ATEMS graduates urged to aspire even higher
Emma Dantzler used her valedictory speech at the Academy of Technology, Engineering, Math and Science (ATEMS) graduation Saturday night at the Taylor County Coliseum to define some terms.
Specifically, she defined valedictory, which she said came from Latin roots and means to say farewell. In her farewell to her classmates, Dantzler urged them to try hard and quoted both John F. Kennedy and her mother to illustrate her point.
“Our 35th president, John F. Kennedy, said, ‘Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try,’” Dantzler said.
Dantzler said her mother expressed the sentiment a little differently: “It’s ok to not know. It’s not ok to not try.”
Dantzler began her remarks by breaking down the sentence, “I learned something today,” a four-word sentence she said represented the essence of education. She said the pronoun “I” meant something personal, “learned” meant something was acquired, “something” was the object of the subject taught and “today” denotes immediacy.
She urged her classmate to “greet each challenge with a smile and end the day with a thank you for the obstacles,” and closed with an appropriate quote from Elrond in “The Lord of the Rings”: “I think I’m quite ready for another adventure.”
The fifth graduating class at ATEMS was the largest in the school’s history, 71, according to Principal Ketta Garduno. Despite its small enrollment, salutatorian Chandler Ellis noted that the school holds its own in academic competition at the UIL Class 6A level.
In his remarks, Ellis also reflected on the class of 2017’s first days at ATEMS.
“Many of us didn’t know what to expect,” he said, adding that the school has changed significantly in their four years. He said only 10 of the school’s 27 faculty members were at the school four years ago.
“We have triumphed over all our obstacles,” Ellis said, adding, “We are a smart and resourceful graduating class.”
Garduno seconded that opinion with a recitation of the class’ accomplishments from the past school year. She started with the first cardboard boat competition held at the pool at Abilene Christian University, the class’s trip to NASA and to nine universities as well as the school’s first-ever prom.
She also said that ATEMS was one of only 77 high schools in the state to achieve all seven standards from the Texas Education Agency. Still, she urged her fellow graduates to go even further.
“Work hard and remain focused,” she told the students. “When you have obstacles, work harder. Be kind and respectful.”
