Gerald J. Toomer

Transcription

Ladies and gentlemen please rise for the procession of the class of 2012. Please remain standing for the presentation and posting of the colors. Thank you Miss Flemming and Kadena High School JROTC Color Guard. Please be seated. Mrs. Brown, Mister Dellacroce, Brigadier General Molloy, honored guests, parents, family members and friends: good evening and welcome to the Kadena High School graduation ceremony for the class of 2012. Thank you for joining us this evening. Seniors, this evening is a night that many of you have been waiting for for many years. Beginning with your graduation, tonight you will be embarking on many new journeys and adventures, each of you going in your different directions. But no matter where your journey in life may lead, you will most likely never forget tonight and those that are sitting with you on this stage. Tonight I challenge you to build upon what you have learned and go out into the world and making it a better place for all of us. Lastly, as you travel down the road of life, never put behind you your family and friends as they are the ones you can always count on. There are several facts I would like to share with you about the graduating class of 2012. There are 148 graduating seniors, with a graduation rate of 97%. One of our graduates has received an appointment with the United States Air Force Academy. Two class members have been offered ROTC scholarships. 8% of our graduating class will be serving amongst America's heroes in the United States Military. Six students have opted to join the United States Air Force. Three will join the United States Marine Corps, and four will serve in the United States Army. 51% of the class will be attending college or a university. 23% has chosen to attend a junior community college, or junior college. 5% will attend a technical and vocational school. 11% will enter the workforce and 2% have other plans. From all the faculty and staff at Kadena High School, congratulations and best wishes to you all. This evening senior choir piece was written especially for the graduating class of 2012. We will be singing it just tonight and only tonight and it was written specifically for these seniors and dedicated to our friend and choral musician Eddie Allshouse. Hey guys, I'm Monique Perez and I'm the senior class president of this beautiful class of 2012, and I'm here to introduce to you our guess speaker for this year. He was commissioned in 1987 through the Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University of Colorado, Boulder. There he receive a Bachelor of Science in aerospace engineering. In 1989 he completed Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training and earned the title command pilot and as of today he has 3,200 flying hours under his belt. Assignment-wise, he has been stationed in places like Texas, Arizona, Iceland, DC, Florida and of course here from 1989 to now. He worked his way up from being a student in training at Sheppard Air Force Base to a leading commander at Kadena Air Force Base. Our guess speaker today has been awarded the Legion of Merit, the Combat Readiness Medal, the Air Medal and the Bronze Medal, just to name a few, he has a whole bunch more. As of today he is the commander for the 18th Wing on Kadena Air Force Base, and if you guys didn't know, that is the largest wing combat in the whole entire US Air Force. There is no doubt that he has endured a lot to get the respect that he deserves right now and this is why we had no hesitation in selecting him as our 2012 guest speaker. With that said, class of 2012, family, friends, faculty and staff I am honored to present to you Brigadier General Matthew Molloy. Wow, she did a great job. I have to tell you, I'm already blown away. I don't want to deflate the whole thing, because now I've got to perform, but to the music that we had, and how about that honor guard? Didn't they just make you proud to be an American and a Japanese? And that honoration of Eddie - that was so beautiful, thank you choir. Good evening Panther Class, 2012 and I want to thank you students. I want to, first of all, thank you for your support to the nation which you probably don't hear enough or even at all but riddle me this: how many of you have been to more than just one high school in your high school experience? How many more than two high schools? There are a few hands out there. Now if you think all the way back to, say, grade school, first grade on up - how many of you have been to more than four schools? Raise your hand. Look at that, ladies and gentlemen. These students have sacrificed mightily for the cause of freedom. They have suffered that bitter pill of separation