001middle [Music] want [Music] please I en embarass D it [Music] at what to did to your at that Bo [Music] you [Music] little did you know [Music] look at that [Music] a you call a [Music] cut out the clarinet mouthpiece my [Music] St [Music] I can't do [Music] why does my hair look so like [Music] I need no come here my boy [Music] you Gra [Music] you got a call from are youing or what's happening [Music] I still think that on the forms we should put also do you number [Music] I know I was [Music] got the second one 16 notop [Music] whoever you are [Music] look at his there was another one was [Music] that's what the [Music] go [Music] me to [Music] boy that's that's my you're going to play and then we're
002going to be in the backgound likeed [Music] I was trying to play hello [Music] play e [Music] ladies and gentlemen please rise and welcome the Liberty High School class of [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] la [Music] la [Music] la [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] than [Music] for [Music] la [Applause] l [Music] [Applause] la [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] for [Music] [Applause] for [Applause] ladies and Gentlemen please remain standing for the presentation of Colors by The Academy District 20 Air Force junor Roc and the national anthem performed by the Liberty chamber singers oh say can you sing the [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Pro through the night flag [Applause] [Music] the of the [Applause] free of the [Music] [Applause] thank you color guard and thank you choir for that stirring rendition of
003our national anthem everyone please be seated [Music] class of 2017 welcome to this wonderful very snowy afternoon thank you to all the friends and families and loved ones who are here today to help us celebrate this momentous occasion my name is Brian amston and I will be introducing the dignitaries on stage and our school administration before we begin the graduation ceremony I will begin with our Board of Education members president Mr Glenn stre vice president Mrs Tracy Johnson Treasurer Mr Larry Borland director Mrs Katherine Bullock director Mrs Linda Van Mater and our us Air Force Academy liaison Colonel Troy Harding joining us today as a special guest we have the principal of Tim rview Middle School Mr Brett Smith our dignitaries on stage today include our superintendent Dr March catell Deputy superintendent Mr Tom Gregory
004an assistant superintendent of administrative Services Dr Jim Smith and for our very own Liberty High School administration we have our principal Mr Alan timik assistant principal Mrs Holly meum assistant principal and athletic director Mr Michael sibl assistant principal and activities director Mr Shawn Stevens assistant principal Mrs Cindy wsel and our dean of students Mrs Angela Dua to everyone on the stage and in the audience we want to thank you for helping us celebrate today thank you hello my name is Taylor Haynes American historian Henry Brooks Adams once said a teacher affects eternity they will never know where their influence stops when I first walked to miss Dr enko's class she handed me a paintbrush this was the first of many tools my teachers gave me these tools are nearly nameless teachers give us their time
005knowledge and essentially a chance a chance to learn and grow into fledgeling adults while we had a terrific time cheering on our teams at basketball and football games they were grading papers when we were Hing play video games or taking a nap after a long day they were still at school helping students catch up on assignments I can't count how many times I saw my teachers still at school long after three or in the case of Miss Richie the early birds who chose to to get to school at 5: in the morning because they love their jobs and their students we appreciate all of their efforts for it is one of the big reasons why we are here waiting for our diplomas they give us the essential skills we need in order to succeed in
006school and in life Mr off Heidi gave us life advice on how to never go on a diet where you only eat popcorn and Miss Smith taught us to sing through every situation just keep swimming just keep swimming just keep swimming swimming swimming teaching is one of the most difficult jobs out there they put up with The Good the Bad and the Ugly they never give up on their students even when their students wanted to give up on themselves teachers give us tools and provide us the guidance to use them they are the paint brushes in our hands we don't know exactly what image will materialize before us but through their guidance we know it will somehow be beautiful the creation of our four-year painting is now coming to an end but its beauty will
007last forever it is a deeply personal image of our collaboration with our teachers we have used the colors of band yearbook student council Athletics and with the help of our amazing teachers we have transformed them into Canary yellows Cerulean blues and all of the other Myriad colors in the painting of life our picture will not stop growing and neither will our Longing To Learn during my time at Liberty High School I have I've had many teachers that have impacted my life in amazing ways many of you sitting here today can think of teachers that you appreciate and would like to think henceforth I would like to ask for the teachers of Liberty High School to please rise as we give you a warm welcome thank you you may be seated hello lancers and honored guests
008my name is Isaac Perkins as you may know before I came to Liberty High School for my junior year I was homeschooled as a homeschooler I had heard stories about this place called public school but I never experienced it for myself I'm not going to lie I was a little bit scared at first I had heard you had to wait in these rooms for an hour and a half at a time for class I had heard you only got to eat at lunchtime and that you had to ask to use the restroom I wouldn't I didn't know honestly if I would survive in this new environment but I was also excited about public school maybe now I wouldn't have to take my mom to senior prom in the living room after all when I started
009at Liberty I was surprised to find that my expectations were trivial what stuck out to me from day one was not the class times or the restroom policies but the people I quickly saw the true value of friendship and Community I was welcomed and loved and in return I have grown to love my fellow students I'll always remember how you taught me to Glow Crazy at the dances and I didn't always have to tuck in my shirt every single day to be accepted you gave me support on the hard days laughter on the fun ones and many Treasured Memories that will last a lifetime so I'd like to introduce the group I have come to know like family a group of driven workers who have earned their right to be here today A group I'm
