001foreign test one two foreign thank you foreign too hey foreign good morning as the principal of bevel East it is my pleasure to welcome you to the graduation ceremony for the class of 2023. at this time I ask everyone in attendance to please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance and after the pledge please remain standing for the national anthem I pledge allegiance foreign thank you graduates please be seated again my name is Josh Lane I'm the principal of bevel East and it is my pleasure to welcome you today we're excited to be back outside have our whole class together for a graduation ceremony I'd like to start the ceremony today by recognizing some of the esteemed guests who are joining us today representing the district 201 board of education is Mrs Nikki Brown and Mr
002Marvin Lampkin also on stage with me today representing our District administration is assistant superintendent Mrs Melissa Taylor an assistant superintendent Mr Dustin bilbrook at this time I'd like to ask Mrs Melissa Taylor to come forward for some remarks for the class of 2023. thank you Dr Lane it is my pleasure to be here today and on behalf of superintendent Dr Brian mentor and the district 201 Administration offer congratulations to the class of 2023. High School graduation is such an exciting time in your life everything is right in front of you and we've done our best to prepare you we've done our best to give you opportunities to experience different classes and activities to participate in sports and clubs and to meet a diverse group of people some of you know exactly what you want to
003do next in your life and some of you need more time to figure it out and all of that is totally normal it will be okay I've been an educator for a long time and I've thought a lot about I want for my students for our students when they graduate from high school of all the things that I hope that you have learned in school the thing I hope the most is that you go out and be good people several years ago I had the chance to work with Sandy McDonald whose family founded McDonnell Douglas when he retired from the aviation industry he used his time and his resources to support character education in our area he believed that it wasn't math or physics that was keeping people from being successful it was character the
004kind of people that we are he used to share a quote often and I will paraphrase it for you if you look for the greatness and Genius of America in her harbors and her Rivers it isn't there if you look for the greatness and Genius of America in her fields and forests it isn't there it isn't in her wealth and her Commerce it isn't in her Democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution the secret of the genius and greatness of America is in her goodness America is great because she is good and if America ever ceases to be good she will cease to be great congratulations class of 2023 go be great but don't forget to be good thank you Mrs Taylor I'd like to now take a moment and recognize thank some of the faculty
005and staff that have joined us here today I'd like to start by asking the bevel East administrative team to please stand and be recognized for their contributions to the class of 2023. of course I'd also like to ask the Beverly's faculty and staff are here today to support the class of 2023 to stand and be recognized thank you so much for all you do for our students and for being here today to celebrate this wonderful event of course I'd like to thank our retiring staff members to give them a special shout out for their service dedication to Belleville District 201 and Belleville East High School please stand to be recognized when your name is called John Ashley mathematics Warren farren's transportation and administration Rich Hodson math and science Rich Maui social studies Marcy Reeves English
006Tanya Sears counseling and Merle Wilder counseling thank you so much for all you've done for our students for our school and our entire community and I hope you enjoy retirement now graduates I'm going to need your assistance with our last group they're going to start clapping because they don't listen to what I say but I want you to listen I've told you this is your day we talked about it all week we're here to celebrate you and that's all true but I think it'd be wise for us both to take a moment and thank the family and friends who have loved you supported you and helped you make it to today let's show our appreciation to our crowd with a round of applause thank you in an effort to recognize the highest academic achievement of