from close friends and endured PCS moves for our nation so I think as a Commander and as parents we owe them another round of applause for that kind of sacrifice, yes indeed. Well, who would have thought I would have been standing here today? Actually what Monique didn't tell you is I wasn't the intended graduation speaker. I'm actually a deep select, I'm the number two guy tonight. The number one guy actually regretted, his name is President Barack Obama. So imagine my shock and surprise, when I actually got the call - you're in kid. And actually with all respect to the President, what was he thinking regretting on the class of Kadena High School 2012? Well audience, class don't worry, you will hardly note the difference. The speeches all sound the same - wapa-wapa-wapa. And our names are sort of similar. Well maybe not, but we both have really cool jets, that's for sure. He has got Air Force One, I have an Air Force F-15C that goes Mach 2. And I'll tell you this, I think both he and I would agree that neither would trade his jets or his job for anything in the world, and that in it on itself ought to be instructional for you. The contentment, the satisfaction that you get when you are doing what you truly love, no matter what it is, it is awesome to chase and realize your dreams and my prayer for each one of you is that will happen for you as it has for both of us. So, here is the road map for tonight, it's really simple - two main points, and the first point is - I'm going to charge you with a pursuit of knowledge and education because that is how you chase those dreams and actually turn those dreams into reality. And then second, I'm going to remind you who you are as Americans, American adult citizens now and your role and responsibility in furthering this great experiment that we call America. Now I realize some of you may be dual citizens some of you may be Japanese citizens but the point will still apply in the larger terms so here we go. Point number one, only two points so this isn't going to be too hard. Your continual pursuit of education and knowledge. So, you are rounding out and you've crossed the finish line tonight with your primary education, but this actually only is the end of the beginning for you in your educational journey. You have been trained in the basics now of how to learn with the intent that principal Gibson has for you, and your parents certainly, is that you build on this and make learning a life long habit and a continual pursuit. Learning doesn't have to be in a college, and in fact of the demographics of what we heard are exactly what I was thinking of, of where you may be going. So some of you, it's right to the college classroom, 51% I think I heard. For some of you it may be learning a trade. For others of you it's joining the military, hurrah! And learning the art and application of military sciences. But I'm going to be frank with you, for those 49% that I heard tonight, I believe that you maximize your education potential and you achieve unlimited options when you pursue a college degree. It should be not surprise to you, that your future earnings are strongly related and closely tied to your educational attainments. So here is the raw facts - if you have a Bachelors degree you have an earning potential which is 75% greater than someone with that parchment paper that you are going to get tonight, a high school diploma, 75%. Now some quick math because here at Kadena High School goal number one is that all students will approve their mathematical reasoning across all curricular areas, right? Have you heard that somewhere? I have high school students, so I know this. And I did some quick math on the back of the little napkin while I was sitting there and that comes out to like 1-1.5 million bucks. And for class 2012 I'm thinking that is a lot of Apple downloads over the course of a lifetime. 1.5 million bucks over the course of a lifetime. So make college- it's not 'if I go to college', it's 'when I go to college' proposition. Some of you are going straight away, as we heard tonight, and we also heard tonight that some of you will join the military first, which is awesome. Develop a skill, maybe get your degree in the military, or use the GI Bill and get your degree. Some of you are going to go pursue a trade, an honest day's wage and then will matriculate into college. But go to a university, a community college, go online, go in person, go to college. So I'm going to distill that first point down to the very essence of it to the testosterone and to the estrogen message, which I know that you will understand because they are the building blocks of life. For the men, guys - girls dig guys with college