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THE FORMAL PRESENTATION of the Class Gift was a chance for the Class of 2009 to show off their impressive parting contribution to Lincoln-Way Central recently. The gift is a 14-by-14-foot tile Knight Head seal, embedded in the floor of the foyer at the New Lenox campus. Presenting the gift were class officers Evan Porter, president; Matthew Ortman, vice president; Charles Swanson, secretary and Mark Weber, treasurer. Accepting it on behalf of District 210 were Superintendent Lawrence Wyllie (center), Principal Monica Schmitt (right) and class sponsor Sara Davy. photo by Karen Haave
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Graduation goodbyes were a little more poignant last week for Lincoln-Way Central's Class of 2009 and its principal, Monica Schmitt. For the more than 700 graduates, goodbye meant moving on to college or jobs this fall. For Schmitt, it meant leaving Central for the new Lincoln-Way West campus, where she will serve as principal when it opens in August. Wednesday was Schmitt's last day at Central, and her Principal's Address during the commencement program included her wish for the graduates' lifelong happiness. ''As your principal, my hope for you Ð for each and every one of you Ð is that you live a life of happiness,'' she said.
''I hope that your education from Lincoln-Way Central High School, combined with the love and support of your family, has prepared you to make solid decisions that will lead you down a path of health, happiness and fulfillment. ''I have enjoyed working with you during the past four years. It seems like just yesterday that you entered Lincoln-Way as a freshman, unsure of the layout of our building and your role in our culture. And now, here you are, mature, confident young adults who are on the brink of so many opportunities and life experiences. ''During your four years at Lincoln-Way Central, you have shown that you are young adults who exhibit character, confidence and integrity. We are extremely proud of the fact that you, our Class of 2009. represented our school with academic integrity. ''As a class, your PSAE scores were the second-highest in Will County, and you placed in the top six percent of all schools in the State of Illinois. ''The best accomplishment...is that, as a class, you earned over $3.8 million of academic scholarships throughout the country,'' Schmitt added. The L-W Central Class of 2009 was led in processional, and academically, by two students from Manhattan: Valedictorian Ashley Paarlberg (5.144 grade point average) and Brianna Knoll (5.074 GPA). In her comments, Paarlberg turned to Walt Disney's animated film classic, ''The Lion King,'' the story of Simba, a lion cub who struggles with life decisions. ''Along the way, he is guided by his mentors, family and friends, each of whom gives him the important balance he needs,'' Paarlberg said. ''Rafiki helps him realize that he has the ability to make the right decisions, his father, Mufassa, reminds him of his history and his sense of responsibility to his family. His friends Timon and Pumba remind him that life should be enjoyable and there is a positive side to all situations. ''In similar light,'' Paarlberg told her classmates, ''we have been aptly prepared to face our futures, just as Simba. ''As the wise Rafiki once taught us, 'Change is good.' Although Rafiki's statement is true, I tend to side with Simba in realizing, 'Yeah, but it's not easy.' As we all know, and have been reminded many times before, graduation is a major turning point in our lives. The decisions ahead of us will be difficult at times, but I am confident that we have been aptly prepared to face these changes. ''When these changing times bring us moments of doubt, we can recall the words of Mufassa, advising, 'Remember who you are.' Remember Lincoln-Way Central and the experiences we have taken from this school, for the experiences we have encountered together here have helped shape us into the people we are today. Remember our friends and the fun times we have had with our families, for they, too, have helped guide us down the path to our futures. Remembering these events will help us remember not only who we are, but also envision the people we would like to become. ''We cannot forget to thank these influential people in our lives. So thank you, all the teachers, staff and coaches at Lincoln-Way Central, for you really have prepared us for our futures by challenging us and teaching us lessons that have helped us in more ways than one. Thank you, my friends, for sticking by my side and always being there to make me laugh. And thank you, my family, for helping me through all of life's adventures. Without you, mom, dad and Courtney, I would never be where I am today. Your everlasting love and support is what has kept me going through the years with confidence in my heart, a smile on my face and a goal in mind. Thank you!'' To her fellow graduates, Paarlberg