The Bainbridge High School gymnasium was full of 317 failures Tuesday night, according to senior valedictorian Jakob Thorn.
“Class of 2014, we are going into the world and we are going to fail,” Thorn said to a crowd of classmates, peers and families. “But by being here tonight, we have all shown that we hold the real key to success and refuse to be afraid of failure. I am able to address you tonight because I have faced failure.”
Thorn said through failure, he was able to find his strengths, shaping him into the young man he had become.
“I am here tonight to tell you to refuse to be afraid of failure and commit ourselves to the dedication in those areas in which we excel, we can be everything we are meant to be,” Thorn said to a cheering crowd.
Senior honor graduate Jill Overman welcomed the crowd and introduced the 2014 class of a whole. Seniors Kay Bush and Brooke Parker also gave speeches congratulating their classmates on reaching one of the biggest milestones of their lives.
The Class of 2014 graduated 92 honor students, the largest number of honor students to graduate at once in the school’s history.
Bainbridge High School Principal Tommie Howell announced the students before him had fulfilled the requirement for the diplomas they were about to receive before handing one to each of them.
The ceremony was closed with Bainbridge High School’s alma mater, “The Purple and Gold,” led by the senior Choral Ensemble. The audience roared as the graduates turned their tassels to the left side of their hats and threw them into the air.
“It’s a big time for the community and an important time in those kid’s lives,” School Board Chairman Sydney Cochran said.