We figure everyone else is asking the question, so why not your local newspaper? After all, we’ve watched you grow up, too. We’ve been there as you’ve completed unique class projects, acted in plays, took field trips, taken the WASL, taken to the streets with your school bands, scored the winning touchdown or goal, broke school records in track … and basically given you as much deserving ink as we were able to.

As a newspaper, it is our role to do so and something we take pride in. We also take pride in the knowledge that our graduates will be among those who will ably shape this county, state and country in the coming years.

We know where you’ve been and are excited to see just how far you’ll go.

Far being a relative term of course. You don’t need to travel the globe to succeed after all. And while some of you will do so, others might not get as far as the county line. The decision — probably for the first time in your young lives — is yours. Don’t be afraid to make it.

It could be a good thing or the worst call you’ve ever made, but at least it will be your own. Learn to live with the results, and more importantly learn from them.

You don’t need to be a genius to know that you need to study in order to pass tests, right? Well, like it or not, your studying — whether you’re off to college or joining the labor force — is far from over. You will be tested on an irregular basis in the classroom of life and be able to show exactly what kinds of students you are.

But no matter how much you learn, and strive to improve you will always have failure. Face it readily and ably. It is a fact of life and a lesson like no other.

That said, revel in your triumph this weekend.

Graduation is the door to great things and not everyone walks through it. Be confident as you do and take time to reflect on what got you to the portal in the first place. It wasn’t one big step but a series of small ones. Each one was a correct decision. A test you passed.

We’re happy you did, and share your, your families’ and your friends’ pride in the accomplishment.

The question is, now what?

As you grow, it will often get more difficult to answer. Black and white will fade to gray and the correct path with be engulfed in fog. But it’s always there.

Although making the call will get harder and harder still as the weight of your decisions get heavier and heavier, use your cognitive abilities and lessons you’ve learned to help you through them. If the haze is still a soupy mess, don’t be afraid to ask for guidance from someone you know and trust.

That lesson is a good one to learn but always know that despite the advice you receive, ultimately the decision and the consequences that ensue are yours to live with. It’s part of being an adult. Part of growing up.

Congratulations one and all for starting off on the right path and making the correct call in deciding to graduate. Your accomplishments speak for themselves as you and your classmates enter the ranks of alumni. It has been an honor to watch you grow before our eyes, to get to know you and report on your trials and triumphs these past several years.

We are certain great things lie ahead for all of you on the road of life.

From the North Kitsap Herald, best of luck.