added, ''Congratulations! We made it! Know that we are not alone in these changing times, for we are all connected through the circle of life that we have come to know as Lincoln-Way Central. So to the Class of 2009: best of luck, enjoy life and Hakuna Matata!'' Class President Evan Porter, in his address, linked failure to success. ''I have failed,'' he said. ''You have failed, too. Your friends and family have failed. It is even safe to say that the staff here at Lincoln-Way Central have failed, at some time in their lives. Perhaps not on an epic scale, but we have all failed at some point. What is it about failure that makes us all so afraid? Today's society has given failure the label of being the worst thing that could happen in our lives. This is the biggest lie that we have been fed. Failure is what shapes and molds us into who we are today and is something we should be unafraid of. ''Somewhere between this failure and fear, humans find the ability to overcome. ''In the worst of situations, the outcomes have been all the more positive. Now more than ever, when negativity seems to consume us all, we must rise above. ''The way I see it, in order to fail at something, that means that you must have attempted it. You took a risk, and to me, that means that you didn't really fail. The outcome may not have turned out the way you predicted or wished for yourself, but what did you take away from the experience? Recognize that failures not only close doors, but open so many more. The create and give birth to situations not normally realized or seen. Failure allows for the opportunity to recover, to progress to rebuild something greater than before. You may believe that failure robs us of that second chance, but what my high school career has proven to me is that failure is just that: a second chance. ''But this chance is not simply handed to the meek. It is seized by the fearless. You must be unafraid of failure because, after all, the only true failure is to be afraid of such a fantastic and exhilarating opportunity. ''We have been conditioned to regard failure as unacceptable. But I am telling you to accept it wholeheartedly. Then you can move swiftly forward. Liberate yourself from these failures, but hold on to their significance. Identify their value, the lessons they have the potential to teach. You can learn so much about yourself, about life, about others, from a mistake! ''It is how we handle our inevitable failures that define us as the person we are the next morning,'' Porter concluded. ''Give thanks for your failures. Perfection is boring. I wish upon our class many mistakes, fumbles and slip-ups in the life, so that success is that much sweeter. ''Congratulations, Class of 2009! It's about time!'' District 210 Board of Education President David Izzo, in his commencement address, spoke of a New Lenox man who had been recognized for his 30 years of community service. The man accepted a plaque from the school board, then talked about how happy he was that his four daughters had had the opportunity to graduate from a top-notch high school. He credited the district for the education that enabled his girls to go on to college, graduate with degrees, get good jobs and move out of the house. ''Yes,'' Izzo smiled, ''he thanked us for helping get his daughters to move out of his house. ''Now, I don't really think that father ...or anyone else here this evening, believes that Lincoln-Way is in the business of helping parents get their children to move out of their homes. But in a way, that's the result of what we do. Here at L-W, we only have these students for four very short years. That's not a lot of time to shape and mold them into the fine young men and women we want them to be. ''Fortunately, with help from our excellent elementary school districts, we are able to work together to build a strong social and academic foundation each of these students can build upon for years to come. ''On this very special evening, all of us Ð your parents, teachers and administrators Ð know we've done all we can to get you here. It's now up to you to build upon the solid foundation we've provided. Our advice is to build something that will make you proud. Build something that will last a lifetime. ''On behalf of the Board of Education, we want to wish the 2009 graduating class of Lincoln-Way Central High School the best of luck,'' Izzo said, ''and may God bless each and every one of you.'' In addition to President Evan Porter, Class officers for Central/2009 were Matthew Ortman, vice president; Charles Swanson, secretary; and Mark Weber, treasurer. The Class of 2009 includes on National Merit Semi-finalist (Michael L. Coughlan) and nine National Merit Commended students: Joshua Brooks, Lindsey Eichwald, Michelle Gurt, Michelle Markelz, Stephen Okoniewski, Emma Richardson, Nicholas Rossi, Daniel Schliffka III, and Kasandra Sullivan. Karen Haave is a reporter for Russell Publications.
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