BREMERTON — “As part of a final in all of my civics and AP government classes, the students had to tell me how they were going to impact the world once they graduate. The results are in.

“These students have aspirations to set the world on fire,” said Scott Webb, keynote speaker at Bremerton High School’s graduation ceremony June 10.

More than 270 students made up BHS’s Class of 2016, and the atmosphere of the graduation ceremony, on the Memorial Stadium football field despite an anticipated thunderstorm, was highly celebratory.

“This day, June 10, 2016, marks the end of an important chapter in our lives, but commences a newer and more significant one,” said Kevin Nguyen, one of the two valedictorians who spoke at the ceremony. “Our successes, failures, memories, connections and roads are all depicted in this single chapter.

“Now, as we move on to the next chapter of our lives, we are given new pages, a new canvas, one with more possibility than before. One of limitless display.”

When the ceremony began, graduating students descended two staircases in groups of two to slowly make their way downfield to where the stage was set up. After each student found their seats, speakers began to greet the students, including speeches from Principal John Polm and Bremerton Mayor Patty Lent. Then, the student salutatorian took the stage.

“I still feel as if freshman year was just two weeks ago,” Timothy Styrlund said. “But as we all know, time is ever fleeting, and now it is time for us to move forward. Move forward in our education, move forward in our relationships, move forward in our lives.”

Styrlund went on to talk about the signature each student is leaving behind in the Bremerton School District — and he wasn’t talking about “signing yearbooks.”

“Every student in the class of 2016 has left their mark on Bremerton High School in one way or another,” Styrlund said. “Whether it be in the classroom, in extracurricular activities or in sports. Everyone sitting in front of me has had a positive impact on this school. We have set an example to the classes below us to aspire to achieve excellence in all facets of high school.”

Twenty-seven graduating students earned honor medallions, meaning they completed their high school career with a 3.5 GPA or higher. Thirty more earned honor cords, meaning they had a final GPA of 3.2 to 3.49. Eight students graduated high school having also earned an associate’s degree. Fifteen were Knight scholars. Fifteen were “Knighted” seniors.

“We have something in common, class of 2016,” Webb said. “We are the bookends on an unfortunately named generation: the millennials. If you were born between 1981 and 2000, you have been labelled by society as self-important, entitled, lazy narcissists who don’t care about anything but yourselves.

“That doesn’t describe me. I know it doesn’t describe you.

“Lazy? That doesn’t sound like you guys. You guys are up to $4 million in scholarship offers. That’s something to clap about.”

Michelle Asencio, the other valedictorian who spoke at the ceremony, said, “We have spent the past 13 years here learning how to make our dreams come true. And here we are at the end of opportunity.”

She and Nguyen both spoke about moving on from high school into the new phase of their lives. Both advised cherishing the memories of growing up in the Bremerton School District.

“Whatever high school was to you, take that and find meaning,” Asencio said. “Choose to remember the good times. Nothing truly ever ends, because the memories and stories can last forever.

“In the words of Dumbledore, ‘It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.’ We have all been given a wonderful education by the faculty here at Bremerton High School, and it is what we do with that knowledge that matters.”

In unison, Asencio and Nguyen closed out their speech to the students: “The future is ours. Let’s go and get it.”