007students here at valvolis we've developed a program with different color honor stools the top 10 percent of students laude students are wearing red soles please stand and be recognized foreign of students magna laude are wearing white stalls please stand thank you and the top one for students one percent of students summa laude are wearing yellow skulls please stand and be recognized we're extremely proud of those academic achievements but you'll also know this there are a number of chords Metals stoles honors being warned by other students they've achieved a number of different things throughout their time here and these colored cords recognize their participation in various honor societies activities ihsa events and achievements congratulations to everyone who's earned recognition at Belleville East at this time it is my pleasure to introduce the summa laude representatives of
008the class of 2023 for some Reflections please welcome Laney culley Creighton Ensley Ava Hamilton Aaron McVeigh Ava neumeyer Olivia pareda Jackson Robin and Inez Santos the southern Wonders of the World are Travelers rides human achievement from the pyramids to the temples the Wonders are shocking in their beauty and serve as examples of what amazing things people can accomplish similar to the Seven Wonders bubble East has watched us evolve it gaze Upon Our shortcomings our successes and now our graduation in fact we've realized that East has seven wonders of its own the first Wonder of elbow East is the set of the front stairs on our first day of high school we climbed the stairs nervous and terrified we had the next four years ahead of us we wondered if we would get lost on the
009way to class the answer is yes if our classes would be hard or if our teachers would dress code us that's when we showed up wearing our khakis and rocking our side parts over the years we have changed our appearances as well as transformed our personalities we replaced apprehension with confidence to minus with involvement and confusion with wisdom yes parents we are wise over the last four years we have climbed although we have all tripped or even Fallen or graduation today shows that we have and will continue to conquer the Summits that life puts in our way foreign as you make your way to the Apex of stairs and take a sharp right you have to whiffed of what should be food even though Drake and 21 never performed in our cafeteria fifth hour lunch
010still applauds like Rihanna just announced her pregnancy the second time this understood custom Applause is a testament to our Unity the cafeteria has not only shaped who we have become but has guided us to where our friends are where to sit and where we belong a place where we found new friends and more importantly where we found ourselves each day we grew more determined and confident as freshmen we sat at tables with our past but now we sit at those same tables with our futures oh how the turntables somewhere between the Bosco Sticks Shadow boxing tournaments and snack bar lines we've hungered for whatever our future brings we became more comfortable with who we are instead of what we thought we should be when our lunch hour ends we all leave the cafeteria and step
011into our third wonder Central Terrace home to congregating crowds discarded lunch trays and spirit dress competitions which Coach K and Coach Peters always dominate Central chairs truly embodies its name as a center of student life here friendships are showcased in the groups who congregate around the flagpole who stall before class and who raced to the Chick-fil-A lines together we've learned how to navigate Central Terrace without colliding with others twisting an ankle on Integrity or slipping on success and we all know to avoid responsibility we've learned that unexpected connections can be made within a single passing period and after exploring our campus for the last four years it's clear that Central Terrace exemplifies the best part of our school the community just beyond Central Terrace is the pack home to many of our band and Choir
012concerts we've held so many spectacular shows in the pack which are far more memorable than those Dole class meetings taking up our lunch periods just this year we revived the Mr Lancer pageant swam through the Little Mermaid and received numerous awards at the senior honors ceremony well at least I did but that time spent on stage helped us nurture our creativity and grow our confidence the pack stands as a symbol of our love of expressing new ideas and art as well as our never-ending courage as quiet as innocent shy freshman we were scared of the road ahead of us but now we look in the mirror and see confident courageous seniors who are ready to stand in front of our class graduate and begin the next chapter of Our Lives foreign but at the end