010honored to be a part of as we step into the next chapter so Liberty High School class of 2017 please stand and be recognized thank you please be seated ladies and gentlemen it is my pleasure to introduce Liberty High School salutatorian please welcome Katherine McDonald Katie is the daughter of Aaron and Tom she obtained a 45417 grade point average during her four years at Liberty she is a member of the future Business Leaders of America National Honor Society Elite Dance Ensemble and Scarboro Fair outside of Liberty Katie spends her time dancing at a studio she will attend the University of Colorado Boulder this fall where she will major in mechanical engineering she has career aspirations to be a biomed engineer where she can develop technology that will help others Katie would like to thank her
011parents Mrs Williams Mr kabi Mr faelan Miss eliso and her sister Sarah for helping her be successful Katie in recog recognition of your Valiant efforts at Liberty High School I hereby award you with a salutatorian [Applause] medal ladies and gentlemen Katherine McDonald good afternoon I am truly honored to address you as the salutatorian for this class just a fair warning I am deathly afraid of public speaking usually I get nervous in front of 20 people and there are about 4,000 of you so this is pretty intense okay so to the teachers playing bingo the parents searching the crowd for the Facebook friends they invited the siblings here for support who would rather be anywhere else and of course my fellow classmates waiting patiently for all of this to be over thank you for being here
012and welcome to the graduation for the class of 2017 I want to start by thanking the staff at this school the teachers and counselors I've had over the years have helped me grow from an irritating freshman to a taller probably more irritating senior most of us applied to college so we got to know Mrs Scott and Mrs Briggs pretty well it was wonderful to see them light up when I told them where I applied or where I was accepted and they deserve so much credit for helping College Bound seniors get through this year I want to thank my honors and AP teachers especially Mr kabi Mr falan and miss alisio these three teachers had me for multiple years and the passion they have for the subject they teach is inspirational finally I want to thank
013Mrs Williams the head of Liberty's dance Department I've been dancing since I was 3 years old I was honored to be a captain this year for the Elite Dance on exle so Mrs Williams thank you for working around my busy schedule so that I could take classes attend rehearsals for elite and Scar brro fair and be on time to my studio for more class thank you for helping me grow as a technical dancer and a performer most importantly thank you for sharing your Love of Dance with all of your students and teaching us to be confident in our abilities I also want to give a shout out to two students first I can't ignore my twin sister Sarah my wombmate soon to be roommate at CU she's been by my side through every day of
014high school but I do regret that we never switched places I also want to talk about Molly falan and hopefully embarrass her she's sitting right there everybody stare at her she might only be 5' three but her impact on my life has been immeasurable I'm bringing her up because Molly is the hardest working person I've ever met I met her in my first day of freshman year I had five classes with her and despite her tiny size I was intimidated right away because Molly is the kind of person that gets a test back and she got a 98 out of 100 and she's devastated that she missed one question meanwhile the rest of us got 73s and we're thinking that could have gone worse we've been close friends throughout high school so Molly thank you
015for pushing me every day to be a better student and a better friend and we need to finish the Hobbit lastly I want to thank my amazing group of nerds high school was often challenging but once I found you my life became easier you helped me be comfortable with who I am and I'm so grateful to have spent these last four years with you guys by my side I finished by sharing some original words of wisdom but that's Isaac's job so congratulations class of 2017 and good luck thank you [Music] I'm going to make a change for once in my life going to feel real good going to make a difference going to make it [Music] right as I turn up the my favorite winter the wind is blowing my mind see the kids in
016the street not enough to eat who am I to a summer disregard a broken bottle top and a one man Soul they follow each other on the way you know cuz they got nowhere to go that's why I want you to [Music] know change his [Music] I've been a victim of a selfish kind of love it's time that I [Music] realize too could it be really me pretending that they not alone oh Willow deeply scar somebody broken heart and a washed out dream they follow the pattern of the wind you see cuz they got no place to be that's why I'm starting [Music] withing change his way message [Music] [Applause] man in the asking to change his way message could have if you want to make the world better take look at got get it
017close it make a change make a [Music] [Applause] change you got make it all you got [Music] to you got to make the change [Music] [Applause] a long-standing tradition graduation Tradition at Liberty High School is a selection of the commencement speaker the keynote the selection is a competitive one and from the many who try out only one can be selected for this honor this year is no exception the committee made up of seniors and teachers chose a gentleman who has an inspiring message to share with all of you today ladies and Gentlemen please welcome Isaac Perkins before Isaac gives his address I'd like to tell you a little bit about him Isaac is the proud son of sha and tiffen he has been at Liberty High School for the past two years during his tenure
018he was involved in soccer and track last year and spent this year as a National Honor Society president student council treasure and participated in Scarboro fair outside of school Isaac is actively involved in his church youth groups including facilitating a number of Bible studies his favorite class was AP Physics because he got to see how things work the class trip to the Kennedy Space Center helped him cement his future Ambitions of being an engineer in just a few short weeks Isaac will call the Air Force Academy home with his recent appointment in the future he would like to use the skills he will learn from his training in the academy to lead others Isaac would like to thank his parents and siblings for all of their love and support Isaac you have a bright future
