JEFFERSON – A packed gymnasium of family, friends, siblings, significant others, faculty, administration and staff watched 111 Jefferson Area High School graduates cross the stage on a gorgeous Friday evening in late May, taking take their diplomas…and their first steps into the adult world.
As guests took their seats, the Jefferson Area High School Marching Band under Fred Burazer played musical selections – everything from a medley of U.S. service songs like “Anchors Aweigh” and “The Marine Corps Hymn,” to “Paint It, Black” by the Rolling Stones during the ceremony on May 29.
A more recent tradition saw Class Secretary Gabriellia Talley take the official class selfie, followed by a break when graduates could leave their seats and find someone in the audience to pose with for their own selfie – leading to more than a few wet eyes as moms, dads and other close loved ones realized the emotional weight of the moment.
Jessica Dreis, the first student speaker, offered her thoughts on the occasion, comparing the course of their respective lives to a band in “Long Notes Have Direction.”
“Over the past four years of high school, there’s one lesson that has stayed with me – something I heard almost every day in the band room,” she said. “Even if you’ve never taken a music class, I think it still applies to all of us. Mr. Burazer would always say, ‘Long notes have direction.’
“In music terms, this means even the notes that seem simple or unimportant still need purpose. They’re always going somewhere.
“Sometimes, other sections of the band have the melody—the louder, more noticeable parts—and when that happens, your job is to support. You might play softer, but your role still matters just as much.”
Dreis summed her point by stating that volume doesn’t equal importance.
“All of us are on our own ‘long note’ right now,” she said. “And just like in band, we each have direction— somewhere we’re going, even if it doesn’t always feel clear. Some of us may feel like we’re moving fast, knowing all our aspirations and goals. Others might feel like they’re taking things slower, figuring things out as they go.”
Gabriel Starr spoke on the seeming unreality of the moment after years of seeing graduation as some sort of far-off event.
He quoted Proverbs Chapter 10, pulling from 32 individual verses structured as contrasting parallelisms, directly comparing the traits and outcomes of the righteous to the wicked.
“We can be confident in our decisions when what we are pursuing is good. Because at the end of the day, it’s not just about what path you choose… it’s about how you walk it,” Starr said. “So, as you go ahead today and begin your life making choices, remember that first and foremost, do everything out of love. Make decisions that better your life and the lives of those around you. Support each other, lift others up, and don’t lose sight of what truly matters – and remember that if you stand firm in righteousness, your path will be blessed.”
Starr circled back to a humorous reference to a botched fraction multiplication question from 6th grade that made him realize he was halfway finished with school, if not how to multiply 2/3 by 3/4.
“So, seek wisdom, seek love, and above all else, seek God,” he said. “Six years once felt like forever. Now we know how quickly time moves, make it count. Because It’s our turn to choose what matters.”
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