Mineola HS Class of ‘23 graduates

Posted 6/1/23

Mineola High School bade farewell to the 128-member Class of 2023 Friday night at Meredith Memorial Stadium as family, friends and well-wishers packed the home stands for the annual send off.

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Mineola HS Class of ‘23 graduates

Posted

Mineola High School bade farewell to the 128-member Class of 2023 Friday night at Meredith Memorial Stadium as family, friends and well-wishers packed the home stands for the annual send off.

“The foundation is in place to chase your dreams,” Principal Mike Sorenson advised the graduates. It was also a farewell for Sorenson, who capped a 41-year career in education.

He also paid tribute to the late John Abbott, who served the school district in many capacities, most recently as school board president. An empty chair sat on the stage in tribute.

“His impact reached far beyond his 49 years of service,” Sorenson said. “He was the definition of integrity. He was a friend and mentor to all of us.”

Sorenson told the class to boldly go in the direction of their dreams, adding, ”I believe in you.”

Salutatorian Campbell Littlefield, who joined the class just three years ago, said in her address, “I know that I may have only gone to Mineola High School for the past two and a half years, but all of you have made this short amount of time very memorable. I have been given a multitude of opportunities and possibilities during my time in Mineola, and I am very grateful for that. Over the past thirteen years of my education, I have gone to nine different schools on three different continents, but none of them have compared to MHS or the town of Mineola. This school has been a very welcoming environment and has provided a great sense of community. Since my first day here, I have been surrounded by warm smiles and open arms from people who were only strangers to me. Those strangers quickly became friends, and I am blessed to have made so many lifelong friendships, and some true friends that will be here till the end.”

In her valedictory address, Ali Jordan recognized educators: “You all have an undeniable impact on your students, and your contributions to our lives have and will continue to shape and guide us for the years ahead.”

She focused her remarks on three concepts – healthy lifestyle, success and acceptance.

“For one person, a healthy life may involve taking more risks, while another person’s definition of a healthy mindset may mean being more careful. Failing to take these points into consideration will lead to difficulty for those involved and make it impossible to truly support and accept others.

On success – “I know many of us have big dreams and even loftier goals, and while I believe it is necessary to attempt to achieve them with hard work and dedication, it is also necessary to acknowledge that everyone’s idea of success is different and ever-changing, and that is okay. Goals are allowed to change. Plans are allowed to change. It is often difficult to predict outcomes for educational or career paths, or even just life in general, and failure will undoubtedly present itself. But, if anything, failure and change spur us into reaching new heights, and allow us to truly prosper, whether by completing a goal or establishing a new one.”

On acceptance – “Although we may not always agree with one another, showing respect is often the greatest thing people can offer each other. Without showing others this basic decency, we cannot truthfully expect to be treated with the same consideration. Mutual respect, more than all else, is what will allow us to succeed both as individuals and as leaders of a functional up-and-coming society.”

Mylee Fischer, Jon Laredo and Madeline Tucker recounted the class history.

With Jordan, Littlefield, Fischer, Laredo and Tucker, the top 10 graduates were recognized, also including Riley Woodward, Aubree Bedford, Zoey Goodson, Vanessa Veloz and Jonathan Gallegos, who also assisted with the announcing duties, along with Mia Backer.

Grads Dalton Anders and Jackson Daigle were honored for their plans to enter the military in the U.S. Army.

The class was recognized for the receipt of more than $1.4 million in scholarships.