019ahead of you and we're all very proud of you of your accomplishments thus far congratulations ladies and gentlemen your commencement speaker Isaac Perkins [Applause] well I'm back again I'd like to thank everyone for being here today I'm truly honored to stand before such a distinguished audience made up of our superintendent of schools Dr hatchel the members of The Academy School District 20 school board our principal Mr Tim our parents The Faculty of Liberty High School our other honored guests and most importantly the graduating class of 2017 class of 2017 as you already know this is a special moment it's a moment to reflect on our path to this point and anticipate our potential for the future now whether you've lived in District the entire time or transferred in at some point as I did Liberty
020has been an excellent home and training ground for each and every one of us and now we walk out to share what we have learned with the world but it's not a simple task the emotion the hard work the trials and subsequent victories which we have faced have shaped Us in ways which cannot be put to words you may ask if it's even possible to encapsulate the countless memories made in Liberty's Halls these last four years in any amount of time and you may fear you cannot share the wisdom you gained from your teachers families and mentors with someone who wasn't there to see it personally I wouldn't know where to begin thanks to my teachers I could tell you that Force equals mass time acceleration I could evaluate an integral recite the periodic table
021of the elements I could discuss the necessary parts of a well-written essay or explain the Bill of Rights from what I learned from you I could explain what the beginning and end of each semester felt like tell you about my first day as a Lancer or talk about my experience pleading for points at the end of a semester when I was half a percent away and I know we've all been there but none of it would attempts to uncover the fullness of our collective experience there's not enough time in the day let let alone in a moment as short as this one to count all of our stories or share even a fraction of our Cherished Memories but class of 2017 the good news is that in the end it doesn't matter if we can
022articulate our experience or share our Collective wisdom because we don't need to right now in this moment all the knowledge and memories are here with us they're represented in you my fellow students and dear friends we are beautifully complex beings and each moment each infantes variable of what we experience becomes part of us I need to only look across the crowd and I can immediately see each conversation when you thought I was a substitute teacher I see each test each light night of studying and each lunch we spent laughing together about goodness knows what that's all there in the faces I see from row to row right now we the class of 2017 are the evidence of the dedic ation and long hours of preparation that have brought us here today we are a class
023of academically excellent collectively caring and very powerful people each of us now has a place to stand and we need only be bold in who we are confident in what we can do and the world will know where we came from so class of 2017 as each moment passes by and becomes a part of you embrace it as we leave this moment and walk into the next display where you came from with pride in your actions and Words Be movers and shakers be Risk Takers be game changers be difference makers and meet the moment with everything that you are thank [Applause] you for a little while ago I had the tremendous pleasure of interviewing our distinguished superintendent Dr Mark hatchel golf King graduation speaker Pro and of course snow day decision maker he has been
024there for us all for through it all and I'm happy to be recognizing him on this very special day to him his perfect date with his wife would be an action thriller movie and Kentucky Fried Chicken because nothing says romance like the sweet smell of Colonel Sanders Dr hatchel is married to the lovely Dr Kathy hatchel who he refers to as the real doctor they have five children one in college and two sets of twins in high school his twin daughters play for Liberty High School's girls field hockey team Dr Hatchell has been part of Liberty High School and District 20 for the past 10 years he graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in business and made his way to the University of Colorado where he earned his doctoral degree in 1989 he
025has accomplished many amazing things over the years including growing a cool afro while in high school and climbing a number of 14ers he understands how amazing it feels to be sitting here today but also understands all the special moments we hope to never forget once we graduate we will venture out into unmarked territories Dr hatchel backpacked across Europe his senior year and learned that though people are different they are alike too maybe this is something we can take with us though we will never forget the people we have met and grown to love it's great to be optimistic because there will be amazing people wherever we go he believes that the best time of year is graduation because it is a benchmark he's happy to know that all of the skills and knowledge we have
026been given will help us be successful UC ful in the world Beyond would everyone please help me in welcoming Academy stool District 20's superintendent of the Year Dr Mark hatchel that was so good thank you very much thank you for that very kind introduction I I really appreciate it let me first say on behalf of my bosses the academy 20 Board of Education congratulations to the class of 2017 and I want to personally thank Troy Andrews who has been on my student advisory committee for the past two years now it's amazing how time flies by I was there four years ago when you were clapped in on your first day of school at Liberty I remember seeing Ben Johnson that day and he pretended like he didn't know me I can't believe how fast time
027goes by it's just 4 years later now you're graduating now these are exciting times that we live in but also times of great change and I always have to smile to myself when I hear a student say the struggle is real whether it's having to get up at school for school at 7:45 a.m. or having time to do homework or not knowing someone's cell phone number I've heard that phrase the struggle is real I once had a student tell me you don't understand how real the struggle is because you're you're not that young and you probably don't even text now last year I heard Mr Tim talk about his struggles but he's a lot younger than me so I want to tell you about when the struggle was real when I was in high school
