GRADUATION DAY !

It's graduation day here on the rock. For so many students of KHS it is the end of years of struggling to achieve goals, and the beginning of a new life. My congratulations to all of you. My heart goes out especially to Chris T., Tim S., Jake K., & Robert L. I have watched you all grow and I hope you all achieve your goals.
I would ask all of the graduates to remember your community. This afternoon as you walked out of that auditorium with your fistful of diploma, scholarships, or maybe just that feeling of accomplishment you all have earned; remember this community.
Revel tonight, revel tomorrow, revel all the way through CrabFest, then prepare for the next step.
I have no idea where the roads ahead of you will lead you. I do know, if you hold in your heart, the spirit of this community, then you will be far ahead of the pack.
Never forget the island you grew up on. The potlatch fundraisers, the community cleanup every spring, and the seemingly endless other fund raising events you partook in. Never lose that desire to help your neighbor. It is what makes this island, your home, so magnificent.
No matter where you go, people will always be amazed when they find out where you are from. I ask you; do not regale them with tales of bears, and whales. Sure throw that in, if only to try and describe the beauty of this isle. Rather tell of the times your family and friends went out in the middle of the storm to help a neighbor, of the times the community rallied to help finance the costs of a neighbor in dire straits. Show them the beauty of a true neighborhood, where volunteers are the norm and not the exception.
In your travels, teach all those around you the beauty of Kodiak. The giving, the caring, and the partisanship that makes us what we are; Kodiakans.
Show the world that people can really make the difference.
Good luck to you all, God bless you all.
Prosecutus vires quod diligo
Do the right thing, and not just for yourself.
Peace ya'll