From seniors to alumni, all in the space of an hour. That’s how Saturday afternoon unfolded as graduation commencement was held at Elgin High School.
Thirteen seniors had diplomas conferred upon them by District #18 Board President Lisa Welding.
Moments before that, Valedictorian Jarek Erickson spoke to a gathering of gradates’ family and friends which filled much of the seats available in the gym.
Erickson spoke about a quote which made more sense now than it ever did before – ‘The windshield is bigger than the rearview mirror for a reason.’
“This quote reminds us that even though reflection and looking back can be important, the events and actions lying ahead of us matter even more. Today, as the Class of 2026, we have the opportunity to do both — first, glance back through the rear view mirror at the moments that brought us together, and then focus on what lies ahead for each of us.”
The windshield, he said, is bigger because our futures deserve way more attention and focus than our past. Our past includes fond memories and fun times that we will never forget, but the windshield holds opportunities to grow, learn, chase dreams and explore possibilities unimaginable to us at this point in our lives.”
…see more at this week’s Elgin Review.