028do you know back then if you wanted to change the channel on the TV you had to actually get up and change the dial on the TV [Applause] in my day high definition was getting the rabbit ears just right we didn't have 200 channels we had three and PBS which didn't count in those days the struggle was real and you're not going to believe this our parents made us walk or ride a bike to school the struggle was real I didn't have a PlayStation 4 with highdefinition Graphics realistic audio and vibrating wireless remote we had Monopoly I didn't have streaming music either we had eight track tapes and let me tell you it wasn't easy to find just the right color leisure suit to match your dates dress and to disco dance in platform shoes
029in my day the struggle was real to drive you had to learn how to use a clutch and stick shift and to ski you had to go up the mountain holding on for dear life to the Tea Bar and we didn't have a nice superintendent we went to school if there was 4 in 5 in 6 in 12 in of snow as a matter of fact my high school years we never got a snow day and I grew up went to school right in this city the struggle was real now luckily for that superintendent there were no emails back in the day he didn't get 50 plus emails every time I do or don't call a snow day and there was no find my friend's app trust me on this one that was tough especially
030if you were like me and your dad was a principal and your mom was a teacher the struggle was real now in all seriousness I think I know and understand many of your challenges you live in a complex interconnected world that never sleeps but I do want to share with you the challenges of a man I knew Mr Joseph Shimp Mr Shimp lived in Whitefield where I grew up it is a land of retired military four good friends of mine's dads were in the military two of those dads were immigrants two were africanamerican and their families were from poor areas in the rural South now lost in the history books is the importance of the military for folks like that now last January on a very cold Saturday morning I went to the funeral of
031Mr Shimp one of those true American Heroes he was of German descent and was born in Ukraine in the late 1930s about the time World War II broke out his family was well-to-do Farmers Russia told all Germans to leave or they'll be sent to the concentration camps in Siberia one of his uncles was found and sent there that is when his family decided to leave they quickly left the Ukraine on foot with one horse pulling the wagon with all their belongings they went to Poland for about a year the fighting was so Fierce there they decided to leave for Germany a bridge they crossed getting into Germany was blown up the next day they survived World War II and boarded a boat for the United States in 1952 they landed in New York City young
032Joseph didn't know the language he struggled in school and was too proud to ask for help he dropped out at the age of 16 he went to work in the steel factory Joseph then enlisted in the Air Force when old enough to do so he married a pretty lady from Texas he was sent to Vietnam during the war there and experienced a second round of War he rose to the rank of tech sergeant then retired in Whitefield where he raised four boys one of them Joe my good friend he was an honor to his country and to his family family now for Mr Shimp the struggle was real my hope my wish my prayer for each of you is that no matter the challenges you face small like mine or great like Mr shimps who
033endure death and destruction all around him during his childhood you will have the strength and confidence to meet the challenges you will encounter and not only survive but to thrive and know while you will face challenges face them with the resilience of those who came before us like Mr Joseph schimp on behalf of Academy District 20 and it's nearly 29,000 staff and students I wish upon all of you all the good fortune in the world God bless [Music] a l [Music] la [Music] la [Music] the [Music] a la [Music] you yeah [Music] te how about one more round of applause for both our choir and band [Music] Melissa Burke will you please stand for a moment how's this for a birthday party this all right Dr hatchel and members of The District 20 School Board
034is an honor to present to you the Liberty High School graduating class of 2017 and to certify to you that every graduate who who walks across the stage today and who has presented a diploma as they leave today has at minimum met the requirements established by Academy School District's 20's Board of Education Now ladies and gentlemen let me tell you a little something about this amazing class of 2017 they are a very tight-knit group and their friendships extend beyond the typical social there they kicked off the school year with an event called senior sunrise in which they arrived on the first day of school as a the sun was rising to welcome the school year as a class they then concluded the school year within the last week with a senior barbecue a senior Sunset
035some epic and appropriate pranks and a graduation walk to Prairie Hills Elementary School as they s said goodbye as a class to their High School career but before we as a staff say our goodbyes it is important for everyone in this Arena and around the world to know what a special class this is first this class is very bright as of last week the senior class has earned over $8 million in college scholarships we have two Air Force Academy appointments four rooc scholarships 19 AP Scholars one AP scholar With Honor One National Merit Hispanic scholar Six National Merit commended Scholars and one National Merit finalist over 80% of this class will be heading to a postsecondary institution in the fall and over onethird of this class is graduating with honors a group of these seniors
036got VIP tours of the candy Space Center in Florida as part of AP Physics where they told me that it was a life-changing experience our seniors worked hard this year and whether they earned those final credits last semester or last week they all put in Valiant efforts so they could sit before you today in athletics we have 12 National letter of intense SES who plan to play sports in college we have 13 teams who qualified for academic All State and most of our teams qualified for playoffs We Are The District 20 champions in boys Golf and softball and our head softball coach was selected as coach of the year we have numerous all league and All State players a number of senior rotary Champion nominees and two rotary Medallion winners our girls track team just
