Gilbert School graduates 91 at 114th commencement
By SHAW ISRAEL IZIKSON – Special to The Winsted Journal
June, 26, 2009
WINSTED — Ninety-one teenagers made the leap into adulthood on Tuesday, June 23, as they graduated from The Gilbert School.
A large audience gathered for the ceremony well before the 7 p.m. start.
As the ceremony progressed, many of them cheered, hooted and hollered for students as they received their diplomas.
In his opening remarks, Principal Daniel Hatch said he is proud of the students and proud of the school.
“I love The Gilbert School and all that it stands for,” Hatch said. “After four years here, it continues to be an honor for me. All of the graduates have worked incredibly hard. For the last four years, we have been praising, encouraging and hounding them to be the best that they can be — just like their moms and dads.”
Hatch pointed out that he started at Gilbert in 2005, the same time that the class of 2009 started its journey.
“Tonight, they are taller, more handsome and more beautiful than their first day at the school,” Hatch said, “while I have become shorter, have less hair and am wearing instruments behind my ears to improve my hearing. The journey we have taken together has challenged us both, but their journey is much more interesting. With all the trials, tribulations, heartache, smiles and laughter along the way, the beauty of it is, four years later, they are all graduating this evening.”
Salutatorian Rachel Skaret shared some favorite memories from her time at Gilbert.
“We have experienced a lot in the last four years, and it has drastically changed us and made us the individuals we are today,” Skaret said. “There are so many teachers in this school that care tremendously for their students. They work very hard to help them succeed.
“However, there is always that crazy chemistry teacher, who may resemble our keynote speaker, who let us mess around with exploding powder until it actually exploded. Nevertheless, our teachers taught us so much, even beyond academics, and they will still impact our lives outside of Gilbert.”
The ceremony took an emotional turn when the keynote speaker in question, chemistry teacher Craig Schroeder, took to the stage. Schroeder, who taught chemistry at Gilbert for 40 years, is retiring. His speech marked the end of his four decades on campus.
“Cartoonist Garry Trudeau’s theory is that graduation speeches were invented largely in the belief that graduating students should never be released into the world until they are sedated,” Schroeder joked at the beginning of his speech. “It took you, the students, four years to get the opportunity to walk across this stage, which is a short time compared to the 40 years it took me to accomplish this goal.
“You are leaving the stage tonight with a much different purpose, because you are at the starting point of a new life, with new opportunities and challenges waiting for you. “
Schroeder said success in life depends on one’s attitude.
“Creating a positive attitude creates positive results,” Schroeder said. “[Motivational speaker] Mark Hansen wrote that your attitude determines the state of the world that you live in. It is the foundation of every success and every failure you will have. Basically, what you think is what you get.”
Valedictorian Eric Parsons said the single biggest lesson he learned in high school was not in the classrooms, but on the soccer fields, wrestling mats and track.
“Before the first day of school, I had to decide whether or not to try out for soccer,” Parsons said. “It was not an easy decision for me. To say that I was good at soccer, or good at athletics, was ridiculous. Nevertheless, my parents pushed me to try out. Although I was by no means a star player, my experience was influential because I developed friendships and confidence.”
Parsons said that, despite going through a losing season in his freshman year, he went forward with great success in track and wrestling.
“My point is that when I joined the soccer team, even though I wasn’t comfortable doing so, good things happened,” Parsons said. “Because I took a risk, I reaped the benefits. Looking back at that turning point in my life, I’m so glad that I didn’t take the easy way out. No one could have made it through Gilbert without being told by a teacher, coach or administrator or a fellow student to ‘Go big or go home.’ You cannot achieve without risk.”
© Copyright 2009 by TCExtra.com
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