013of a long day no matter how you got home we all returned to the student parking lot our fifth East wonder it is the most dreaded place in the morning and then the answer to our prayers at 3 25 PM every day we would rush to our cars to leave before the traffic hit or else it was every man for himself but when I think about how quickly we wanted to leave every day part of me wants to stay just a minute longer because in that single moment we can look around the parking lot and relive memories of driving our friends sneaking out to lunch and blasting music with the windows down those are memories we'll never forget like the cars in the parking lot people in your life will come and go life is
014going to move so fast where every hour will feel like a minute so we must learn to cherish the people and memories we've made and not take them for granted um while we all hustled out of the parking lot at the end of the long day the poll the football stadium would reunite us on Friday nights these lasting memories bring us to the sixth wonder the football field here is where we came to our first game as Lancers pushed up to the top row thinking we'd never moved down the stance whether we were in the game in the band or in the crowd we were unified as one team it's a field where we should have won the Powder Puff game if we wouldn't have had referees who are changing the rules as the game
015went on and it's a field where our award-winning band performed even though we did not bring home a championship at least we finally moved down the stands and onto the field during senior Sunrise soaking up our first day of senior year now we stay in here for the last time and graduate on the very football field we used to watch from afar no matter if we're on the field off the field or a thousand miles away we'll always be Lancers sorry within these places we have created many memories put in hours of hard work and now grown into young adults and even though our journey through bevel East has come to an end one more Wonder lies in store like the others it celebrates the intelligence creativity and discipline that each of us can display
016it welcomes the possibilities and the potential that each of us exhibits but unlike this football field the Seventh Wonder cannot be found within the school it still Waits For Us undiscovered and unknown in fact it is up to each of us to seek out our own Seventh Wonder which truly lies within our futures and our search starts now so go walk across the stage and find the Wonder in your life [Applause] thank you so much our last summa laude representative also does double duty as the student council president so it's my pleasure to introduce Annette Santos it's my pleasure to introduce Annette Santos to give a class farewell before I begin I would like to thank my parents for supporting me my brother Isaac for pushing me my teachers for guiding me and my friends
017for being there for me during the good times and during honors writing I have been a Lancer for as long as I can remember my earliest memories are coming onto campus to participate in the Lancer cheer or dance clinics or my personal favorite to help my mom decorate for the homecoming dance I roamed the halls in awe of the painted windows and streamers and after the homecoming football game I would beg to stay with my mom to finish decorating the gym until it looked like a scene from a movie in fourth grade my mom who most of you know is Mrs Santos finally let me go to the homecoming dance but like every other Lancer I wanted to leave after 15 minutes still East was where I wanted to be and a Lancer was who
018I wanted to be so I guess you could say I had high expectations for my four years here my high expectations however did not keep me from worrying I mean what if I hated it what if I failed what if I didn't make any friends what if they stopped serving orange chicken in the cafeteria but from the moment I stepped on campus as a student I knew I was home and East may not have been exactly what I expected sadly no one broke out into dance and song like High School Musical but it had exceeded my expectations in different ways Belleville East provided us all with a place to grow no longer are we Wolf Branch Whiteside or was there any other Middle School here now we are united fellow East Lancers who wear our