037last week won the Colorado Springs Metro League championships and we have a few of our seniors are representing Liberty track in the state meet this weekend members of our girls and boy swim teams and girls and boys track teams also broke school records this year this was quite this was quite an accomplishment but what really stands out about our athletes is how they give back to the community all teams are involved in community service projects ranging from cleaning parks and Community areas to mentoring and tutoring to partnering with Charities and Community groups to provide donations and assistance this is what truly defines student athlete our talented seniors were also amazing in the activity Realms as well first our senior class participated in a community service day last fall in which they donated over a thousand
038hours to help distribute meals plant trees and clean up parks around the city we once again had award-winning visual art students our German club competed in Colorado German day for the first time ever and took third place and our FBLA and deca students qualified for state and National competitions our student council helped lead a huge fundraising campaign for Care and Share and under the direction of the National Honor Society a number of groups raised nearly $7,000 for the make AWI Foundation to help send a local child to Paris our performing arts program was amazing again this year our theater Department won its fifth national award for the set construction of cats our Dance Program performed at the state dance conference our chamber singers performed at the Colorado music education conference our Wind Ensemble performed at
039the national music for all concert band Festival in Indianapolis we've had a number of stud students who were selected for All State Choir jazz band Orchestra and band and we were the Colorado band Master Association 4 a State marching band Champions setting a state record for the highest [Music] score you could say I'm a little proud of all of our students here at class of 2017 now you already know this and I'm so proud of our amazing seniors they've represented the last Lancer Nation with class and honor and they and the phenomenal staff are the reason Liberty High School is one of the best high schools not only in Colorado Springs but in Colorado now class of 2017 congratulations you've made it the hard work is now over and you can Coast right the answer
040is yes at least for the next hour as your principal I would like to share with you my final thoughts as you go about your lives as soon to be alumni of Liberty High School and Dr hatchel is right last year I did talk about the struggle being real and as I near 50 years old it is I'm contemplating between putting on my reading glasses or trying to read this from here I'm struggling so I've learned a lot of things in life some I've learned from my family some from Friends some some from colleagues and some from the School of Hard Knocks therefore I'd like to give you some tidbits I learned during my life I call it Mr T 17 for the class of 17 so let's begin number one always trust and believe
041in yourself give yourself credit for the great things you do and be forgiving of yourself in the areas that still need work number two in the end there is always a reason something did or did not go the way that you had planned you may not understand it at the time but as that is the power of reflection number three you're going to quickly find out how far $20 can go and how far it won't go number four practice humility it is one of the greatest attributes you can ever have number five life is lived in front of you not behind a screen so take the opportunities to put the phones down and close the lids on the computers so you can experience what you would otherwise Miss number six realistically you can really never
042give more than 100% to anything at any given time so make sure that that 100% that you give counts number seven and very important to me multitasking is a myth you will only end up losing things and forget why you walked into or out of a room number eight if at first you don't succeed welcome to what almost everyone experiences daily life is tough and even unfair it will be your grit and determination that will help you succeed number nine and this is really important to your generation please practice writing formally especially when seeking a job not addressing people by their name and title and using texting shortcuts in a letter or resume is the quickest way to be overlooked for a job and trust me I've shredded a number this year number 10 life
043is too short to be unhappy seek and commit to experiences that will bring you Joy and spend the time to truly embrace them number 11 you will quickly realize just how wise your parents really are trust their [Applause] judgment I still wish my daughter was listening to my speech today they were just like you once after all so they probably have already traveled the paths that you're about to walk number 12 take the high road never burn Bridges and practice forgiveness you never know where path with those you may have had a conflict will cross with that don't let anger or hatred Cloud your judgment number 13 place your trust in humanity and be someone that others can trust you do this by being on time following through with your commitments and honoring requests of
044others you also do this by being honest with people from the very beginning number 14 listen more than you speak that is why you were given two ears and one mouth you may actually earn some learn something just by listening now these next two may be the most important at all of all number 15 always do two loads of laundry one for colors and one for whites unless you enjoy wearing 50 shades of pink number 16 and this is directed at my parents I'm going to end the great debate once and for all there's only one type of ketchup and it is Hines now I would drop the mic right here but I still need it to do my final tidbit and number 17 for the last few years at graduation I have shared a
045quote from hipop artist Drake which I think sums up just about everything his quote States live without pretending love without depending listen without defending and speak without offending class of 2017 I am so proud of you and all that you have accomplished thus far in your lives on behalf of the entire staff of the Lancer Nation we wish you nothing but the best Mrs Johnson I proudly certify the graduates of 2017 and present them to you for your acceptance on behalf of the school board thank you it is wonderful to stand before you on this bright May Day to celebrate Liberty's class of 2017 a class born if you will from the Searing ashes of the black forest fire of 2013 and now gracefully Taking Flight on this classic Rocky Mountain spring day featuring rain
