Once you’ve attended a few high school graduation ceremonies — shout out to the teachers, school administrators and other community newspaper folks out there — the speeches and cheers and caps flying in the air may start to blend together in your memory.
But there are some moments you know will stand out.
Last Saturday’s speech by Rebecca Kullberg, president of Hayes Freedom High School’s associated student body, was one such moment.
Kullberg started her speech with an undeniable truth: the class of 2021 has been asked to weather more than most teenagers should ever have to.
“Far too often we watched in real time as bad thing after bad thing happened,” Kullberg said. “We’ve constantly seen death, injustice, violence and the promise of an uncertain future.”
The past year had taken a toll on our young people, Kullberg told the adults assembled at Doc Harris Stadium for the graduation ceremony.