The Emery High School graduates of 2024 celebrated their special night on Thursday in the EHS Auditorium. The theme for the night was “It’s About Time”. Easton Thornley opened up the ceremony with leading everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by a prayer from Boston Huntington.
Taya Cowley, Senior Class President, provided the welcome speech for the auditorium filled with friends, family and loved ones.
“To say we had fun, would be an understatement. We started the year with a luau, belly flop competition and sidewalk chalk contest. We celebrated homecoming with the theme of Good Vibes. We tie dyed shirts to show our school spirit. We had powderpuff games, beefcake volleyball, tailgate parties, a parade, crowned homecoming royalty and ended the week with a dance.”
Cowley continued the trip down memory lane. “We wore pink and painted the town and state of Utah pink. We dyed 200 pairs of socks pink, so that our teams and local schools could show our love and support for Kirsten. We started a new tradition at Emery High by creating two banners in the Spartan Center. These banners show the unity between clubs and sports and will be displayed for years to come. We started the year with the Senior Sunrise and ended it just last night at the Senior Sunset. This may be the end of our senior year, but in every ending, there’s a beginning.”
Cheyenne Bingham presented the speech “Change” for the Honor address.
“I think I can speak for all of us seniors, that graduating tonight is going to be super bittersweet. We’ve spent the last four years growing and making memories together. Some of us have even known each other since elementary school. It’s weird to think that pretty soon we are going to be pretty much [ir]relevant to each other’s lives. However, that’s the beauty of growing up. High school is short and sweet, but you learn a lot about yourself during it. If nothing else, one thing high school has taught me is change isn’t a bad thing. It can be difficult to navigate, yes, but you can’t grow or better yourself without change.”
“We’ve each accomplished and overcome so many trials in our lives already and I know we can continue to push through those challenges. Nothing comes easy, but that’s what makes success so rewarding. Probably the biggest change we’ve had to deal with this year is the loss of our classmate, Kirsten,” Bingham continued. “This was a change that none of us expected, but it brought our community together in a way that was really inspiring to me. We were able to unite as a school and a county to honor Kirsten and be there for her family during a very hard time. The Beagley’s have been there and done so much for me the last few months, when I’m the one that should be there for them. The change that we experienced together this year is one that I know we will continue to get through together. Our class is so strong and I know that Kirsten is so proud and excited for all of us and for the things that we are going to accomplish.”
Elizabeth Carrol was on the podium next for the Honor Address titled, “Don’t Wait”.
“Hate had four letters, but so does love. Enemies has seven letters, but so does friends. Lying had five letters, but so does truth. Negative has eight letters, but so does positive. Cry has three letters, but so does joy. Anger has five letters, but so does happy. Hurt has four letters, but so does heal. Life is a double-edged sword, so transform every negative side into an aura of positivity. There is no one like you, there will never be someone like you. Life is hard and we all go through storms. Some of which no one will ever know about. But we have a choice, when we get knocked down, stop fighting and give up, we will have no chance to overcome the negatives in our lives. But if we choose to get back up, continue to fight and refuse to give up. Then we will have a chance to flip the script and fill our lives and other lives with more positivity. There is light at the end of the tunnel and the only ones that can’t see it are those who choose not to or cannot lift their head up to see it. So don’t wait, don’t wait to get up and lift your heads to see the light. Don’t wait to help others lift their head up to see the light. Don’t wait.”
Carrol continued by presenting a song she had written the music for, along with the lyrics with fellow graduate, Tyson Laws. The song was entitled, “We Sing to Remember”. The Senior Choir members sang the song with a beautiful harmony, bringing many in the audience to tears.
Tyler Frandsen then presented the Salutatory Address, “A Strong Community Shaped Our Success.”
“This year has been monumental in the shaping of our lives. This is the year that we decided what our next step will be. Whether it be heading to college, joining the workforce, joining the military or whatever else it may be. As we reflect on the past four years, let us recognize the incredible community that brought us here today. Think of your freshman or sophomore year, when the kindness of an upperclassmen gave you the confidence to excel. Think of the times you struggled most in school, when your teachers had the patience and selflessness to go above and beyond in helping you. Think of your own community leaders, like Trent Jackson, who played an integral role in funding your graduation party. As we begin to go our own separate ways, many of us leaving Emery County, let us not forget the qualities of the community that shaped us. Let us, in our own lives, adopt those same qualities. Through this, I know we can make our own communities just as supportive, generous and welcoming as the one we’ve grown up in.”
Valedictorian, Jorgen Robinson, then presented his address titled “It’s About Time.”
“To each of us, success looks a little bit different. Make sure to spend, take and make time so that you can find your successes. But right now, I think we can all agree, it’s about time that we enjoy the success that we’ve each had in our lives this far. I’d like to end by giving thanks. Thank you to my fellow classmates and all that you have meant to me throughout the years. Thank you to my teachers, that encouraged me to do the best that I could. Thank you to my family and friends, for always having my back. Thank you, most of all, to my mom, without her I wouldn’t be standing here today. No, really, she helped me write most of this speech. Thank you, to you all.”
The graduates then received their diplomas given out by the Board of Education members.They were James Winn, Tracey Johnson, Todd Huntington, Royd Hatt and McKenzi Guymon. The class closed out the ceremony with a song sang by the entire class, “Halls of Emery”. Congratulations class of ’24!
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- Photos by Jamie Swank