046snow and a few other wintry weather conditions but today's wet phenomenons seem appropriately symbolic to me of the love which so many have and continue to shower upon the young men and women about to triumphantly graduate from high school this afternoon Triumph of course is necessarily preceded by a contest of some sort and whether that challenge comes in a form as heartrendingly devastating as the Black forest fire or as intimidating as moving to a new community or as perplexing as knowing which path to follow I know each of you is well armed for Success how do I know this because as poet Ralph Waldo Emerson righteously proclaimed what lies behind you and what lies in front of you pales in comparison to what lies inside of you challenges are how we grow you know this
047so don't despair when they appear rather have faith in yourself and your ability to successfully overcome them just as another great American poet geminy Cricket memorably cred in the song When You Wish Upon a Star he sang fate is kind she brings to those who love the sweet fulfillment of their secret longing When A Star is Born they possess a gift or two one of them is this they have the power to make a wish come true you'll note that Jiminy prefaces the promise of a dream come true with the descriptor those who love this is where I throw in my perennial counsel to all graduates that it is in living the Golden Rule doing unto others as we would have them do unto us that the secret to true happiness resides so stride confidently
048into your future Lancers when you look at yourself in the mirror see the accomplished beautiful person that you are always have been and always will be and know that you are each absolutely truly loved thank you and therefore on behalf of the Board of Education of Academy School District 20 I accept with pride and pleasure the 2017 graduating class of Liberty High School Mr Tim thank you your faculty and your staff for an outstanding job Junior attendants let's graduate [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] hello is it for [Music] yeah the first [Music] easy I'm going first [Music] Alysa an Adams Hillary yaboa [Applause] adinkra Pierce Holden erens Isaiah dasan [Music] Allen Bethany Lynn [Music] Anderson Caleb Joseph Anderson congratul Daniel David Anderson Carl Brett [Applause] Anderson Troy Michael Andrews Megan Andrea Aragon Anna Elizabeth [Applause] arning
049Ethan zann [Music] Audrey graduating with honors Charles Matthew azota II Taylor Michelle B Karina Campa Natalie Ruth barcelone graduating with high honors Tessa Elizabeth Barlo graduating with honors Cole Michael baringer Tyler Charles Barlo graduating with high honors Jordan Lee mlan [Applause] B graduating with honors Bryce Andrew bovich Alexa Ray bow Ashley Michelle beers Heidi toen Beer Madison Lee Ben Emma rain berren conratulations Kylie Nicole Barry graduating with high honors Adam Samir bazoo Justine Marie benibos [Applause] danillo Xavier Fisher graduating with honors Riley Elise Blackwood graduating with high honors Christina Brook [Applause] Bland William Allen Bachman graduating with high honors Katherine Susan Boland Madison rayac Binger kalista Nicole Boyd congratulations graduating with honors Laura May [Applause] [Music] Boyd Kenyan Xavier Boyd eight congratulations graduating with honors Kayla Jordan Braden Allan Joseph breed Cheyenne Jade [Applause] Bridges
050Devin James [Music] Brown graduating with high honors Robert Michael Brown Andrew Jack Buchanan congratulations graduating with high honors Eric Scott buo Michael Ryan Burke graduating with honors Ashley Lynn Busby Melissa May Burke congratulations Maya Teresa buos graduating with honors Corbin Michael Callahan Robin Ashley camera Alexandra Beth Cameron graduating with high honors Abigail J June [Applause] Carlson graduating with honors Luke Blanchard Carpenter David Aaron [Applause] Catchings graduating with honors Jenna Paige Christensen graduating with high honors Jack Emmanuel Clark graduating with honors Sydney an [Applause] [Music] Connor graduating with honors Jordan Elizabeth cordre graduating with honors Michelle Sherice Cowan congratulations graduating with honors Alyssa Carolyn [Music] crane Samantha Lauren dowy congratulations Tyler Aaron Crawford Christopher Paul koni II [Music] congratul Juan Daniel Cruz Samantha Aaliyah Cullen congratulations graduating with high honors Alexander Joseph [Music] seir Jacqueline Monica
051[Applause] Daly micaa Ezekiel Dawkins Teresa Maria Daly grul graduating with high honors Rebecca and deal I graduating with high honors Ellen Danielle [Music] desio graduating with high honors Kaylee Mercedes Wong dolliff graduating with honors Megan Aaron donah Hugh graduating with honors Jade Jasmine Don Pan [Music] [Applause] Damon Michael Douglas graduating with high honors Cameron Michael Drew Jeremiah Jacob [Applause] dubas graduating with high honors Lauren Mary Drew Ashley Nicole dudah Jake Ryan dunkley Nicolette Angela Aaron [Music] conat Maggie Ray esabel graduating with high honors Molly Olivia felan [Applause] Jacob Donald Felton graduating with high honors Madison Sky fantelli congratulations Tyler John [Applause] fiser graduating with honors pton James Fleming Alexis Marie Flores [Applause] [Music] Danielle Mary Frank congratulations graduating with honors Brianna Nicole [Music] Flores Christian Alejandro [Applause] frosto Tessa Renee Gan Elaine an garby [Music]
052graduating with honors Marcy Suzanne [Applause] Garner Jonathan Keith Gibson conratulations Jolie Michelle goldich graduating with high honors Lynette May golin graduating with high honors Elena Suzanne [Music] Graham graduating with honors McKenzie Joy [Music] Green John David grow May helani Rose Hegel Darien Matthew hago [Music] Nicole [Music] [Applause] HAPO Colton Lee Harper Faith Elizabeth Harrison Emma Camille Hartley Mark David Hawkins [Applause] Bianca Angel heeden Victoria Elizabeth hacker [Music] congratul Allison Christina Grace Helton graduating with honors Francine Elizabeth [Applause] Henderson Jordan Toby [Applause] Henderson Joshua Mark Hensley graduating with high honors Noah James [Music] hibon grad graduating with high honors Anna Elizabeth High graduating with honors Daniel Fernando HOSA graduating with high honors Amanda Grace Hoff Haley Nicole [Applause] holder Kelsey Rayanne [Music] horn Ryan Mitchell Howell graduating with honors Canon Lee Huffman Darren Joseph Hughes graduating
053with high honors KRA Marie hunkle Noah Ethan [Music] Hindman graduating with honors Lissa Danielle is boikov okay Julie an Jackson Demitri vladislav is [Applause] boikov graduating with honors Ruth an Jean Louie NASA Jedi conratulations [Applause] [Music] brri verl Jenkins Austin Cody [Music] [Applause] jannings Aurora Jade Jensen ingstrom graduating with honors Benjamin Davis [Music] [Applause] Johnson graduating with honors Megan Katherine Jones Nicholas John kitle Grayson Tyler Kelly Tristan William keys Jordan Patrick [Music] Killinger Kate Caitlyn Andrea Michelle [Music] Kinder Latavia CIS King congratulations Matthew Dean Kirk [Applause] Caleb miles [Applause] kazooki Tessa Caitlyn [Applause] Klein graduating with honors Amy Catherine clim graduating with high honors Jessica Noel [Applause] [Music] cake cam Woodrow nap graduating with honors Jennifer Nicole Knight graduating with honors Haley Jean [Applause] ker Dietrich Allen [Music] Cals graduating with honors Rachel Elizabeth laat
