001Woo! What's that? Let's go. Woo! Good morning and welcome to the Orange Pit. I'm Principal Mark Noel and what a great day we have to celebrate our seniors in front of us. We're also celebrating the community and our staff back there because it's been a team effort to get all of our seniors across the stage today. I have the privilege of announcing our first speaker today. Anna is going to be our salutatorian followed by Caitlin our valedictorian. Anna, it's all yours. Oh, shoot. Sorry. Class of 2023, we made it. We finally made it. All those times wondering if fourth mod would ever end and stressing to finish a test, project, or assignment has finally paid off. We spent our lives waiting for this moment, or at least these past four years, waiting, hoping that we
002could someday be in these seats. And yes, we should be excited for the future. There's an entire world of possibilities out there for us to take and make a difference. However, while it's important for us to look forward, we also have to value the memories and lessons we have learned along the way. As the great Dr. Taylor Swift says, "Hold on to the memories and they will hold on to you." No matter how much we enjoyed high school, or didn't enjoy it, we have all learned lessons to take with us into the future. For example, I remember my first ever day of high school. I'd gone to lunch and was walking back to my table. I tripped over a backpack and fell, spilling my lunch tray and food onto me and everyone around me. Being
003the new freshman that I was, I immediately burst into tears. Cut to today, I can now joke about the situation. My last day of senior year, I even had a full circle moment and tripped while walking up the stairs. Luckily, this time I didn't burst into tears, but was able to laugh it off. It made me realize these past four years at East, I've learned that in the end, it's not that serious. You have to learn to be able to laugh at yourself, or else you'll be too worried about embarrassment to get anything accomplished. In life, it's important to be able to embrace the stumbles go through and use it to help you get further ahead. And let's face it, these past four years, there's been a lot of stumbles. We were just learning the
004ropes of high school when we were forced into lockdown and had to learn to adapt to learning through a computer. We went through sophomore year grappling with block scheduling and hybrid learning. And sure, in the moment it felt really annoying, tedious, and frustrating, but I can now confidently say we're all very comfortable in using resources like Quizlet and SparkNotes to help us out. And while we might think that through graduating, it's all behind us, the truth is there's going to be a lot more stumbles. We're about to enter a whole new era of our life, one where there's not going to be parents and teachers every step of the way behind us. And that is incredibly scary. There's going to be times when you trip and fall back and times when you try to move
005too fast and even fall up. But it's important to use the experiences we've had at East, the good and the bad, to help guide us through the trips and falls. Use those lessons to not only get past the stumbles, but to surpass them. One last lesson I've learned though is that you can't create a game plan for your life. Going into my time here at East, I had a whole vision of what my four years were going to look like. What classes I'd take, who my friends would be, what I would wear to prom, all based on stories from other people, books, TV shows, and even movies. Let's face it, I think we're all wishing I was delivering Troy Bolton's commencement speech from High School Musical 3. But it didn't take long for those plans
006to get derailed. My classes didn't match at all what I had imagined. My friend groups changed, and when I start spontaneously singing in class, everyone just tells me to shut up instead of joining in with planned choreography. And while my high school experience isn't at all what I had imagined 4 years ago, just as I'm sure yours isn't either, there's not a single thing that I would change about it. Every stumble, slip, and downright faceplant has led us to where we are today. And I cannot be more grateful for the people who helped us get there. To the parents and faculty here today, we would not be sitting in these seats if it wasn't for your guidance. And to our principal, Mr. Newell, thank you for always putting your students first and making each and