degrees. This is a fact. For the ladies, for the ladies, college is where you will find the guys who have a full set of teeth. And there's more. And where an elevated stature does not mean putting the F-150 up on blocks, nor does it mean letting the front yard grass grow taller than the F-150 up on grass. So, bottom line, continue your education, go to college, put those proverbial keys on the key ring and they will unlock doors. Yes, those of course are doors of opportunity. Without question your degree is opportunity in another name. And it is not necessarily a life necessity, but it is an enabler. Now I'm going to tell you what is I think, a life necessity. And I am sure that many of you here today, and in fact I heard the statistics are kind of like I was as a high school graduate, you are at the crossroads of life, I knew my next step would be going to college, but beyond that it was kind of murky. I didn't know what kind of a career I wanted, I was basically clueless. You know what? That's ok, because here's why - life is like a big banquet table, oh yeah. It's like the huge buffet table and you are best off, this is advice you can write down on your palm, you are best off if you treat it as such. Taste, sample and most importantly survey the display first, okay? Here, work with me. Close your eyes for a second. I know half of you already have them closed for other reasons, but close them and think of the Kadena Officer O Club brunch on Sunday. Hopefully you know this brunch. If you don't, know this brunch this weekend because your parents owe it to you, you just graduated. The Kadena O Club Sunday brunch, hopefully you've been there, and if you see that room in your mind, come on, close those eyes, yep, there is huge wall to wall food. It's a veritable smorgasbord, right? Food wall to wall. Now imagine what you are going for. Okay, you can open your eyes now. But before you load up that plate, you know what you really need to do? You need to look around, walk the ground, taste and sample. Don't be the guy that fills up on the salad and the soba, only to find when you get to the end of it, that's where the roast beef cutting station is, the made-to-order omelets and Chef Greg's dessert array. We do that for a reason, there is a sucker born every minute who loads up on the breadsticks up in the front. So that is sort of like life quite frankly. And my point is if you survey the whole room and see it all, then you grab a small plate, load up a little bit- not load up actually, put a little here, a little there, sample what's interesting to you, and then when you find what you love, grab a big plate and load it and fill it. So too with life, so too with life. As you start your journey into independence, keep your eyes wide open, and your options wide open including college courses. Go there with big ears and big eyes and listen, career opportunities. Heck, I suppose my advice even works when trying to find a spouse. It actually did for me. So then, when you find the right fit, when you find that right career, that calling or even your mate - mine is sitting in the second row, it's visceral, it's beyond words, then commit head long with your whole heart and you will be happy. So now, here is the other part that resonates with you students, but mom and dad and grandparents start feeling a little squirmish when I say this. Now you may start with aspirations tonight to be, say a brain surgeon. I know your mom might want you to be a brain surgeon. In fact you come from a long line of brain surgeons and that's pretty cool. But perhaps along the way, while trying to pay for brain surgery school you find you're a pretty gifted plumber, they're out there, the best in Milwaukee, in fact, and you love the work. In fact it was you, it was you that came up with that slogan that is now arrayed on the side of the fleet of white vans that says: We repair what your husband fixed. Now if this brings joy to your life, then go be a plumber. Do it with integrity, do it with excellence, do it with pride that touches lives. And in turn, you will be the richest man or woman on Earth, I guarantee you, with the kind of wealth that really matters. My point here is simple graduates - if god calls you to be a pauper, or a plumber, don't stoop to be a prince. You'd be surprised to know the name of the man who once said: "If I had my life to live all over again, I would be a plumber." Now, I'm going to leave you hanging. Okay, point two, rounding second base here. Welcome to an inheritance. Today is symbolic. My generation is going to begin the passing of the baton of our nation's future forward to you. Yes, I know you are all like - give it to me, hand it over. You're it, tag