Grads told ‘not the critic who counts’
BY SUZANNE WERE
Editor
Yes, families were seated a proper social/physical distance away from one another at Sunday’s Turtle Lake-Mercer graduation, but as the ceremony progressed and the speakers addressed those in attendance, it was obvious they were focused on their memories and their futures – not the coronavirus impacted present. In her welcome to the audience, salutatorian Rachel Goven reminded everyone that while this is an end to the seniors’ high school years, this is also a beginning. She touched on a few inside jokes that the class members understood, and was the first one to mention their late classmate Heather Presser, who died in a tragic accident just before their fifth-grade year was supposed to start.
She also relayed some words of wisdom from her classmates, including one who encouraged people in a world of yahoos to be a “yeehee,” while another classmate noted “Nobody’s
perfect, but here I am.” Valedictorian Miya Smalls had a goal of reducing the audience to tears, and she undoubtedly did that, in between some laughs.
