Class of 2008 takes a bow

THE LOG STAFF

May 29, 2008 at 3:52PM AKST

The Seward High School gym was packed on May 21 as parents, grandparents and friends waited for the class of 2008 to receive its diplomas.

Home movie cameras were propped on shoulders. Anxious parents talked about their children’s plans as they worried about empty nest syndrome.

Then it began. “Pomp and Circumstance” rang out as the graduates entered the gym by twos through a curtain of colorful streamers and balloons.

Chloe Milton sang the national anthem. And then salutatorian Mark Chase gave an easy-going speech laced with humor. One of the things he’s looking forward to after graduation, he said, was never having to ask permission to use the bathroom again.

Breaking tradition of inviting a favorite teacher or community member as guest speaker, the class of 2008 instead chose to conduct its own ceremony with musical performances and student speakers.

Michelle Buchanan, Samara Johnson and Rebecca Starr reminisced about what they learned in various grades, closing with the reminder that each one is responsible for making their own future happen.

A senior slide show set to music shared a peek at the history of graduating seniors.

Sofa fabric in the background of baby pictures lent a bittersweet mood of passing time.

Local businesses and organizations supplied approximately $55,000 in scholarships, according to high school counselor Martha Fleming.