indeed. Soon you will become the backbone and the heartbeat of America, and I know you think that you already are, but we want you to run with that American dream and we want you to have that confidence, by the way, and we want you to further this grand experiment that we call America, where liberty freedom, self-determination, are the fabric of our existence. It's who we are, it's in our DNA. And our Founding Fathers were more than clear when they had a vision for this new country. They handed us a beautiful document the Constitution, and in doing so, they handed us some fundamental arrangements, including representation and limited government. Essentially constructing us a limited government of the people, of you, by the people, you and for the people, you. Limited but powerful, constitutionally powerful, not intended to be bureaucratically powerful. There is a big difference. A constitutionally powerful government finds its strength in its national character. Its strength comes from you, graduates. The decisions come from you. And it enables individuals and communities into action, whereas a bureaucratic government centralizes power. It has enormous latitude over your life and authority to make rules, and asks you to give up your liberties, your self-determination and your freedom and in exchange it is going to give you something. It is trying to be benevolent here, it is going to give you security, the proverbial safety net - health care, you will get welfare, free education, heck, probably the right for MTV and air conditioning. That net sounds pretty good, doesn't it? And attractive, but I think in the end you will find it a straitjacket. Individuals become dependent on their government, dependent for the well-being on entitlements. And I know the original intent was good, heck, who doesn't want all these free things? But the end state is a nanny state that legislates just about everything you do in the interest of your security. So, if this kid over here has a little accident, right here, you are all wearing diapers. That is kind of how it goes. And if you want, if you want to experience the Grand Canyon, then sign this liability form, please, and please observe the Canyon at a safe distance, from one of our remote monitors. We don't want anyone to get hurt and we certainly do not want to harm the environment. Well, perhaps you are like me and you actually want to climb that Grand Canyon, the cliffs, raft her rapids, embrace the risks and push the envelope, and pick yourself up when you slip, reap the rewards and see the sun rise from her cathedral walls. That's the American way. So, I simply want you to appreciate something here as we close - we are handing you the reins of determining Americans' future. There are big decisions ahead of you and choices you are going to make that are going to guide the course of our history. We want you to make them. You do this through your civic participation and by raising your vote, simply by doing this. And that is not pulling the one-armed jackpot machine, that is voting. And remember point number one - education? We want you to vote educated and well-informed. And if you do that, what a great thing it is. And what a great privilege we bestow on you, that time in your life, to vote. It's no accident it actually occurs about the time you are handed your diploma tonight. So here is the bottom line truth: we're Americans. We are pretty ordinary people but we have an extraordinary set of guiding principles. And America, if I put it this way, and in America our understanding of freedom, of limited government, lets ordinary people kind of like me, do extraordinary things. Remember the plumber we talked about? Who might be you actually. By the way, the guy who had that quote? Albert Einstein. Well that plumber, he may not know a lot about foreign policy, but he knows the economics of plumbing and he knows the value of an honest day's work. And in his freedom to pursue that business, he is the best plumber in Milwaukee. He is equal to any man, he has learned though the School of Hard Knocks, and where failure is not a solution, it's an excuse. I have heard that from a principal once before. And he agrees with Tom who says: I have not failed, I have just found 1000 ways that won't work. That is Tom Edison and then he brought us light. So, it is with this kind of character, this kind of optimism, this kind of spirit that we expect you to lead us forward. It comes from the gift of freedom, graduation class, which is not the government's gift to give, it's God's gift to all mankind. Our greatest danger lies in when we give it up, or give it to the state. So, we hand you the baton tonight, which is better