007every one of us feel special and heard. And you're while we're all sad to see you go and leave this year, we understand that you felt it was the only option as there will never be another graduating class as amazing as the class of 2023. It has been an honor to get to know everyone here, and I hope you're all as proud of yourselves as I am. And as we go on with the rest of our lives, I hope with every stumble you face, you are reminded of your time here at East, and are able to get right back up and keep going. Because if there's anything we've learned in these past 4 years, it's to keep going. Congratulations, class of 2023. To the faculty, staff, teachers, family, friends, platform guests, and the class of
0082023, good morning and welcome. At the ripe age of nine, I entered my first show at the 4-H Fair. I fought tooth and nail to make my goat named Splash look her very best for the judges. At the end of our dance around the arena, I was handed the highest honor a little wrangler could receive, a participation award. You could say that success looked a little different back then. But today we're here to celebrate a huge milestone and I'm extremely grateful to be sharing that success with each of you. If you would have asked me four years as four years ago as a freshman what my definition of success was, I would probably paint a picture similar to the one you're witnessing right now. But since then that definition has shifted drastically. For me, success
009has been able to graduate early and spend time planning my next steps. For you, success might have been being an officer for your favorite student club, getting an A in calculus, or having perfect attendance, which is something I unfortunately cannot say. The main point is this, success looks different for everyone. Moving beyond the expected, doing what's best for you whether it be academically, socially, or emotionally is the very best thing you can do for yourself. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what anyone thinks. It doesn't matter what they want you to be. It doesn't matter who they want you to be. By defining your own success, you'll be sure to create it. In life, there will inevitably be those people who criticize you for the the decisions you make or how you
010choose to live. And while those individuals will claim to know what's best for you, you're the only one who truly understands what you need to succeed. How your life feels to you is far more important than how it looks to someone on the outside. It's easy to get caught up in life and follow a path that has been formed in our minds by nothing but the expectations of other people. That's why it's better to fill your life with all of the people and all of the things that make you genuinely happy instead of the things that seem to validate your life to people that don't necessarily care about you. At the end End the day, I promise you will look back and realize the moments made up of the little things that made you genuinely
011happy are the moments that filled your life with the most genuine joy, meaning, and purpose. You're going to realize it someday that happiness was never about your job, degree, or being in a relationship. Happiness was never about following in the footsteps of those who came before you. It was never about being like the others. One day, you're going to see that happiness was always about the discovery, the hope, the listening to your heart and following following it wherever it chose to go. Happiness was always about being kinder to yourself, embracing the person you were becoming. One day, you'll understand that happiness was always about learning to live with yourself, that your happiness was never in the hands of others. It was always about you. It was always in your hands. I implore you to have
012the courage to choose choose yourself over and over. I hope you have the courage to move forward, not backwards, to choose growth over comfort, possibility over the past. I hope you know how worthy you are of every good thing in life, even if an unkind heart has led you to believe otherwise. I hope you wake up every single day feeling hopeful and encouraged, knowing that you are so capable of every single thing you want to do, big and small. I hope you remember to think beyond your comfort zone from time to time and never forget the importance of growth. I hope you remember that progression isn't always easy and sometimes the things that scare you will actually get you closer to where you want to be. I hope you make the most of each day
