FREEPORT — For the 140 students in the Freeport High School Class of 2015, Friday’s graduation ceremony represented a high point.

Principal Michael Kleckner said at the ceremony at Laube Hall the students took on any challenge presented to them and represented Freeport with honor.

“It is my honor as a principal to be associated with that,” Kleckner said.

Maggee Carrara, one of the student speakers, talked about each year at the school district, describing it as the story of the Class of 2015.

“This is not the end of our story; it is merely the end of our first chapter,” Carrara said.

Dylan Kersten, another student speaker, said that reaching graduation was an accomplishment. He said members of the class can change the world.

“We don’t need to prepare for the future. We need to prepare to be the future,” Kersten said.

To do that, he said graduates need to dream, be humble, persevere and love.

Dan Lucovich, president of the school board, also spoke at the ceremony.

“Graduates, today is a day to look back,” Lucovich said.

In addition to it being the end of the their school careers for the Class of 2015, Lucovich also noted this is the last graduation for Superintendent Chris DeVivo, who will be leaving to be the superintendent at the Armstrong School District.

Backstage before the ceremony, Monica Walter was thrilled to be graduating.

“I’m so excited. I can’t wait,” said Walter, 18, of South Buffalo Township.

She will head to Slippery Rock University to study K-4 special education.

“I like working with kids,” Walter said.

She said she will miss her friends and the relative ease of high school, but will not miss long, uninterrupted days of classes.

Courtney Greco, 17, of Buffalo Township also was excited, and said high school seemed to go by quickly.

“It has flown by really fast,” Greco said.

The next stop for Greco is Butler County Community College for general studies. Her goal is to get into television and cinema production.

Although looking forward to college, she said she will miss seeing her friends every day.

Derek Jack, 18, of Buffalo Township will go to West Virginia University to study petroleum engineering, which is the field his father works in.

He said he is looking forward to going to school a little bit further away from home.

“I wanted to get a decent distance away, but not too far,” Jack said.

He said he will miss some of his teachers. As for what he will not miss: “Just the general lack of responsibility, I guess,” Jack said.

Ryan Miller, 18, of Buffalo Township said his time in high school seemed to go fast.

“It went by in a flash, which is a good thing and bad thing,” Miller said.

He is excited to move on to a new, less restrictive chapter of his life. But there is a downside, too.

“I’m going to miss a lot of these people,” Miller said.

He will attend Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, for biomedical engineering.