Moniteau Moment
CHERRY TWP — Moniteau High School's 102 graduates sat on the stage of the school's auditorium Thursday night with the spotlights on them and “floating like the breeze.”
Graduates from the school choir sang the national anthem and followed by performing “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”
Before the ceremony, graduate Emily Lewis said she felt overcome with every emotion possible. She said the finality of it all made her rethink the anticipation of leaving the school and all her friends behind.
“You just want to replay and go back,” she said.
Lewis plans to attend Slippery Rock University for her general studies in the fall with plans to later attend the University of Pittsburgh for dental hygiene.
She said people outside their community look down on a Moniteau education, but they couldn't be more wrong, in her opinion.
“I honestly think it's one of the best schools in the county,” she said. “It's prepared me for life.”
As graduate Hunter Fitzingo mingled and congratulated his fellow classmates, he wore three medals around his neck, signifying District 9 championships in baseball for the years 2016, 2018 and 2019.
Fitzingo said following school he wants to attend a trade school to become a lineman for a power company. He said he was nervous about graduating, but the education he received has prepared him for the real world.
“I don't know exactly what the real world looks like, but I'm excited to see what it turns out to be,” Fitzingo said.
Madisyn Clark, the class president, joked about all the outages this year during her welcoming address, among others.
“Being able to proudly say we attended Moniteau High School with proper pronunciation is a feat on its own,” Clark said. “I hope we all remember where we came from.”Andie Arblaster, the valedictorian, said the class has the odds stacked against them to succeed, but she believes in her classmates and herself.“Our futures have been questions since we were born,” Arblaster said. “Our generation only has one option, to defy the odds. May we continue to beat the odds together.”Madison Bresnehan, co-salutatorian, said soon she and her classmates will be adults together, sharing the memories that they have made.“Every person sitting up here has done something to make this year memorable,” Bresnehan said.Presli Hollefreund, co-salutatorian, said high school had to be the hardest thing all of the graduates had experienced in their 18 years, but they finished together.“Standing up here, I am surrounded by friends,” Hollefreund said. “It's an honor to be a part of this community.”Just before the graduates received their diplomas, Lance Fox, high school principal, expressed his hope that they will all remember where they came from.“When you get that piece of paper, you go from being a student here to a person who used to go here,” Fox said. “This is your home. I hope you see it that way.”