013and know that you are worthy of success and deserve all the triumphs you've worked so hard for and all the beautiful things coming your way. I'd like each and every one of you to take a second to think about every single high, every single low, all the good days and bad that led you to be sitting here at this graduation. All of the days you thought you'd never get through, but here you are despite it all. Pretty crazy, right? Think about how proud your younger self would be. I'd also like to take a moment to remember our classmates from each Columbus high school who aren't here with us today. Illness, accidents, and tragedy took the lives of individuals we loved and cared for deeply. Please join me in a moment of silence as a memorial
014to those kids and their families. As we say goodbye to what is past, it is my hope for that we have joy for what's coming. I am so proud of every single one of us and so extremely grateful to every person, whether it be family, friends, mentors, or teachers who got us to this point. It is my biggest wish that each one of us never fails to find the courage to move beyond the expected. To the class of 2023, congratulations. Take care and carry on, those. Wow. Thank you, Anna and Caitlin. Two very good speeches there. Outstanding. Um Before Andrew's class, Dr. Roberts, I'd like to make a few comments. First, community. Like I said earlier, we're all working together to support each student that has graduated today. We thank you for your teamwork and
015support helping your student achieve this milestone. With our hardworking staff back there, it's been a great team effort. Seniors, I think it'd be a great time to recognize your support system both back there and around this gymnasium with a long round long round of applause. Our support system is so important. So important. So, graduates, in thinking about what to say to you, I kept coming back to relationships. Life is full of ups and downs, and through all these, you can stay grounded through your relationships. You will have people to celebrate with you during those high moments, and during those low times, those relationships will serve as your support. And in building your relationships, I I you to start by being a good human. Take the time to lend a helping hand. Take the time to
016send a note of encouragement. Take the time to listen. Take the time to just be still. Take the time to say hi to someone walking down the street. Take the time to volunteer at the shelter or food pantry. And when you take the time to put yourself out there with no expectation receiving anything, it comes back tenfold to you. You will cultivate a broad range and depth of relationships by being a good human. A good relationship starts with being a good human. When you treat someone with a ton of decency and trust, people want to be around you and build a relationship with you. Relationships are the heartbeat of life. And the more people we have being good humans, the more healthy heartbeats we have out there and the better we make the world. We
017are stronger when our heartbeats are in sync. We are stronger Again, relationships are the heartbeat of life and relationships will sustain you through those ups and downs of life. And quality relationships start with being a good human. And thirdly, you all have your own stories. Each one is unique and special to you. Each story has been fascinating so far because it is yours. You now have a blank page before you as you begin the next chapter in your life story. Make the most of your opportunities as you are the author of your life. It's been a great 4 years and as we close the chapter on our East story, I'm excited to see what the next chapters in your story contain. We're all watching and excited for you. We're here to support you as you