054[Applause] Hunter ly [Applause] Lang Coral Victoria Sanchez [Applause] Lanza Britney Deanna [Music] lson Dana Joanne liton Sarah opal linnig [Music] Joshua Timothy lensmire Nathan Daniel lungstrom Mason Conrad Lenard graduating with high honors Madison Victoria Loftus Carissa Renee Looper graduating with honors Landon Dale Lucero Katherine Grace [Applause] Lunden graduating with honors lanaa Ray lanquist graduating with honors Courtney Lynn [Music] Lutz miles David Lyn [Music] graduating with high honors Sarah Abigail McDonald graduating with honors sha Michael McCay Caitlyn Cecilia MF graduating with honors Angelica Maldonado Michael Santo melli graduating with high honors Allison Lan man Stuart Kenneth Manning graduating with honors Brandon Ryan marble Sky Tiana Avon Marshall [Applause] [Music] Hunter Michael Martin Weston Bailey Martinez graduating with honors Ashley Noel [Music] [Applause] Masten graduating with high honors Gabriella Anna [Applause] mustalish Kyle Austin matky [Applause] graduating
055with honors Abigail Rebecca McGee Michaela daon M [Applause] [Music] McAfee graduating with honors Andrew James [Applause] Melaney Matthew Alan Maguire graduating with honors Morgan Grace metf graduating with honors Catherine an [Music] McIntyre graduating with high honors krianne Joy miles Hunter Ross misho [Applause] Amelia Lucia Mills Lillian R Miller graduating with honors Gabrielle Lee montele mon [Music] Eon graduating with high honors Rachel Elizabeth modlish Jamie as CHR Moore graduating with high honors Jennifer rose montgomry Roberto diamore Morino Alexis Jordan [Music] [Applause] Morehead salomia yurena Motel Ryan Michael [Music] [Applause] Morgan Kaye Marie Mullen mendua kamama micio NAA Len [Applause] [Music] Ned graduating with honors Eric Michael millo Deja Tiana Nicholson Aaliyah Karin neab Bauer Taylor Marie Shaw [Music] Novak graduating with honors Emily Rose Neer Houser Kiora Patricia odobi Hill graduating with honors Tatiana Gabrielle [Music]
056Obert graduating with high honors Garrett Andrew [Music] Olen Kaylee Shane [Music] [Applause] Oliver graduating graduating with high honors Taylor Renee AI Lauren Paige [Applause] op graduating with honors nathia carasco Pang ganaban Scott Anthony Thomas olette Joseph Gregory Perry [Applause] Nathan Ryan Parker Mario Perez Jr Cole Savon Pelt graduating with high honors Emy Emily Rose [Applause] [Music] failen Donovan Anthony Xavier [Applause] Perry Grant James price conr graduating with honors Emma Caroline Prat Jeremiah Spencer Darnell [Applause] puit Hannah marleene Quinn Alec Spencer ramboat graduating with high honors Allison Nicole Ransom graduating with high honors Ken rason conratulations graduating with honors Noah Thomas Ren Michael De EV Liam Cunningham Reed Aaron Elizabeth Riley graduating with honors Sarah Apprentice [Music] Ridge Grayson Duncan [Music] roach Savannah Lee tanil Roberts [Applause] Jacob Scott [Applause] Robertson Andrea K Robinson graduating with
057honors Marie Taylor Romero graduating with high honors Katherine Louise Roth [Music] Alexa Elizabeth [Applause] Royal Skyler Deanne Michelle mad rufy [Applause] RI Celia Milan [Music] Royal graduating with honors Marley k rugie Taran Noel rangi graduating with high honors Gerald Lawrence [Applause] rushing teamman heet sarra Matthew John [Music] safarat Rama sarmad [Music] Salah Adia Nana [Applause] samow Gabriel Francis Edward Santos Mark Gerald [Applause] shayley Kobe Michael scanland Spencer Andrew [Applause] shaying Brian James [Applause] Schmidt Isaac Jame shaper Brock Joseph skols graduating with high honors Callum Robert Schulz graduating with high honors Emily Grace [Music] Scott Emily Marie Scott graduating with honors Malcolm Alexander cyel Serena Ray Scott conat Hannah Joy shley Zachary James [Music] Shephard Nicholas Dany Sheriff Carissa Dez sard T day Haley Laura sisler Stephanie bernardet slitz graduating with high honors Cameron Casey Slade
058graduating with high honors Camille slokum congratul graduating with high honors Ella Tracy [Music] [Applause] small balen Yun Smith conratulations Cheyenne Elizabeth Smith graduating with high honors Isaiah Jordan Smith graduating with high honors Anna Lee Grace Sorenson graduating with high honors Keeley June Sparkman [Music] meline Nicole [Applause] Sparks Mitchell Thomas Spencer graduating with honors Alexis Nicole Stewart Ryan Allen Spencer [Applause] [Music] was it my turn Elias Devon Staley kaln Monae [Music] [Applause] [Music] Spivey ree Robert stingo [Music] [Applause] [Music] graduating with honors Travis Dean Stedman congratulations graduating with honors Anna Katherine Constance Stoner congratul graduating with high honors John Chandler [Applause] stefen Emma Marie St congratulations Sydney an [Music] Stoler Tyler Robert [Applause] Sturgill Christopher James Stout C Katherine Elizabeth suur congratulations Cole Murphy [Applause] Sullivan graduating with honors Joshua Edward Tandy congratul Anna Lee Swanson
059Orion Davis terasa graduating with honors Olivia Grace Taylor Alexander K [Applause] Thomas Andrew Michael teranova [Music] Skyler Cayenne [Music] Tinsley Briana Morgan Thompson [Applause] [Music] Tiana Nichelle [Applause] tobert graduating with honors Maya zosha [Applause] toek Jonathan rafhael Valdez Braxton Lynn terson [Applause] graduating with honors Taylor Ariana Vasquez conratulations graduating with honors David William vanwagenen graduating with high honors Christina Elizabeth Walters Deanna cyan VI Alba [Applause] Brianna Nicole Wells congratulations Christopher Robert Weber Kevin Andrew [Applause] West Elijah James West jiren Alexander Wilburn [Music] congratul graduating with honors Nathan John Whiting [Applause] Wagner Emma Katherine Rose Wilkins Jaden Marie Wilkening Kayla Renee Williams Kolinski Benjamin Allen Williams [Applause] graduating with high honors Jordan Lee Wilson Bernice Kathleen Wilson araria Rose Marie [Applause] wolf graduating with honors Jason Matthew Winchell Meredith Ryan Yates thank you Wyatt Nathaniel [Applause]
