Class Of 2019 Leaves With The Bar Set High

Joanna Thury waves to friends and family as she exits the stage after receiving her diploma on Sunday afternoon.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – The graduating class of 2019 has left the halls of Oskaloosa High School for the final time as students and will return as alumni in the future.

As they walked out of the gymnasium on Sunday afternoon, one thing is for certain, they have set the bar high for all of the classes following their lead.

Senior Class President Cade Snakenburg addressed the crowd and his classmates and thanked past and present veterans for their service.

Snakenburg remembered his classmate Nicholas Moore who passed away in 2011 from an illness. A chair was left empty at the beginning of the first row in honor of Moore.

Lindsey Holmberg and Jaidyn Barnes shared some words in honor of Moore, who passed away when the class was in the 5th grade.

Holmberg then shared a poem called ‘The Butterfly’ that was shared at Moore’s funeral.

Snakenburg then outlined the accomplishments they have achieved during the past year, both on the field of athletics, in the arts and music and academics.

In that spirit, Snakenburg announced that the senior class gift would go to the science department for new safety equipment.

“It feels like we just walked into school for kindergarten roundup, then in a flash we were moving to the middle school, and in a blink of an eye, we traveled up the hill to high school as freshmen. Now we are about to cross this stage and complete a major milestone in our lives,” said Snakenburg.

“Special thanks to the parents, faculty, and staff which helped shape every one of us fine young adults we are today,” Snakenburg continued. “Now I challenge every one of you to be the best you can be and live out your life with no regrets.”

Joshua Hartl was the next member of the Class 2019 to take the podium. He took on the task to help motivate his classmates to take on the challenges ahead of them, “without falling asleep because I know many of us have a talent for doing so during lectures.”

“Five minutes to recap roughly 260,000 minutes worth of stress, panic, tears, and learning during high school,” Hartl said. “We learned many skills that would set us up for success. We would always complain saying, when am I ever going to use this again? Or, how does this apply to real life? In looking back, I realize that our time at OHS taught us how to learn, how to persevere, and how to never give up, and that we can do it, even though, I won’t ever need to know the derivative of 16XQ. I do know that I can learn how to and that no matter what is set before us, we can do it as long as you don’t give up, believe, and stay positive. You can, and will conquer every obstacle in the way of your individual dreams and goals.”

“We, the class of 2019, have remained strong and relentless during the many scandals that took place during our time at OHS,” added Hartl. “We cried together the day they announced bottle flipping was banned. Or when a classmates fidget spinner got confiscated. We managed to learn from our questionable relationship decisions. But most important, we all survived the 2016 clown epidemic and the terrible Tide Pod Challenge. During these hardships together, we prevailed. What makes life so beautiful is that everything is unique. No two snowflakes or trees are the same, and the same applies to everyone in this room.”

“We all have potential, the potential to make an impact on the lives of others and the world, no matter how small or big. You have to believe in your potential and never give up,” added Hartl. “Thomas Edison conducted 1000 failed experiments, but he never gave up. He believed and stayed hopeful. Finally, the 1001st was the light bulb. Don’t give up. Be positive and believe. ”

“Aspire to make a difference, no matter how big or small, it matters. Each of the 8.3 million pixels in a 4k TV is needed to make up the huge vivid and beautiful picture,” continued Hartl. “I believe we, the class of 2019, from Oskaloosa High School, will do great things. So let’s percevier through our upcoming failures and show the world that we can, and will, believe, achieve, and create our futures with pride.”

Claire Kelderman was the next speaker from the Class of 2019 to address the crowd of family, friends, and community members.

“High school. Where do I start,” said Kelderman as she kicked off her address. “When people say that high school is the best and worst times of their lives, they aren’t joking.”

“Four years ago, we came into this building scared, whether some of us like to admit it or not,” Kelderman said. “We were scared at what life was about to throw at us. Little did we know, we were about to form the beginnings of our paths. And here we are today, about to be in the same situation with college and jobs.’

“High school is more than just academic knowledge,” Kelderman added. “Outside of the countless hours spent in the classroom, we learned numerous things about ourselves, and our peers. These past four years, we have learned who we are, and who we want to be.”

“We have built friendships, bonds, and relationships with those around us,” Kelderman continued. “Just this year, we have left our mark with championships that this community will never forget. We beat Pella on a dramatic last-second play in football. We won state basketball. We triple crowned at State Dance. Our orchestra got a Division 1 at State Large Group, and our choir got a Division 1 at State Small Group.”

“We have provided a major impact on those who look up to us,” Kelderman added. “We have been seen as role models for many.”

“I truly hope that each of us graduates take what we have learned in our four years in this building and build upon it in some way,” Kelderman said. “Nobody knows you better than yourself. Only you can find your path and take it.”

“Today is the day we’ve all been waiting for. Today marks the end of something great and the beginning of something better,” Kelderman said in closing.

With those words, the Class of 2019 walked across the stage, accepting their diplomas, walking across the stage and into the history books of Oskaloosa High School.

Posted by on May 20 2019. Filed under Local News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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