Clarendon Hall grads encouraged to 'go forward, make a difference'

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For Clarendon Hall salutatorian Gabby Hill, there was just one question on her mind when she and her classmates walked to receive their diplomas May 25 at the school.

"Where did the time go?" she said. "Are you sure it wasn't yesterday that we were in first grade, sitting around while reading Junie B. Jones? Or when we were 'knighted' in third grade? Or that one time in Washington, D.C., when our former classmate, Danny Riffe, asked some random girls from Maine what their raccoon population was because he was dared to?"

Hill said that "everyone told us the time would fly by, but I don't think any of us thought it would go by as fast as it has."

"The Class of 2017's time at Clarendon Hall was definitely a time to remember, and we are definitely a class that won't be forgotten," said Hill. "We have a bond like no other and because of that bond we have made memories that will last a lifetime. We have shared laughter and tears together, but I don't think we would want to change a single memory we have made."

Valedictorian Danny Zhang preferred to look at the next four years of his and his classmates' lives, rather than delving on the previous four.

"Whether it's dancing, saving lives as a doctor or firefighter or a pharmacist, teaching future generations or creating new music, all of us must make sure the word commitment is associated with what we do," he said. "We must concentrate on enhancing our futures and setting great examples for those who love us and for those who will follow us. We must be tomorrow's positive images."

Zhang said the graduates' actions must make a statement and send a clear message.

"(It must be) one that says, wherever we came from, whatever we have or don't have, whatever our color, sex or cultural background, we can be partners in success, and we can achieve greatness together," he said. "In order to have high self-esteem, confidence and motivation, we must be willing to work diligently and have a keen understanding of how far we can go."

Zhang quoted Ralph Waldo Emerson while talking to his fellow graduates, saying, "Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

"Let us leave a trail others will be proud to follow," he said. "If you feel at any point that life is becoming too hard or meaningless and that obstacles are coming form all directions, do not panic. Remember that life can and will get better, if we have the right tools to work with. (These tools include) a positive attitude, an education, the right friends and tenacious determination."

Zhang said it is up to the Class of 2017 at all schools to "make a difference, to have people say honorable things about you and leave the impression that you never gave up on yourselves."

"Excellence is never an accident; it's the result of hard work," said Zhang. "Go forward, work hard and attain excellence, the kind of excellence that will make your dreams reality. A secure future can be reality, but you must visualize tomorrow, a safe, happy, prosperous tomorrow, and make it happen."

Hill agreed, using a quote that the class chose in fifth grade as its all-encompassing verse.

"'Write your plans in pencil, but give God the eraser,'" Hill said. "Who knew that in fifth grade, we picked a quote that would apply to us more now than then. Tonight, as we walk out of the gym as alumni for the first time and Clarendon Hall is now just a chapter in our lives, I hope you will remain strong in your faith and will fulfill the plans God has for you."