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223 Dolphins told to take on challenges
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Posted on May 29 2004
The Marianas High School Gymnasium was filled to capacity yesterday in honor of several students, whose years of endless efforts in pursuing academic success paid off.
Parents, fellow students, family members, friends, school officials, and dignitaries gathered for the school’s 2004 Commencement Exercise, which featured 223 students exiting as citizens with another mission—to take on further academic challenges.
The message was the backbone of keynote speaker Rep. Heinz Hofschneider speech, and drew a loud applause from the seniors and the audience.
“Remember, your family and those closest to you are around, [maybe] not physically, and they’re rooting for your success, and they will be there to pick you up should you fall, and that we [community] have complete confidence that you will manage on your own.”
“The challenge is always to do what is right, good, and true, even it others don’t appreciate it. You have to keep striving no matter what, because if you don’t, many of the things that need to be done in our world will never get done,” he added.
At one point, the former House speaker drew laughter when, during his speech, the slanting rays of the afternoon sun were focused on him, forcing him to shade his face with his hands and prompting him to quip about it.
The ceremony climaxed with the students being presented with individual awards. Paul Magcalas was recognized for posting the highest Grade Point Average, thus, receiving praise as the year’s valedictorian while Rina Jeon Jung was applauded as the salutatorian.
Moments later, each student was presented with his or her diploma, and the event finally peaked as the seniors engaged in the turning of tassels.
In their final performance as seniors of Marianas High School, the students blew the audience off their seats with a boisterous rendition of their senior class song.
Besides Hofschneider, among the noted guests in yesterday’s graduation rites was Lt. Gov. Diego T. Benavente, Saipan Mayor Juan B. Tudela, Board of Education chair Roman Benavente, BOE member Marja Lee Taitano, and other ranking officials.