018take the next step into the world of opportunities that lie before you. It's been my privilege to serve as your principal for the past 4 years and I believe with the fact that you'll always be an Olympian and the take care and carry on oaths, Dr. Roberts, it gives me great pride and pleasure to present to you the class of 2023. Before I begin my remarks to our graduates, I think I'd be remiss on this Memorial Day weekend if I didn't recognize our veterans. If I could have the veterans in our audience, please stand. Thank you so much for your service. Well, good morning, family members, friends, and staff members. Thank you for all you have done to support our graduates as they worked through the seemingly endless number of barriers placed in front of
019them to land in this place today as graduates of Columbus East High School. Graduates, congratulations to you for the abilities you have displayed during your entire school career, but especially during your high school years as you maneuvered past those barriers placed in front of you and demonstrated you have completed the ascent up an important mountain of opportunity, the earning of a high school diploma. Your hard work gives you the title of graduate of Columbus East High School. I referenced your high school years, and those years probably deserve an extra mention or two. Your freshman year was blindsided by a global pandemic, and you still felt its impact over your next 2 years. It is my hope that this senior year felt relatively normal to you, but I realize that over the course of 4 years,
020many typical high school experience were perhaps missed or at least adversely affected. But, you were resilient. You persevered, you overcame, and you are here. Today, you're going to walk up to this stage to arrive at the top of a mountain that represents at least 12 years of school. You will then walk off this stage to begin another ascent. An ascent up the mountain of life. What is on top of this mountain will be different for each of you. The way you measure happiness will be different. The way you determine success will be different. The path you take toward achievement will be different. But, there are a few things that I ask for all of you to keep the same. And these things have always been modeled by your principal, Mr. Noble. And he is the
021inspiration for me quoting the great philosopher, Tim McGraw. From Tim McGraw's song, "Humble and Kind". Hold the door, say please, say thank you. Don't steal, don't cheat, don't lie. I know you got mountains to climb, but always stay humble and kind. Everybody is climbing a mountain. And we can't always be sure what that mountain is. My mountain is not your mountain. But, you're being nice and polite, doing the right things helps both of us with our climbs and contributes to the success of our ascent. Always stay humble and kind. When the dreams you're dreaming come to you, when the work you put in is realized, let yourself feel the pride, but always stay humble and kind. When you are able to climb your mountain to get to its peak, accomplish your dream, take time to
022celebrate. Feel good about yourself. You have earned that. Using today as an example, you reached the top of this mountain called school. Celebrate it. Be proud, but not at the expense of others. That is detrimental to their climb. Always stay humble and kind. Don't expect a free ride from no one. Don't hold a grudge or a chip, and here's why. Bitterness keeps you from flying. Always stay humble and kind. It is much better to have earned your way to the top of the mountain versus being given a free pass. Determine the most appropriate method to get there, then put your head down and start the climb. Remembering to always stay humble and kind. Thank you, Mr. Newell, for modeling that for us by always staying humble and kind. Members of the Columbus East Class of
0232023, by the power vested in me by the state of Indiana and our Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation Board of Trustees, I hereby certify you as graduates of our school system. Congratulations. Caitlin Taylor Smith Anna Ruth Limata Allison Kelly Craig Halle Rose Randall Jack Patrick Beckley Nora Claire Dwenger Shrutika Kumara Subramanian Elizabeth A. Decker Josephine Faith Havenar Dalton Cain Abner Isaac Dean Addis Virginia Maria Aldagunday Cheyenne Marie Aldridge Mackenzie Marie Almond Nicholas Elijah Alvarez Thomas R. Anderson Sydney Jean Anthes Javier Ayala Castro Lucia O. Ayankoya Leah Marie Bachmann Corinne N. Bailey Heidi Ramsine Banisauk Maximina Maximino Barcenas Dia Louise Bargie Zoe Marie Teresa Bartos Braden Alan Michael Barwick Claire Samantha Bateman Bella Beasley Woo! Tarsila Bayruth Martins Marquez Sydney Marie Berkmeyer Brady Matthew Bayer Elizabeth C. Billingsley Maya R. Black Marissa A. Blanco Yvonne Bondar Ty