019colors proudly All in This Together and we grew the most through the lessons that we learned after four years I learned that East exceeded my expectations because I worked hard to make East exceed my expectations you get out what you put in and we showed up for East and while there were no impromptu dance numbers we did paint our parking spots meet Joshy the cow every Chick-fil-A Wednesday and find our teachers in the face at Lancer Fest we made the most of what East had to offer and we seize the day and now as I leave the Lancer family and move on to the next stage here I am again worrying about things to come what if I hate it what if I fail what if I don't like my roommate what if it doesn't
020feel like home but if I have learned anything from East it is that life will exceed your expectations so I hope that this next step exceeds your expectations Justice bevel East did for us I hope you set expectations High show up for yourself and make your dreams come true and I hope that you always remember that once a Lancer always a Lancer thank you inas and to all of our summa laude Representatives thank you for those wonderful worlds graduates of on behalf of the faculty staff and everyone associated with bevel East it's my distinct pleasure to congratulate you today on your graduation day we're proud of you I of course want to join you in thanking your parents your family your friends and everyone who's assisted you in reaching this point today we've worked together
021to make it for the class of 2023. I have a simple message today congratulations be proud be proud of yourself be proud of your classmates your friends enjoy this feeling but no this is one small step it's only the beginning you're young you have a very important next choice to make which path will you choose there will be obstacles there will be challenges we've attempted to help each and every one of you as you've traveled through bevel East and give you the resources to overcome any obstacle but now the future is up to you today's a great day but make sure you know your best days are still far in front of you know that as you leave here today you're leaving as a graduate of bevel East no matter where you go what you
022do this will always be your home and you'll always be a member of this family congratulations to the class of 2023. now that's enough for me and let's move on to the part of the ceremony that all these people came here to see it's my duty as the principal of bevel East and it's my privilege to certify that the bevel east class of 2023 has met the graduation requirements of the state of Illinois the district 201 Board of Education and the faculty and staff of bevel East I now ask Mrs Nikki Brown district 201 School Board member to come forward congratulations class of 2023 Dr Lane please read the role thank you so much Mr rujewitz if you're not looking at me it won't work yep ladies and gentlemen as we prepare to have the
023graduates walk across the stage I want to remind you we have over 620 graduates today it's a special day we're proud of each and every one and I want to make sure everyone has their name called and heard I understand the excitement I can appreciate it very much but please keep in mind it's going to take me a long time to call 625 naves so I want to make sure that we do it in a way that respects and values each and every one [Music] Ava Hamilton Aaron McVeigh Eva newmeyer Olivia pareda Jackson Robin aness Santos Alexis Bernal Nicole ciao Ian depasquale Joe dong Austin Dyer Niger forward Jada Gray Brianna ha ire Jackson Jr Emily messenger [Music] Jordan Pryor Mackenzie robine Seth Skiles Reginald Tate Nora vandevorte Jalen warmoon Z June Wong Warren zized
024Jada Addie Frazier Lou Bergman Abby Christ Lauren Clark Joshua craigo Hannah Gingrich Madeline Greenfield Caleb Guthrie Jalen Isaac William Keck Owen Kelly Emma loyette Jack McCoy Evan mcgibney Rihanna Mendez Joshua Peters Jenna fan Lauren pueda Karam Ramadan Taylor ritzel Carter Rose Megan Schindler Zachary Schubert Nolan cension Tanner Stinnett Samuel Stevens Naima Stewart Joseph van zoomeran Rayna Walker Kelsey Williamson Nathan Adams Oscar Alvarez Jordan Amos Ellie Anderson Jolie Anderson Tamia Andrews Denise Anthony J Lee Anthony Isabel Antoine Olivia Antoine Sierra Appleby Jayla Archer Amaya Arnold Ryan our time Elizabeth Atkins Mariah ball Brianna Banks Ahmed barati James Barfield kamiyah Barker Jonathan Barnes Michaela Beeman Sanaya beard Brendan Beasley Casey Bennett Shane Bennett Jeremiah Benton Justin Beverly Leland Bigler Kylie bill you Cameron Black Brianna blanson Kedrick Blaylock Robert borgsteady Dylan boring Xavier barrage Dominique box Taylor
