On Tuesday, June 4th the Bel Air High School class of 2013, consisting of 405 seniors, had their Graduation Ceremony in the Bel Air High School Gymnasium
This was the 198th Annual Commencement Ceremony at Bel Air High School. The class of 2013 was the first class to spend all four years in the new Bel Air High School. The ceremony started at 6pm and lasted about two hours. The ceremony was held in the gym but tickets were also sold for seating in the auditorium to watch on a big screen.
There were several speeches given at the graduation ceremony. Several members of the Maryland and Harford County Governments and a member of the Board of Education congratulated the Senior Class of 2013, spoke about the future, and taking control of your own destiny.
“We are not the future anymore, we are the present,” said Sarah Shulte who gave a student address.
“You are crafted to never surrender. Have faith. Don’t be afraid to be different. Create your own value. Listen to the music through to the end,” said Julia Streett who also gave a student address.
The valedictorian, Xuan Bui, and the class president, Gabriella Zakrocki, also gave speeches to the students.
For more than 50 years Bel Air has been making rose arches for the senior class to walk through at graduation. Bel Air is the only school that makes rose arches. The current junior class and siblings of any graduate that are in Bel Air High School are eligible to make the rose arches.
“We definitely have the best looking graduation. It’s very organized,” said rose arch coordinator, Mrs. Tackett.
Mr. Smith and Mrs. Taylor spend many hours preparing for graduation. They put together all of the diplomas to be given out and the graduation packets that hold the tickets and other information. The custodians also put in hours of work setting up the gym to be ready for graduation. They pull out the bleachers, lay down the nice floor, and set up the stage for the ceremony.
The senior class also puts in many hours of practice and preparation into the graduation ceremony. They have several rehearsals in order to make the ceremony run smoothly.
“The seniors rehearse for three days. They rehearse for the senior awards and they rehearse for the graduation ceremony. Custodians will be setting up chairs all day in the gym [on Tuesday]. It’s countless hours,” said Mrs. Tackett.
Congratulations to the class of 2013! You will be missed. We hope you go on to do great things and remember that you’ll always be a Bobcat.