Drury High Told 'Never Ring the Bell' on Their Dreams
Erwin King's nieces and nephews accept a diploma on behalf of the World War II casualty. King left school to join the Marines in 1942 and died in battle. See more photos here.
"I'm sure that everyone here at some point, has had dreams about what we want in our lives to be like, but achieving dreams can be harder than we might want," said valedictorian Colin Daly. "It takes a lot of persistence and effort to give yourself a chance, and still, your success is not completely in your control. While it is certainly possible to overcome difficulties, it's even more certain that doing so isn't easy. It is easier to fail at your dream than achieve."
Plenty of successful people have had failures along the way — Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, and Michael Jordan — Daly told his classmates on the high school stage.
"The answer is that by chasing the perfection we imagine, we achieve the dreams we really want," he said. "If you can't quite finish a marathon, even if you fall miles towards the finish line, you still have gone great distance."
Daly used the example given by a Navy SEAL in a commencement speech, of how a trainee can quit by ringing a bell at the camp three times. All the class would at one point want to ring that bell, he said.
"Life is not easy, no matter who you are or where you come from," he said. "But no matter how hard it is, we must always remember that we can never ring the bell, because by ringing the bell, you give up on your dream, and you can never, ever give up on your dream."
There were 72 graduates of the class of 2025 but 73 would graduate on Thursday night.
The family of Marine Pvt. First Class Erwin Shaftsbury King of Clarksburg were presented with his diploma, 83 years after King would have graduated from the high school. He dropped out in January 1942 to enlist in the Marines, and was killed at Guadalcanal the following September.
Bradley Chapman and Noah Wilhelm introduced the presentation, saying 173 high school students had taken part in the memorial service King last September in Southview Cemetery across the street. The presentation was accompanied by a color guard and the band played the "Marine's Hymn."
Daly later said his speech that it was an honor for the class and that "we are grateful for his example of courage, patriotism and sacrifice." He also asked the class to remember Alison Felix, a 2020 Drury graduate, who was killed in a car accident last December.
The presentation of diplomas was made by Mayor Jennifer Macksey, Superintendent Barbara Malkas and Principal Stephanie Kopala. Abigail Hamilton lead the Pledge of Allegiance, Class President Jacinta Felix welcomed the gathering, and Jaime Hamilton presented the scholarships.
The yearbook was dedicated to Kellie Lahey, family outreach and attendance coordinator, for her "kindness, compassion and caring," and the senior class made a special acknowledgement to Ashley Mirante, for going "above and beyond every day to make students feel welcome and safe."
Salutatorian Atlas Lescarbeau noted the ups and downs the class had had through its four years of high school. "Some of my defining moments in high school are tainted by stress," he said, but also found thrills and life and laughter.
"If I could go back to 7-year-old Atlas, before I even was Atlas, I would take his hands and tell him everything was worked out OK. ... I would tell him he has a lot to learn about others in the world around him, certainly, but also about himself. The people of Drury, unique and vibrant are not meant to be terrifying. People change. The people around him will change, and he will have to learn to deal with that. We are all still learning to deal with that still."
Lescarbeau said he it would be good if they all think of their younger selves -- when they first entered Drury "maybe bright-eyed and ambitious, timid and shy, reckless and wild." Would that younger you be proud of you?
"I assume many of us would like the answer to be yes, but I believe it's more complicated than that," he said. "Maybe the younger you needed to better yourself or learn something important. I hope through high school, we have all gotten a little wiser, or at the very least a little kinder to both ourselves and those around us. ...
"The answer doesn't have to be yes, and that's OK. We don't need to follow what our younger self first thought, perhaps, instead of it's better to ask, am I, the person I am now proud of myself. I hope for each and every one of you, the answer is and always will be 'yes.'"
Scholarships and awards for the class of 2025 can be found here.
Drury High School Class of 2025
Jacinta Maria Moulton Felix
Haley Autumn Rose Anderson
Seth James Besaw
Jordyn Elizabeth Biagini
Grace Eileen Boland
Kaydence Ann Brazee
Dominic James Campbell
Ava Rose Cariddi
Bradley William Chapman
Zackary Thomas Hillard
Jenna Paige Clay
Reagan Ashley Cornell
Lyla Lynn Crews
Cheyenne Cusson
Colin Matthew Daly
Ahnajae Shanece David
Kaleb Michael DeCarolis
Dakota Arthur Deschaine
James Joseph Dupre-Harris
Sydney Rose Goodell
Emily Rae Goodhind
Gregory Michael Hall
Nacari Nasir Headley
Jayden Reese Hohn
Keira Shea Jzyk
Keatyn Alison Kane
Paul Richard Karmazyn
Jeremy Mark Kastner
Tiara Lasheye Kastner
Harmony Nicole Knockless
Hannah Lily LaCasse
Jesse Jacob LaRose
Marc Anthony Layme
Taryn Marie Layme
Atlas Donovan Lescarbeau
Ethan Michael Loholdt
Madison Rosemarie Saunders
Colby Michael Malloy
Rita Ann Malloy
Bella Jennifer McCollum
Dawson Daniel McLain
Laurel Jane Miller
Hunter James Mongeon
Isabella Gail Moore
Samuel Jerome Moorman
Miguel Angel Pabon
Kylie Rose Palumbo
Olivia Marie Perry
Anaiyah Destiny Phillips
Dominick Joseph Pisano
Courtney Marie Pontier
Jayden Alan Pratt
Savion William Price
Ariana Ellen Rivard
Lindsy Ann Robare
Logan Shawn Rogers
Elijah Gavin Sommer
Miaah Lynn Southard
Isabella Lynn Spooner
Jordin Madeline Sullivan
Evette Camille Sumner
Sasha Amara Taft
Emily Rose Therrien
Payton Marie VanderWoude
James Peter Varellas
Emma Grace Vareschi
Marialis Vazquez
Trenton Scott Wandrei
Benjamin Michael Wentz
Noah Christy Wilhelm
Reese October Wilson
Jalena Ann Wright
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