025boxwell first time I lost my place right there Alexis Boyd characion Boyd Tyler Boyd Bobby Brad Jared Branigan Rhys brem son Brewer Taylor Brightwell Charlotte Brink Hunter Brink Brianna broaden Jewel Brock Juliana Brock julisha Broussard Brooklyn Brown Dewan Brown India Brown Mackenzie Brown Miracle Brown Henry Browning Jade Buchanan Buckner jaxton buellhorn Tyrell Burton Jr Cameron bergener Alicia Burks Danielle Burton Sarah bushway Dante Butler Nicholas Butler to Lisa bias Rihanna Cade Elijah Cameron Autumn Carr Joshua Cates Olivia Chandler Alyssa Chapman Brian Chapman Jr Terrell Charles Jalen Chapman Carter cheek Drew Sissel DeAndre Clark Paige Clark Haley clay Nicholas Clay Jason Coates Gabriella collie Jayden Coleman Cheyenne Coney Jaquan Connor Kiera Connolly Raven Connors Jared Conway Gregory Cooper April coppage Bryce cotton Nautica cotton Wayne Crawford Madeleine Crawford Jeremiah crisp Sarah crook Jordan Crowder Damien Cruz Anthony
026Cunningham Haley Cunningham markivius Cureton jakaya Dale Ivy Darr Cole dassler Dacia Davies Wilson Alexia Davis Andreas Davis Marion Davis Michael Davis lamarez Dawson Alexander Degroot Avril Doran Logan Downing Alyssa Dressler James Dudley Emma dumke Alexander Duncan Gabriel Durden Brittany Earl Jamiah Eason Donnie eckford Jr summer Edwards I got it I got it Abigail Edwards Lawson Haley eifert Damonte Island Gabrielle Elliott Ethan emmanuelli Quran English Emily Ennis Tyler eshman Edward irkman Eduardo Espinosa Sydney euchner Aaliyah Evans Ellen Evans Emma Evans taishan farmer Samantha Fayette Mackenzie felmley Nicholas Fetters Andrew flock Isabella Foley Rochelle Foote Ethan Ford Lucas Fournier Isabella Frazier Luke freppen Kedrick Fulton Wilson Mia guy Kalyn Galloway Kiara Gainey Derek Gardner Amica Garrett Gavin gartland Janae gexiola Kennedy Gettys Karma Gilkey Micah Gilmore DeShawn cladny Jaden gladney Nathaniel Gonzalez Joseph good Abigail gotch Andrew
027grabsky Jocko Jocko Granger Joseph Grannis Quinn Gray Gerald Greenwood Devion Greer jabori Gregory Cameron Gresham Khalia Griffin Shania Griffin Elijah Griffin Stephen grinston James Groff Aiden gunlock Javier Gutierrez Scott guyon Spencer guyon Hayden Haas Grace Hagerman Olivia Hageman Aubry Hall Catherine Hall Chloe Halle Caitlin harnick Allison Harris debria Harris jonay Harris Kendall Harris Kyle Harris Jacob Harris Hemphill Adam hashash Lamaya Haskins Maya hattaway Lane houseman Alexander Haynes Karen Haynes Benjamin Head Tyson helmholt Deshawn Henderson Ethan Ethan Henry Leah Herbert Jenna Hearn Thomas Hearn Aiden hesker Zachary Hess Tamiko hibbler Caden Hines Aisha Aisha Holmes shamaila Houston Jaden Howard Chase Hurley Jordan husband Mariah Idris Igbo Naomi Israel Taylor Ivory Greer Aaliyah Jackson David Jackson Landon Jackson IA Jackson Alex Jackson IV Lacey Jackson Monroe Sydney Jacobson Khalid Jean amarion Jenkins Jada Jenkins Taylor Jenkins Ravine
028Johns Ariana Johnson April Johnson Chandra Johnson come on Johnson Marcus Johnson Jacqueline jolly all right first name you got Andrew Jones Jack Judy all right I'm going to miss it by then so remind me just try to be honest yeah thank you maybe next year Andrew Jones [Music] Dallas Jones delasia Jones Ethan Jones jarissa Jones Jordan Jones Kiana Jones Reagan Jones Brooklyn Jewett Emily Joyce Nathan Joyner Joshua yinger Xavier Julian James connaworth Adriana keel Kylie Kell Jeffrey Keith Sean King Jackson Klein Aaliyah kornegay Timothy Krauss Maya Krauss Stavros cromas Menos Devante Lampley Samantha lappin shanila Lawrence Kiera laws Ricardo Lee Clayton lair taily Lewis Ahmad Liddell mihiliana Linares Rodriguez China Little John Patrick Laughlin Catherine London Rafael Lopez poyatos Michael loving Eli Loomis Daniel Lunsford Ty Lund Caitlyn mabra Connor Mackin Jacob McCovey Rehan Malik
