×

NUHS Class of 2017

Class celebrates long journey together

Staff photo by Connor Cummiskey Colin Leuthold presents the Senior Class Address at Friday’s graduation ceremony.

NEW ULM — The first New Ulm High School (NUHS) class to graduate from the new high school received their diplomas Friday evening.

About 139 students walked across a stage setup in the gym. The bleachers were full and cameras flashed like strobe lights as student after student received the paper affirming the value of their 12 year of hard work.

“Well class of 2017, we made it — we finally made it through high school,” Student Commencement Speaker Colin Leuthold said. “Through all the treks to the portables at the old high school, all of the standardized testing, AP classes, college classes and of course all of the homework.”

Leuthold’s speech centered on a theme of something new. He started by describing the pattern of students’ lives in the NUHS.

He pointed out the many time students had gone to class, watched and participated in sports or extracurriculars, watched the prom queen and king crowned and said goodbye to the previous seniors.

Staff photo by Connor Cummiskey The 2017 graduating class of New Ulm Public Schools moves their tassels from the right to left sides of their caps. This class was the first to graduate from the newly constructed high school. See more photos on page 12B. and on cu.nujournal.com

As the class of 2017 prepared to say their own goodbyes to NUHS, Leuthold left them with five lessons.

First the world is yours and it is everyone else’s, entitlement will get you nowhere, Leuthold said.

Next, he said, not everyone will stay friends after high school and that is okay; it is important to put yourself out there, and to call or visit parents and grandparents.

He rounded his lesson plan out with a final note on perseverance.

“Lesson five, at some point life is going to kick you down a flight of stairs and when you hit the bottom, dust yourself off and climb back up,” Leuthold said.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper?
   

COMMENTS

Starting at $4.38/week.

Subscribe Today