described as a torch. It's Lady Liberty's torch. So as you take it, run. And here is my final benediction to you - let that torch shine brightly before you, guide you, illuminate the decisions that you make, bring light to your life and prosperity to your generation. Fuel her, protect her, fight for her. Ladies and gentlemen, class of 2012, from where I stand, looking at the next generation our future is very bright. Thank you. Thank you sir. I have the distinct privilege of introducing two wonderful young people. The first person I would like to talk to you about today is a young man, who was born in Bitburg, Germany. He has traveled around the world with his parents as an Air Force brat. Before attending Kadena High School, this young man attended Bay High School in Panama City, Florida. At this high school he was a member of the marching band and later joined the swim team. He has enjoyed acting throughout his high school career, and has had numerous lead roles in ninth through eleventh grade. After moving to Okinawa, he began swimming for the Okinawa Dolphins' swim team, and last year was made captain. This year he was elected the president of Kadena High School's National Honor Society, where he helped lead students to volunteer in Okinawa. He has also been the president of the Harvard Model Congress for the past two years. This year when the Harvard Model Congress team traveled to Singapore, he was selected as an outstanding delegate from more than 300 international students. This year he is the president of the Physics Club, the president of the Mu Alpha Theta, and after graduation he is going to be leaving for Spain, where he will study Spanish at Menéndez Pelayo International University for the summer. In the fall he will attend the University of Miami where he plans to pursue a degree in aerospace engineering. Please join me in welcoming to the stage Mr. Shane Kemeny. Alright, so no one told me I was going after the General, so just bear with me here. Ladies, gentlemen, parents, friends, my loved ones in Georgia and Spain and faculty, good evening. Tonight we celebrate the graduation of Kadena High School's Class of 2012. Seniors! It is my honor to be this class's salutatorian. To explain what salutatorian is, I turned to urbandictionary.com. A salutatorian is the person who just missed being valedictorian by a few GPA points. A very miserable person indeed. 2nd place is the first loser. However, no one here is a loser because by the end of tonight we will walk across this stage and be graduated. Since this speech is one big cliché I want to start off with a few clichés that we have all been hearing throughout high school. There is no I in team. Work smarter, not harder. Give 110%. Think outside the box. What the mind can conceive, the mind can achieve. The early bird catches the worm. Do or do not, there is not try. And, it all comes down to this. But I want to let you in on a secret, it doesn't all come down to this. High school is not the highlight of our lives, it is the end of the first chapter in the rest of our story. Students, be sad because you are saying goodbye to most of your friends. Parents, be sad because your children are going off on their own, or happy as the case may be. And everyone, be proud because tonight marks the first night of the rest of our lives. Our life is not defined by our high school grades, or extracurricular activities, or how many detentions we may have received. Our life is what we make it. You are the captain of your own life. Yes, the clichés will keep coming. As Abraham Lincoln said: always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other. There are many paths that this graduating class will take. Some will go straight into the workforce, others will join the military, and still more are going off to college. These paths may cross and diverge but do not be fooled, everyone here has the power to be successful. Yet, do not expect to be handed anything on a silver platter. You have to work hard to achieve big. Composer Colin Davis said it best: the road to success and the road to failure are almost exactly the same. Tonight's graduation is more than just a liberation from high school. It is a celebration of all the good and bad times, the frustrating and amazing teachers, the senior pranks, the friends lost and made, and most importantly a celebration of the future that is waiting for all of us. God bless us class of 2012, and God bless America. Thank you. The next person I would like to introduce to you is a young lady, who graduated first in the class this year. It is a lady who has been very diligent in her studies, and dedicated to working hard through the years. This young lady has been at