029Kailyn Malone Logan Mandrell Valeria menduano Sandoval Dylan Menino Thomas marble Destiny Marshall Ash Benjamin Martinez Gabriel Mata Ramirez Cameron McCall Kayla McClellan Raven McGee James mcgilber Ignatius McGill Alexander McGraw Isabella McGraw Isabella McHenry Michaela McIntyre Austin McKee Jordan McNamee Caitlin McWhorter cachet Meeks Joseph Mendiola Patrick Mendiola [Music] Jalen metsy Sophia Mick Colin Miller Elizabeth Miller Naila Miranda Haley miskowski Markel mister Tiffany Mitchell Diana mccartchen River melee Ziad Muhammad Mira Muhammad Desiree Mondragon Eric Mondragon Tyler Monroe TJ Montgomery tananzi Montoya Kelsey Moore Rashad Moore samaje Moore taiji more Tamar Moorhead Joseph Mourinho Avery Morgan Hayden Morris janayla Mosley Mason Mosley Octavian Mosley Alexa Moats Xander meet Lauren Mullen Kalyn Munoz Pilar Murray Jackson Muse Francesca Myers Nadja naborsi Jacob Neff Tobias newbie Cameron Nixon zalia O'Neal Alexis Olek Brianna Osman Emmanuel Palmer janyla Palmer Zoe parks
030Madeleine Parr Purina Patel William Peck Leo Pinay said Asia Pennington Jalia Perkins Colton Peters Alex petroborg Jordan Pickett Jason Pinellas Tomas pietrowski Leah panitzky Marquis Poplar Jordan Powell desire powers Benjamin prophet Tamisha quilling Lauren Radcliffe Isaiah rockers Gladys Ramirez Mata Noah Ramos Cameron Ransom Carson rap Colin rarick Terence Ray Alexandra red Austin Reed James Reed Olivia rensing Jamiah Reynolds Sedonia Reynolds Xavier Richardson Imani Ricks Nicole Riva cortavia Roberson Kaden Robinson Nicholas Robinson Grayson Robinson Gary Rogers III Ava Romero Keely Rulo artavion runnels Brian Sadler done Monica Sanchez Gerald Sanders Rihanna Sandman pisia Sanford Kayla Salisbury Annabelle sanchogrow Jacob santiagro nine Savage Jonathan Sayers Amaya sales star Scannell Delaney Shaffer Braden shinari Kelton Sherman Cameron Scott Jaden Scott Sanaya Scott Natalie Seeley Devin sellers Elijah Sexton Skyler shanks Anna Shannon Michaela Simpson Darian Singleton Jackson sinovic
031Divine Slater Alea Smith Allante Smith Asia Smith David Smith Jr DeSean Smith Ethan Smith Jacory Smith Julia Smith Justin Smith Kendall Smith Marquis Smith Raven Smith Sierra Smith almost here Taurean Smith Caden Southward imari Spates Jaden Spraggins oh Sean Spraggins Whitley Spratt cyan sprinkle Caleb Soroka Cody Steiger William steyer Darius Stewart Jonathan Stewart Ryan Stewart Arceus Stringfellow Brody strong Gerald strong Cam'ron Stubbs Chandler swick Kendall Sykes Sophia tantillo Grayson tart Antoine Taylor Madison teats Ben templin trenice Terrell Cameron Thomas David Thompson calamiah Thompson Camellia Tillman Shelby Tillman Isaac trap Moise Trimble Kalani Triplett Sanchez tombs Anya Turner damal Turner the saily Turner Ariana Turner taijae tutson Tyler Underwood Riley Updike Nico utera Sydney valdajo Madeline van landingham Lydia Vaz Flora Alma Velasquez nahera Jordan Vanetta Jasmine vences Caleb Vick Nakaya Vincent Cole vaguely Jalen Wade
032Markel Wade Peter Walker Rihanna Walker Kayla where Austin Warner Elizabeth Watson Sean Watson Alana Watts Hayden Watts Garrett Werner foreign Grace West nemaya White Miana Wiley Ariana Williams Brianna Williams Faith Williams German Williams Joshua Williams Caleb Williams Makai Williams nikisha Williams shamaria Williams winter Williams Cameron Willis Carlin Willis Andre Wilson Jr Antoine Wilson Darius Wilson Jada Wilson Isabel wolgemuth Ileana watch eldrick Woodard Allison Weimer Emma wysocki Aaron Yates Anastasia Young foreign Taylor Young Bronwyn zaharski Kimberlin Zavala carcamo so we will uh right right you go first I'll go on this side behind you guys right down the middle and then we'll keep going here and as soon as I tell them to turn their tassels Mark Mark after we turn the tassels you started okay okay Miss Harris thank you just a couple quick notes
033number one thank you so much it's been an awesome ceremony as we prepare for our recession on the completion of our ceremony I want to invite you to celebrate your graduate please feel free to take pictures around campus on the field wherever you'd like Central Terrace we've had a lot of discussion about that but keep in mind there are over 600 graduates here leaving the field if you stand where people have already started to stand and you stop and you wait for your graduate it will literally take hours for everyone to get off the field we are opening all Gates feel free meet your graduates somewhere we want there to be a wonderful experience to take as many pictures as you can but please in that area between the gates be conscious and allow the
034recessional and people to leave at this time I asked the class of 2023 to please rise join me in congratulating these graduates one more time at this time get those kids back in line at this time please move your tassels from the right to the left to signify that you are now a graduate of Belleville lease Mr tessero played the recessional [Music] thank you foreign