If anyone needs an antidote to all the negative things that are said about our youth, the state of our education and who will take up the reins of the future, they just need to attend their local high school graduation ceremony.

One of the main pleasures of being a school board director is being a guest at high school graduations. Regardless of the program the graduates went through to achieve their diplomas, the growth and achievement shown by the students is impressive.

I attended the PAL (parent assisted learning), Spectrum, Kingston and North Kitsap high school graduations. Every one was filled with students who worked hard to reach this moment and a number were recognized for specific achievement.

The focus was on the students, appropriately. A couple of the ceremonies had some of the seniors displaying their talents. Whether it was aikido or singing, the graduates knew their stuff.

The best part was listening to the budding orators. The senior speakers did a great job with their speeches. They all had different approaches — not one came across as a “typical” graduation speech full of platitudes. They spoke of their common ground, their challenges and the potential in their future. They were better than many adult speeches I have heard. The classes of 2009 also had many who earned scholarships and awards.

The principals, understandably, were proud of their students. In their speeches, they pointed out how well their class had done as a whole and listed numerous top colleges that were getting their graduates. These schools included places like Stanford and West Point in addition to UW and WSU. A number were going to enlist in various branches of the military while others were headed to technical schools to get started on their career paths.

In some ways, one might say that is no different than any other class that has gone before them. And, that would be true. There will always be scholarship and award winners. There will always be students earning high gpas. And, there will always be those heading off to training in their chosen field of endeavor.

But, that should say something. It shows that no matter what type of educational setting is provided, what type of programs are offered, our country’s education system is able to graduate people who can go out into the world, do something and do it well. That is no small feat.

The classes of 2009 have clearly met their educational challenges head-on and succeeded. It will be fun to read of their exploits over the coming years. My hat’s off to the graduates and may you find much success in your lives.

Val Torrens appears in the CK Reporter the second and fourth Friday of every month.

TORRENS TALK