024Stephen Boone Connor Andrew Bowling William Thomas Boyer Eli Jacob Brennan Alexis B. Brooks Avery Lynn Brooks Claire Rebecca Brooks Stella May Brummett Breanne Nicole Brummett Grace Elizabeth Burbring Jack Clifton Burbring Emma G. Burns McKenzie Lynn Burns Ethan Andrew Burton Kylie Elizabeth Burton Henry M. Bush Armani J. Campbell Tyra Ann Canine Riley Ann Caruthers Chesney Faith Carr Ethan R. Carr Callan A. Carr Chloe Cherry Cesar David Sid Campos Jacob A. Clark James David Clark Madeleine Suzanne Klein Kaylee Ann Cole Carley L. Coleglazer Braden Romine Collins Caleb Richard Conrad Aaron D. Cook Ronald Cook Peter Thomas Corradino Brandon L. Cowen Brennan Ray Cowen Stephanie Renee Crawhorn Connor Ray Creamer Cameron David Cryder Jody Marie Cryder Julius W. Daley Tristan Eric Davis Enrique T. S. De Carvalho Gabrielle L. Dean Matthew Allen Degner Juan Luis De Jesus Fernandez
025Hero De Mayo Jada Rochelle Downs Elizabeth Ann Doyle Ethan J. Duncan Conrad L. Eggers Gabrielle Isabella Elkins Xandra L. Ellegood Connor J. English Spencer W. Erthmeier. Cheyenne M. Evans. Nicole Fernandez Aguirre. Ashley Ferrer Castaneda. Caden Alan Fields. Kayleen Ruth Fields. Whitney Kate Fields. Jack R. Fith. Tanner J. Fisher. Alexander Forrest Fisher. Jazmine Marie Fisher. Jordan Dakota Flanders. McKenzie Jane Foster. Sadie B. Foster. Jackson Maxwell Fox. Josephine Lynn Franks. Evan Charles Freeze. Gabriel Barrett Gamble. Amy Garcia. Winslet Garcia Hernandez. Madeleine Louise Garrett. Adam Michael Geary's. Emory Leda Storn Gibson. Cole Matthew Gilberts. Macy L. Golden. Marley Rain Gunsher. Brittany Karina Gonzalez Tapia. Chloe May Ann Gourley. Grace Graham. Allison Louise Gribbens Braden Charles Griffin Allison M Griggs Jacob Michael Goos Alexa Herminie Guthrie Makenna Grace Hamblin Americus L Hankins Connor Dale Hannah Amy E Haptonstall Ethan
026E Harris Chase Andrew Harrison Anna Elaine Hatchett Owen D Hebert Nathaniel David Hedrick Samantha Jo Hedrick Abigail Nicole Helton Samantha Ann Hellwig Ivy Micheline Henrickson Trey M Henry Misty Hernandez Zarion Jesus Hernandez Serlexius Skye Hernandez Alexandra Lynn Hill Jacob Matthew Hofflick Hayley Drew Hoffman Tristan Cole Hauser Cody A Hughes Kaylee I Hughes Grace A Hertzler Lillian May Hertzler Sydney Renee Ingram Braden Carson Dale Isbell Yagor Ivanenko Indira Elizabeth James Landon Drew Jarvis Emma Kathleen Jenkins Braxton W. Jewel Louise Jimenez Cayetano Oliver William Johnson Astrella Juarez Aguilar Liliana Grace Judd Isaac Steven Kanyanin Elizabeth Sue Kelp Megan H. Kennedy Madison Faye Kessler Gabriella Michelle Kimsey Ethan H. Kirk Olivia Grace Kling Michaela Katherine Knoth Anastasia Kovalenko Chloe May Krueger Liam Kai Krueger Sophie Lynn Krueger Wesley D. Lack Jocelyn P. Lambert Macy J. Lambrecht Albert Landero
027Gonzalez Christian F. Lara Keith Allen Lorenz Ellie Joe Law Rebecca Law Tyson James Lawless Sophia Rubianne Leach Juliette Fernanda Lozano Harmonie Lucas Jaheidi Z. Lucas Kaden Avery Lenox Ashton Michael Dale Manley Kiley Ray Marlin Sahory Martinez Hernandez Kayla Emmett Martosha Maggie G. Matthews Addison K. Mathes Marin Lacey Mays Landon C. McIntosh Ellie Renee Ellie Rianne McKinney Patrick Joseph McMahon Anna Lilia Medina Mickey Shane Meyer Michaela A. Merino Macy Lynn Miller Brady Murphy Mitchell Timothy Theo Modest Gavin Lee Montgomery Zane Douglas Moravec Cassandra Paige Morrow Caitlin Ray Moss Alexander Wayne Mullins McKenna Cole Mullins Isabella Grace Munoz Valeria Munoz Heidi Lynn Murphy Allison E Myers Sophia Grace Myers Maxwell Arthur Nash Aiden Hale Neshy Carley Lynn Newbold Samuel Abe Nie Neighbor Sandra Aula Olmos Pozos Morgan Taylor Olsen Gabriel Thomas Polajac Emma Grace Patterson Akaya D
