Staff writer
Retired teachers Stan and Deb Wiles of Ramona were speakers at the Sunday commencement at Centre High School.
They reminisced about their time at Centre, Stan as a physical education teacher, and Deb as a junior high science teacher.
“If you’re going to put your hand out to a teammate,” Stan Wiles reminded students, “make sure it is to lift them up, not push them down.”
He challenged them to plan their lives by setting goals, so at the end of their lives they will have few regrets and will have lived well.
Deb Wiles talked about the importance of having good character.
“Reaching goals is important,” she said, “but how you reach them is more important.”
She encouraged them to hold to strong moral values as they face the challenges of life.
Twenty-five seniors walked across the stage to receive their diplomas. Five were graduates of the Kansas Online Learning Program. Four other virtual school graduates were not in attendance. Eleven graduates received trophies for scholastic achievement.
The class motto was, “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own, and you know what you know, and you are the one who’ll decide where to go,” by Dr. Seuss.