ÈËÊÞÐÔ½»

They ended high school Friday in Holland Stadium, still uncertain about their futures — but a little more excited about them.

"Think about the person you were back then, isolated and scared of what your life was going to be," valedictorian Noelle Pipher told her classmates in her commencement address, referencing COVID-19.

"And think about how many obstacles you have overcome and how many times you have endured to get to where you are today. A lot of the time we look back at our lives in the moment and we feel like we're failing. But in the future, we can look at those moments and appreciate the struggles we have experienced that have made us stronger and more successful versions of ourselves today." 

The 269 graduates of this year's Auburn High School class were surrounded by a couple thousand friends and family under the oppressive sun of this week's heat wave.

A late report of rain threatened the ceremony, prompting some speakers to speed up their remarks. One of them was Auburn Enlarged City School District Jeffrey Pirozzolo, who said he had something in common with this year's class that he hadn't with the previous eight he addressed on graduation day. Like those 269 students, he said, he will begin a new chapter in life when he retires in January.

"Our story is not over. It's going to continue. And I guarantee your new chapters are going to be exciting," said Pirozzolo, who will have been with the district for 19 years at the end of his time there.

"I want to thank all of you for making my wishes come true. I am so proud to have served our students and families, and I just want to thank you very much for letting that happen."

Also addressing the class of 2024 Friday was senior class president Ava Pinckney, who praised her classmates for supporting each other through their frequently disrupted high school careers.

"I'm proud of what we've accomplished together," she said. "We are a resilient, talented and spirited group." 

Salutatorian Keegan Brady, along with sharing a touching anecdote about his family and fond memories of some of his Auburn teachers, recalled a classmate unsuccessfully asking a teacher to prom to laughs from the audience. But the student wasn't just looking to lighten the mood — he was speaking to the importance of facing the future, whatever it brings, without fear.

"The only thing we can expect in the next phase of our lives is many mysteries and very few givens," he said.

"That is one of the finest examples of not being afraid of failure that I've ever encountered, and one that will serve as a lifelong reminder that overcoming disappointment is a part of life."