Graduate injured in crash, still able to attend ceremony
ABOVE:Riverside High School Class of 2016 graduates Alexa Klingler and Jonathan Norris walk to the front of the school gymnasium to receive their diplomas Friday evening during commencement exercises. HOME PAGE SLIDESHOW PHOTO: Riverside High School Class of 2016 valedictorian Laraleigh Allen, right, and her classmates sing the school’s alma mater Friday evening at the commencement ceremony, where she and salutatorian Aubrey Short were featured speakers. (EXAMINER PHOTOS | MANDY LOEHR) |
A theme of thankfulness echoed throughout the Riverside High School Class of 2016 commencement Friday evening, and the gratitude expressed by student speakers and staff alike for making it to this memorable day had a little extra meaning following an unexpected incident earlier that day.
“We’re so thankful that everyone is here with us today,” Superintendent Scott Mann said at the beginning of the ceremony.
One of the 54 Riverside Class of 2016 members, Jasmine Bryant, was injured in a head-on collision Friday afternoon on County Road 43 west of Township Road 198. After being transported by a Macochee squad to Mary Rutan Hospital for non-incapacitating injuries, she was still able to attend her graduation ceremony.
The graduation day also so happened to coincide with Jasmine’s birthday, and the students sang, “Happy Birthday” to her in the hallway prior to the start of the ceremony. Then during the commencement, several pupils assisted Jasmine out of a wheelchair and onto the stage to receive her diploma.
“We’re very grateful that you were watching over Jasmine today,” Pastor Kym James of the DeGraff United Methodist Church said in her prayer at the conclusion of the graduation.
As the classmates move into the future, valedictorian Laraleigh Allen expressed to her peers a number of her “hopes” for them.
“I’m not giving advice, because I’ve had the same amount of life experiences as you, but I do want to express all of my hopes for you in the future.
“I hope you don’t forget about Riverside and all the memories we’ve made here. But we do have to move on from here, and I hope you make your goals. … I hope you accomplish your dreams.”
Read complete story in Saturday’s Examiner.
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