060worst Cole Riley [Music] [Applause] Newman graduating with high honors Brianna Marie amsden [Applause] graduating with honors Taylor an [Music] Haynes graduating with high honors Isaac Joseph Perkins [Applause] graduating with high honors Katherine an [Applause] McDonald graduating with high honors Ryan Christopher Evans [Applause] how how about one more round of applause for the class of [Applause] 2017 ladies and gentlemen it is now my pleasure to introduce Liberty High School's valdi dictorian please welcome Ryan Evans [Applause] Ryan is a son of Ricky and may Ryan has obtained a 4.59 57 grade point average during his four years at Liberty he was involved in a lot of different activities during his high school career including knowledge Bowl friends of Rachel Spanish club Spanish National Honor Society book club National Honor Society math Olympiad calculus bowl and a member
061of The Varsity tennis team additionally Ryan is a member of the order of the crest outside of Liberty Ryan volunteers at his church plays video games like I do and is in the process of publishing a research paper not what I'm doing he will attend the Colorado School of Minds this fall to major in mechanical engineering he has career aspirations to work for NASA or SpaceX to build robots that will advance artificial intelligence Ryan would like to thank his mom dad sister teachers Mrs nosar Miss Mrs Briggs Mrs Scott and Miss eliso for helping him be successful Ryan in recognition of your Valiant efforts at Liberty High School I here hereby award you with this valdi Victorian medal ladies and gentlemen Ryan Evans [Applause] hello parents guests faculty Administration and graduating class of 2017 I
062would like to open my speech by sharing a book written after America's postmodernism movement the author Doug trenches in World War II as a Bor and he was a male clerk during the Korean War this story has been translated into more than 62 Lang languages and has sold more than 44 million copies with the help of my lovely assistant please L me your ears as I read to you The Very Hungry Caterpillar in the light of the Moon a little egg lay on a leaf one Sunday morning the warm sun came up and pop out of the egg came a very tiny Hungry Caterpillar he started looking for some food on Monday he ate through one apple but he was still hungry on Tuesday he ate through two pears but he was still hungry on
063Wednesday he ate through three plums but he was still hungry on Thursday he ate through four strawberries but he was still hungry on Friday on Friday he ate through five oranges but he was still hungry on Saturday he ate through one piece of chocolate cake one ice cream cone a pickle one slice of Swiss cheese one slice of salami one lollipop a piece of cherry pie one sausage one cupcake and a slice of watermelon that night he had a stomach ache the next day was Sunday again the caterpillar ate through one nice leaf and after that he felt much better now he wasn't hungry anymore and he wasn't a little caterpillar anymore he was a big fat caterpillar he built a small house called a cocoon around himself he stayed inside for more than 2
064weeks then he nibbled a hole in the Cocoon pushed his way out and he became a beautiful butterfly and that could be the end of my speech but it's not I could analyze the story interpret how this caterp kill is a metaphor for us as we tackle adversity that eventually leads to our potential I bet a lot of the AP Lit students can help me out and I can compare The Very Hungry Caterpillar to ourselves but I won't what I really want to talk about is how the majority of my speech has been me reading a children's book am I unoriginal sort of I I uninspired kind of am I lazy maybe or did I struggle with coming up with an idea for this speech yes even though I read through online guides and studied
065the speeches of the greats I struggled with producing something creative this is the plate of all of us who are about to graduate we attend the same types of schools learn from the same textbooks and even have to experience standardized tests so how does this world expect us to come up with original ideas that stem from our education called Common Core but to all the haters out there who say we are basic I think we are anything but we had teachers who went beyond having us do worksheets from a textbook like Mr Roode who supported me when I had this crazy idea of publishing a research paper and Miss alicio who worked on math problems with me when I wasn't even her student we had friends and peers that were kind and inspiring like Camille
066slokum Courtney Letz and Emma Pi Day who also wanted me to give them shout outs we had faculty who we need to give recognition to for making Liberty a great learning environment we had clo and activities like knowledgeable and friends or Rachel that harbored our interests to refine our personalities and we had remarkable experiences that no other school can share like our Unforgettable memories from prom and winning the State title for marching band and of course we had opportunities that probably changed our future like getting the chance to go to Kennedy Space Center and SpaceX in Mr faan's AP Physics class whether our education was standard and our school was typical our experiences cannot be replicated graduates of Liberty High School's class of 2017 you aren't the middle children of History we aren't the soon
067to forget soon to be ignored we are the world's new hands new Minds new hearts and new people we are the big fat caterpillars who will soon become butterflies and if anyone out there has audacity to say that we are no different I guess we'll have to show them what we can really do thank you [Applause] okay teachers you may be released to the tunnels for the gauntlet [Applause] for those of you who do not know what our staff is doing we we run something called a gauntlet and this Gauntlet we started many years ago when these guys were freshmen on their very first day they they gathered out by the flag pole and they came into the gymnasium in between all of our teachers and our teachers applauded for them as they came in
068for the very first time at Liberty High School we continue we continue that tradition today they will be in the tunnels congratulating them and clapping for them as they end their careers at Liberty High School so Before you depart as graduates I want you to know that I left something in each of your graduation envelopes there's a piece of advice that I've been giving out to graduates for the past 25 years and is printed on a business card it was essentially the same piece of ad advice given to me when I graduated from college the bottom line is to live with no regrets and to make every moment count I also hope that my small token of appreciation will help you write your own future so we're going to do this right we're going to
069do this well are you guys ready with that Lancers please rise yes [Music] turn your tassel from right to left to signify your new status as graduates congratulations you are dismissed [Music] la [Music] n [Music] oh [Music]