,” she said. “You can make mistakes, not fit in, and even quit. You can rely on mentors when you get lost, like I have with mine. What makes you a hero is when you stop, turn back around, decide to try again and maybe be a little better than last time.”
Spencer Eschallier said that his jocular nature made it hard for others to take him seriously as a valedictorian.
“I do like to joke a lot, especially at my own expense, but this time I was telling the truth,” he said.
This spoke to his larger message, for students not to put people in boxes — and not to let themselves be confined to the categories of others.
“We are all more than our first impressions, our labels, our test scores,” Eschallier said. “If there is anything that high school can teach us it’s that none of us fit in a box, and if we do we probably don’t belong there.”
He told his classmates that they had the ability to choose who they wanted to be.
“No one gets to write your story but you,” he said. “Graduation is just the end of one chapter, and the rest is yours to write.”
The speeches were followed by a slideshow, featuring photos of the students over the course of their lives, from elementary school Halloweens and sleepovers to high school dances. Many of the students had grown up together, and the slideshow showed their friendships flourish and continue steadily through the years.
Mancos teachers Kerisha Small and Mary Marable read students’ names as they crossed the stage and received their diplomas. After students were given a bouquet of flowers, many distributed them to their family and friends before returning to their seats.
In his earlier speech, Custer urged students to explore the world. However, he also asked them to remember their home in southwestern Colorado and the Mancos family gathered right there in that auditorium.
“I encourage each one of you to explore the beauty that this world has to offer,” he said. “Go build up the community that you want elsewhere, wherever that may be. But always remember that when you need a home, when you need a community, you need a sense of belonging, you have one right here in Mancos.”