028Pearson Argyle Stone Pearson Caitlin Jean Pendleton Rylan Rylan D Perkins James Robert Phillips-Winn Cadence Lynn Michelle Pitcher Misty Maureen Price Gage Cameron Purvis Abigail Ramirez-Flores Mayte Ramos-Mendoza Joycee Leelan Redman Colton Lane Richards Katie Leanne Rickers Cadence Nicole Riff Maylee Helena Roberts Aliyah Grace Robertson Nicolas Andres Rodriguez Yaseline Rodriguez Herrera Brooklyn Leanne Romine Emmett Blake Romine Anna Karen Rosete Flores Aaron Rouse Cameron Jacob Russin Connor William Rutherford Isabella Guadalupe Saldivar Espana Princesa Michelle Salinas Joshua Thomas Sally Alexis Lee Saltsman Kate Maureen Sandusky Walker Lane Savage Brooklyn Marie Sachs Taylor Lee Slager Abram Michael Schudy Ethan L. Scott Sebastian Sebastian Thomas Lydia Lola Setzer Taylon Ashley Chateau Delaney Grace Shelley Leanna Renee Shelton Chloe Shreeve Elijah David Siglin Shayla Renee Simmons Ariana Alexa Simpson Mara J Sluder Lexi Smith Caroline Ashlyn Smith Eliana E Smith Ian Robert
029Smith Jayvion Michael Ray Smith Kaylee Rose Smith Lilly Jean Ann Smith Neal Curtis Smith Alexis Danielle Spurgeon Sadhana Sreekanth Sage Elizabeth Stoll George Jamal Starks Emily Alexis Starks-Green Hayden M States Rielle Ryan Stevens Logan Scott Stevenson Breanna Zoe Elizabeth Stone Lilly Streeval Daniel J Summerford Jordan M Sutton Benjamin E Silva Lydia Ann Taylor Devon Matthew Takolvi Chloe Elise Thompson Samantha Dawn Thompson Bailey Shay Todd Teresa A. Torres Stewart Megan Evangeline Tracy Cameron Henry Trueblood Casey A. Turner Trent C. Tyree Getsemani Valderabano Valderabano Garcia Delaney Ann Vetter Aaron Duchon Vetter Ashlyn Faith Waddell Bo Robert Wagner Lana Nicole Walton Camille Renee Warren Maggie Elizabeth Wisner Danny Wang Isabella Eleanor Westerfeld Mason Brody Whipker Melanie Nicole Whipple Bradford L. White Adam T. Wiseman Aaron Brooke Williams Mitchell Grayson Williams Mercedes I Wills Camille Renee Wilson Terry Walter
030Winchester Samuel Samuel Jacob Witty Jolie Marie Wolfe Miguel S Wood James W Wright Chase A Zapf Sean R Zielinski Caden Lawson Abigail Jade Sullivan Corbin Jonathan Whipker The senior gift this year is in honor of our beloved 11th principal, Mr. Newell. Mr. Newell has been a welcoming face of East High School since we began our journey here as freshmen. If you were walking through our hallways, you can count on count on him knowing your name and asking about your favorite class or how you were feeling that day. He's been for there for us each and every single day. As we, like Mr. Newell, are leaving East High School for new adventures, we want to commemorate his legacy by dedicating a Columbus bike rack to promote our physical health. If you were up early enough or
031here late enough, you could see him biking to and from work when most everyone else enjoyed the comforts of their car. In his own special way, he did this to show us that taking the path less traveled provides us with an opportunity to slow down and remember to take the time to enjoy the beauty of the world around us. So, in the wise words of Mr. Noll, one last time, carry on us. Today, we ring the senior bell to symbolize four fundamental virtues: loyalty, honesty, respect, and unselfishness. These honorable qualities should be guiding principles as we encounter obstacles in our future. The first of these is loyalty. Loyalty is devotion, whether to yourself, your friends, or your country. President Wilson reminds us that loyalty means nothing unless it has, at its heart, the absolute principle
032of self-sacrifice. Out of loyalty flows honesty, respect, and unselfishness. It has been said that honesty is the cornerstone of all success, without which confidence and the ability to perform shall cease to exist. Today signifies a cornerstone in our lives. Without honesty, we cannot move from this cornerstone onto the next. With confidence and the ability to perform, honesty is also a necessary component to gaining respect. Respect is a virtue we hope to gain in our lifetime. But as But as But as Albert Einstein points out, it is not until we respect ourselves that we gain the esteem of others. Or rather then, it will come in its own accord. We must learn to respect ourselves for who we are so that we may inspire others to do the same. To put another's life in front of
033your own is to excel in the only game that matters, the game of life. It has been said that the true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good. Unselfishness is the virtue that ties the human character together. Today, we have reached the stage in our lives that allows us to enter the real world with a good conscience. We signify the completion of the stage of our lives by turning our tassels, which represents a movement from childhood to adulthood, from high school to a world beyond. Will you please join me in turning your tassel? I love you.