Photo courtesy of Jill Clayholt Photography

Delia grads walked the stage on June 30 and received their diplomas, although it was not the stage originally planned.
    A scheduling conflict meant that the Delia Community Center was not available, and as such the grads moved the event to Munson, to the new facility there.
    The eight grads didn’t let that slow them down one bit, arriving in style in bright red vehicles.
    Andrew Echlin, Shea Fullerton, Saige Hall, Brailey Hickle, Cole Hoover, Xander Kipling, Matthew Kuvaja and Cree Moostoos all enjoyed their time to shine in front of family and friends while speakers gave them advice and shared moments from their past and well wishes for their futures.
    Superintendent Cam McKeage noted that it was an outstanding and diverse group of grads that stood before the community.
“Always remember to help others along the way,” he noted.He recommended learning from their mistakes and using patience, persistence and determination to help them through life.
    Delia Trustee Ed Brinkman noted that talking to the community was often difficult for him.
    He noted that Robert Fulghum had it correct when he wrote the book Everything I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.
1. Share everything. 2. Play fair. 3. Don’t hit people. 4. Put things back where you found them. 5. CLEAN UP YOUR OWN MESS,” Brinkman quoted.
    MLA Rick Strankman was on hand to present the grads their diplomas, but also took a moment to speak to them, noting that “one thing I’ve learned is sometimes fun turns out to be trouble!”
    Guest speaker Blair Raugust, who taught the grads in shop, discussed what made each grad special to him .“We will all encounter times of trouble,” Raugust noted.
    The community and the grads, families would help grads “get through it.”  “We all set goals and we all have a picture of what your future will look like. You need people to support that. People to look up to and keep you on track.”
    As the graduates used a Walt Disney quote for their theme Raugust elected to finish his comments on a Disney quote aswell.
    “You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality.”
    In her salute to the parents Hall noted that they were ”sorry for all the grey hairs caused.” “We’re so grateful to have you by our side.”
    In his salute to the teachers Hoover noted that “each one of you have had an impact on us grads.”
    Valedictorian Kipling noted that there was nowhere else he’d rather grow up than Delia. “You’ve spent the last 18 years of our lives preparing us for the next stage of life,” he noted to the parents.
    To his fellow graduates he noted that they had always pushed him to be his best self. “I have no doubt each of you will be successful – Never settle for mediocre,” he said. “Whatever you do, do it well.”