Kadena High School all four years. She has had a passion for sports. She has played volleyball, basketball, softball for four years. During her senior year she was chosen for the all-district team for volleyball, and the all-tournament, all-district and all-Pacific teams for softball. This young lady also excels in other extracurricular activities at school. She is the treasurer of the National Honor Society. a member of the Mu Alpha Theta, and vice-president of the senior class. After high school she will be attending the University of Southern California where she will be majoring in biology, and she is hoping to pursue a career in medicine. Please welcome to the podium Miss Kelly Kaneshiro. Good evening everyone. I would like to begin with several thank yous to some very important people. First and foremost is my heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to our parents. You are our greatest supporters and loudest cheerleaders, even when we are losing. You applaud our music, plays, art work, sports and all our other talents. Throughout these past many years you have threatened and yelled at us, I mean, lovingly encouraged us to do our homework, study for our exams, and just be our very best. This evening is not only to honor our graduates, but this night also belongs to you, to celebrate the culmination of all your hard work, unfailing love, grey hairs, wrinkles and a job exceedingly well done. So, I love you mom and dad. I would also like to recognize the administration, faculty, advisers and staff of Kadena High School for your commitment and hard work in creating a caring and positive environment that has nurtured our academic and personal development. Most significantly, the heart and soul of any academic institution are its teachers. We owe a great deal of our success to those special teachers, who went beyond the words in the book, and made learning relevant and fun and interesting. To those inspiring teachers, who taught us to aim high and helped us realize our hidden potential. And thank you to those dedicated teachers who infused us with encouragement and never gave up until we finally got it. And now, to my fellow graduates I would like to offer a few messages. As the famous playwright George Bernard Shaw wrote: Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself. So dare to dream and imagine all of the possibilities that lie ahead of you. One of my favorites examples is Steve Jobs, the late founder of Apple Computer. He dared to dream, he dared to think outside the box and saw a milliard of possibilities no one else could see. He had a vision, many visions, some of which we now have come to know as the iPod, iTunes and the iPhone. I think it is safe to say that these creations have not only become a part of our everyday lives but have changed the world for ever. Find your passion in life and focus your time and energy into becoming who you want to be. We all know Oprah Winfrey to be one of our biggest icons. She wasn't born great, suffering abuse and poverty during her childhood, but she too had a vision of what she wanted to become, and possessed the passion to communicate with people. She describes passion as energy, the power that comes from focusing on what excites you and from doing what you love. When you are passionate, you can work all night long. Passion is the fuel that you need to succeed. Discover your passion and dedicate your life to fulfilling it no matter how long it takes. Challenge yourself to take risks so you can discover just how great you really are. Have the courage to try something new and different knowing that you may not always succeed. Try what you are afraid to do, because trying, whether you succeed or not, means living life without regrets never having to look back and wonder what could have been. Take a tip from Oprah and do the one thing that you cannot do. If you fail at it, try again, do better the second time, the third and the fourth. Imagine if a little child quit trying to learn how to walk after falling down 20 times. Imagine if he said I guess this walking thing just isn't for me. Can you imagine what we would all look like crawling around the halls of Kadena High School? Stay true to yourself and never lose your uniqueness, because that is what defines us. We may not become another Steve Jobs or Oprah Winfrey, but we can be sure of our own individual success if we dare to dream. Dare to make mistakes and have some failures. And dare to persevere until we succeed. I'm extremely proud and honored to be standing here with all of you amazing people. To all of my fellow graduates, as my friend Stephanie would say, carpe diem. Let's cherish this moment, because it will never come