By Mary-Justine Lanyon
Calling Rim of the World High School a special place that has helped shape generations of students, Principal Brian Willemse welcomed the Class of 2024, their families and other guests to the 68th commencement exercise.
“You’ve seen a lot and done a lot in your time at Rim,” he told the soon-to-be graduates. “You persevered and you made it.”
Willemse then quoted the poem “It Couldn’t Be Done” by Edgar Guest, which ends:
There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to point out to you one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start in to sing as you tackle the thing
That ‘cannot be done’ and you’ll do it.
English teacher Darryl Wear gave the commencement address, noting that “in school you learn a lesson and get tested. In life you get tested and learn a lesson. Now the real learning begins. Give thanks for your blessings. Drink deeply from good books. Help others.”
He concluded with a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.” And he added, “Your destiny awaits.”
Salutatorian Ethan Thornberg, who graduated with a 4.75 GPA and will attend UC Irvine, majoring in computer science and engineering, told his classmates that his father’s death during his sophomore year was one of his toughest moments. His father told him that, no matter how he turned out, he would always be proud of him. “I told him, ‘I’m proud of you, too, Dad.’
Piper Holly Fischer led the way for the Rim High staff and Class of 2024 to make their way onto the football field. (Photos by Mary-Justine Lanyon)
Ethan added that he will never forget the lessons his father taught him about family and unconditional love. He left the Class of 2024 with this quote from Minecraft: “Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.”
Saying he felt they must have conspired, Willemse then told the audience that this year there were four valedictorians, all of whom achieved a GPA of 4.84.
Diane Zhang – who will attend UCLA majoring in business economics – thanked her teachers, custodians, security personnel and administrators who “have gone above and beyond motivating, inspiring and protecting us as students.” Referencing the global pandemic and last winter’s snowstorms, she added, “Boy, have we been through a lot. It takes strength and resilience to stand here today.”
Recollecting how she walked through the Rim halls as a freshman, looking up to the then-seniors, Diane said that she “realized we have become those same students we used to look up to. I hope we remember one thing: High school may have ended but a whole world is waiting out there for us. Every single one of us is a shining star. Stars are being born every day out in the galaxy – looking out at you I can see 208 stars shining brightly. Remain true to your principles. No matter the obstacles that stand in our way, we all have the tools to reach our goals. It’s time to leave the rim of the world and step into the center. Let’s show them what we’re made of.”
The fact there are four valedictorians, said Jocelyn Broderick – who will major in bio engineering at UCLA with an eye toward working with NASA – shows “how exceptional our class is. We are known as being the best, most resilient. Much like the potholes that line the highway, our journeys have been filled with many bumps along the way.
“None of us is perfect,” Jocelyn said. “Embrace your flaws – take one step at a time.” Referencing her favorite childhood movie, she ended by saying, “Like Mary Poppins, our work here is done – it’s time for a new adventure.”
Ryan Terreri will also attend UCLA, majoring in statistics and data science. “I see in front of me a uniquely talented group of people ready to embark on the next chapter of their lives,” he said. “As early as next year, many of us will have wildly different realities.” He urged his classmates to find joy. “Almost any unfavorable situation can be favorable depending on how you react.”
And quoting John Wooden, Ryan ended with, “Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.”
Ryan then had the privilege of introducing fellow valedictorian Chris Whitty, who has been his best friend since they were infants. Breaking the trend, Chris will attend USC, majoring in music production. He recalled how, in preschool, he did not just sing his name – he stood up and danced. Eventually, the other children followed suit. “We need to dance and live to our own tune, our own music,” he said. “It’s better to live how you want to live and deal with the strange looks. Be who you want to be – wear your dinosaur onesie to school, eat ice cream for breakfast.”
Chris also quoted Ralph Waldo Emerson: “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
“Keep being your incredible selves,” he urged the Class of 2024. “You only get one life – keep dancing, keep listening to music.”
As is tradition, following the turning of their tassels, many new graduates tossed their caps in the air.
Following the choir singing “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” and the band playing Rim’s alma mater, the first diploma was awarded to Dylan Witter, who displayed his passion for drumming with the drumsticks on his cap. As each name was called, there was hooting and hollering from the families in the stands as well as a great deal of confetti being shot into the air.
After the last diploma was presented, Assistant Principal Brian Keaney added, “And in loving memory of Daunte Symonette.”
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