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Schools

Mountain View HS Students Graduate and Move on to New Challenges

Mountain View High School's class of 2011 Commencement Ceremony was held on Friday at the Gwinnett Center.

“A few more hours and we'll officially be done,” said Sam Yang, salutatorian of , in his graduation speech. And a little less than two hours later, his words came true as more than 200 students received their high school diplomas and turned the tassels on their caps from left to right.

The graduation ceremony took place at the Gwinnett Center, which provided ample space for the families and friends of the graduates. The class of 2011 is only the second class to graduate since Mountain View High School opened in August 2009, which means this year's graduates all began high school at another school.

The salutatorian, valedictorian and a guest speaker chosen by the senior class shared their thoughts and advice for the future.

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Yang told about how when he was 15, he almost lost his father in a boating accident on the Chattahoochee River. He saved his father by performing CPR, but the experience affected him profoundly.

“It seemed that in a single day, he had aged five years,” Yang said. “I spent most of my time blaming myself for that.”

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But eventually, Yang said, he realized his father wouldn't want him to be overwhelmed by self-pity. He overcame his feelings of guilt and changed from “a sad, shy, reserved boy” into the happy and energetic personality his classmates know today.

Valedictorian Alex Ubiera spoke about the challenges the class had already faced and succeeded in, and those yet to come.

“I am tired of watching the news and reading articles about young people who threw their lives away because they did not make good decisions,” Ubiera said.

He challenged Mountain View's class of 2011 to do better, by setting lofty goals and surrounding themselves with people who share the same vision, and deciding what's important to them.

“I firmly believe that the legacy we leave here will far outlast the material possessions we leave here,” he said.

The guest speaker, teacher Jody Teague, told how proud she was of the graduating class, and advised them that “today is the day that life becomes hard.” But she offered some advice to help them.

“I've found that most people who have a stable, profitable and happy life have a purpose,” she said. “You can easily waste time and money wandering down an aimless path or no path at all.”

Working hard toward a purpose you care about, she said, is the surest way to create a good life for yourself.

Finally, the graduating class walked up to receive their diplomas, and then walked out of the arena to begin the next stage of their lives.

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