again. My very best wishes and congratulations to the class of 2012. We will begin the awarding of the diplomas. We would like to invite Mrs. Martha Brown, Acting Pacific Area Director and Okinawa District Superintendent, and Mr. Paul Dellacroce, Okinawa Assistant Superintendent on stage to congratulate our seniors. Assisting me are Dr. Dave Theis and Dr. Susan Paul, Kadena High School Assistant Principals, Brigadier General Molloy, Miss Jewel Vessell - senior counselor, Miss Melinda Flemming and Mr. Tim Black. Seniors, prepare to receive your diploma. Ladies and gentlemen, before we begin we will be reading the names of the graduates, and we know this is a very joyous and exceptionally wonderful time in the lives of your students and your families. We also respectfully ask that a continued level of formality and decorum be maintained and observed. Each and every student that crosses the stage tonight has a right for their name to be heard, and every parent, every grandparent, and every child has a right to hear their student's name called. We ask that you hold your applause to enthusiastic but short in duration, so that all students and parents can hear their names called. We thank you in advance for your courtesy and respect for all of our students. Benjamin Gabriel Ahner Edward Allshouse Jr. Abigail Adriana Aseo Monique Momo Baker Samantha E. Barnett Mackenzie Leigh Barry Khalil Issiah Belden Donald C. Bell Dwanisha Jenae’ Bellamy Taisha Nicole Beltran Camden Jay Bowden Ashley Bradberry Reid T. Burns Christopher T.A. Butler Alonzo Angulo Castaneda Olivia Laren Castro Raushan T. Cato Nicholas Allen Chan Allison Wine Chapman Kalvin K. Chase Robert John Cioppa Amber Lynn Coggins David Anthony Colbus Hayley Savannah Collins Shannon Arlene Condon Justin K. Cuny Christopher Martin A. Dadivas Natasha Nicole Danecki Bradford Clawson Davies Jeremy Adam Davis Marion N. Davis Ashley Scott Day Erin P. Deang Masato Dickerson Dillon K. Dodd Allison Michelle Downen Joshua Andrew Dyer Jonathan G. Ennis Desiree Enriquez Esteven P. Espinosa Kyle Satoshi Estabrook Andrea Marie Fitzgerald Ayanah Francis Joshua Fraser-Murray Miranda M. Freeman Tremaan H. Gipson Ashley Taylor Grove Nicky Minerva Guzman Megan Sue Hammerquist Luke Matthew Hand Andre Ja Juan Harry Lauren Elizabeth Harvey Brandon Raymond Hess Aleisha D. Hicks Maxwell David Higginbotham Susan M. Hoff Jeremiah David Ishikawa Brianna De’Nae Jenkins Jasmine Symone Jennings Breahnna Kaylin Johnson Carly Alexandria Jones Kristen Ashlee Jones Nadine Natsuko Kalloway Sarah K. Kane Cassandra Lain Kilkenny Lance Koenig Tyler J. Kregness Allan Anthony Caletena Lacar Kathryn Ann Lambert Justine John Macapinlac Larsen Kathleen J. Layug Brandon Alonte Lee Nichole Dominque Legall Leah M. Lewin Caitlin Marie Lewis Joshua Kaewe Lewis Janice Joven Lobo Vincent Thomas Loignon Victoria Aileen Lombardi McQuillen Jasmin Aki Lucas Megan Ashley Magyar Leyla A. Malyarchuk Lauren Elizabeth Manring Reina E. Marjenhoff Eluterio Melo Roslyn J.F. Mercado Elizabeth Ann Meza Kierra Mitchell Leonardo James Munji Ashley Marie Musser Chantal Luana Myers Arin K. Nakahara Matthew Christopher Nolen Marissa L. North Shawn Ryan O Connell Sequoia Lynn Parrott Ethan James Kuweiki Parsons Joe T. Patterson Jeffrey D. Peña Diana Delyan Petkova Kristina Hanako Petruff Michael Potts Brandon P. Powers Bria Jenee Pressley Jasmine Ann Ramilo Christopher James Ray Serena Danielle Rivera Caroline C. Robles-Graham Gabriel Alejandro Rodriguez Nicholas Blake Rogers Josette Rophael Mary Jane R. San Agustin Sarah Marie Schendel Connor James Scott James Howard Secrest Austin Michael Simonson Brandon James Sipocz Esmeralda Soria Eric Seifarth Stewart Helina Michael Tassi Alex Y. Thomes Joshua D. Thomes Amanda Carissa Toomer Joel Antonio Torres-Roman David Minh Tsueda Chinyere G. Turner Maya Keshini Valentine Madeline M.T. Velazquez Scott P. Vogel Keith Michael Warren Joseph W. Wartella Michael B. Waterman Taylor Nashay Welch Justin Lawayne Williams Maria Williams Carisa Pauline Wilwert Darrell Julius Winfrey Christian Hico Won Calen D. Wood Savon Xavier Woodie Meccah Kerchawn Wyse Lauren Nicole Youngs Sabrina G. Nicole Beal Stephanie Charlene Mobley Shane M. Kemeny Kelly N. Kaneshiro Monique Perez Zabrina R. Comia Class of 2012, please rise. One moment please. With the authority set forth by the Department of Defense Schools I hereby certify that you have met all graduation requirements. I now pronounce you graduates of Kadena High School. Class of 2012, I can finally say this, if you could please join me, and move your tassels from the right to the left. Congratulations graduates. Ladies and gentlemen may I present to you Kadena High School graduates of 2012.