KARNS CITY — During a walk-through of graduation ceremonies Tuesday, David Beck, the Karns City High School principal, told seniors they could get it right or come back Wednesday and try it again.

They nailed it on the first try.

That should not be surprising, considering 20 of the 112 seniors graduated with high honors and 33 earned full or partial scholarships toward their continued education.

But now many of them will enter the workforce that requires the right decisions.

"They all know they've got a fresh slate and hard work will be rewarded," Beck said.

At graduation Thursday night at the high school stadium, a moment of silence was held in memory of senior Alia Hackbarth, who died in a May 28 car accident on Route 422 in Clearfield Township.

The seniors are pleased to finally graduate.

"I'm glad it's done. I'll be spending the next year looking for a job and hanging out with my dad," said Elizabeth Boofer.

She plans to pursue nursing at Butler County Community College next spring.

"Once ROTC is done I'll be commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant," said Christopher Rajchel, who will attend Indiana (Pa.) University to study criminology after a four-year stint as a military police officer in the U.S. Army.

But he added, "It's sad. We may never see most of these people again until a class reunion."

Bill Fedorek, another of the four seniors entering the armed forces, said he plans to attend IUP for art and philosophy after completing U.S. Air Force basic training in October.

"I'm going for munitions so I'll be playing in the sand," Fedorek said with a grin.

Speaker and honor graduate Melissa Sypulski quoted legendary Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi in her speech, saying " a man can be as great as he wants to be."

"Each of us must determine what their idea of greatness is. It is up to us to decide how best to utilize the skills we possess," Sypulski said.

She will study preveterinary medicine at Westminster College.

Speaker Saxon Parker talked about globalization and job outsourcing in his speech, saying young adults must embrace the idea of the most qualified candidate earning a job, not rage against it.

"Americans have sat on our laurels too long. If the founding fathers were able to form a nation, we are able to reform it," Parker said.

"If I have learned one thing from my classmates, it is that they are capable of amazing things."

Parker plans to study electrical and computer engineering at Carnegie Mellon University.

Jonathan Burns, student council president and a member of the National Honor Society, also spoke. He plans to attend Saint Francis to study to become a physician's assistant.

Crystal Geibel, who plans to attend BC3 for secondary English education, said, "I kind of want to stay but I'm really excited to be moving on."

At the close of the two-hour commencement, class president Justin Anderson, who plans to attend BC3, told the Class of 2008 he loved them and believed in them.

"Though we have come so far," Anderson said, "we have got so far to go."

Then enough cameras flashed to light up the night as the white-robed young women and purple-robed young men pushed their tassels to the left and tossed their caps into the air.