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SATURDAY, SEP TEMBER 19, 2020 • KOKOMO TR I BUNE PROGRESS EDI T ION
BY ADAM GILBERT
KOKOMO TRIBUNE
A
rainy day couldn’t
bring down the joy
found inside the
Eastern High School gym.
After months of anticipa-
tion, doubt and hope, the
EHS class of 2020 finally
had their graduation
ceremony together.
Much like many of the
students gathered in front
of her, salutatorian Grace
Hubbard didn’t think she
would be spending a Sunday
afternoon in July inside
her high school gym. But
as she sat there in the gym,
she realized how much she
missed this. She told her
classmates that while they
may feel unprepared, or
not quite ready for the next
phase of life; it’s time to
turn the page and close the
chapter on their time at EHS.
“A lot of us are wishing we
could do it one last time …
but if this year has taught us
anything, it’s that nothing is
ever certain and you never
know when it will be your
one last time,” she said.
“The pause button is not
an option for us class of
2020, life is too short and
there is simply too much to
be done to not press play.”
One student not pressing
pause is David Price, who
will be heading to Arkansas
and attending Harding Uni-
versity to study nursing in
hopes of becoming a nurse
practitioner. In awe of the
culmination of his education
at Eastern, Price described
what having the physical
ceremony meant to him.
“It was a dream, you didn’t
think it was going to happen
and suddenly a couple of
months later they say that
it’s okay to happen,” he said.
“Now were here and gradu-
ated – dream come true.”
Another graduate, Callie
Sargent, said the ceremony
was even more rewarding
than usual due to having to
wait and deal with COVID-19
adding “trials make you who
you are.”
Students weren’t the
only ones happy to gather
together and reminisce. In
his first year of teaching
fifth grade at Eastern, com-
mencement speaker Jared
Stites made a promise that
he would wear a tie signed
by his fifth-grade homeroom
students to their gradua-
tion. Seven years later while
giving the speech to that
group of “the kids he never
had,”Stites pulled from
his robe the tie which was
proudly around his neck.
Stites said he began
working on this speech in
2016 because whether he
would get to speak at com-
mencement or just so he
could share it with them per-
sonally. During the speech
he was able to reminisce on
fond memories he’s shared
with his students such as a
contract signed in seventh
grade by Matthew Arcari
which promised Stites $1
million a year if Acari were
to make it into the NBA or
MLB.
“I’ll miss my daily high-
fives from Devin Davis
which started in sixth grade
… that’s seven years of daily
high-fives to make my day
better,” he said along with
sharing other stories like
students hiding their lunch
account balance papers in
his class room, having his
Christmas decorations called
ugly, going on trips and
coaching just to name a few.
“This class as a whole
can take on anything and
succeed,” he said. “No matter
what is out in their path, they
will always prosper.”
In a senior year marred
by COVID-19, valedictorian
Victoria Leeder encour-
aged her classmates to look
around at the people around
them one last time and see
how blessed they are to be
there. She went on to chal-
lenge her class to love their
lives.
“No matter what life holds
for you, no matter where
you may walk when we leave
this building one last time:
choose joy,” she said. “Over
and over again, choose to
smile at random passersby,
choose to laugh even when
the joke’s bad, choose to do
things you wouldn’t normally
do and go out of your way to
make other people happy.”
GRADUATIONS IN 2020 LOOKED DIFFERENT
EASTERN HIGH SCHOOL CELEBRATES
GRADUATION IN JULY CEREMONY
Kaiya Allen cheers
after Eastern’s class of 2020 are
officially named graduates during a ceremony on July 19.
BY ADAM GILBERT
KOKOMO TRIBUNE
I
f asked in January what Tipton
High School seniors like Ben
Scott thought they would be
doing on May 30, the answer
would be a simple and confident
reply about their graduation
ceremony.
Fast forward four months and
Scott, along with many classmates
from both Tipton and Tri-Central
high schools, found
themselves instead
at Tipton Park in late
May.
“I don’t actually
feel like I’ve gradu-
ated, to be honest, but just having
this today – having something
today has been nice,” he said.
The “something nice” Scott
referred to was a celebratory
parade spearheaded by Tipton Ele-
mentary special education aide and
senior parent Anita Henry.
After COVID-19 pushed back
graduation plans until July, Henry
and a group of moms felt strongly
about getting together and doing
something special for the new
graduates of Tipton County.
“Today was supposed to be their
original graduation day … we
have a couple of students that are
shipping out that have enlisted,
and so we wanted to put something
together to honor them.”
Henry described putting the
parade together as difficult, due
to all the rules and procedures
in place during the COVID-19
pandemic such as the number of
people allowed to
gather in one place.
The solution that
worked best featured
students sitting with
their families in
Tipton Park, along the inner circle
road with signs and banners, as
dozens of cars filled with commu-
nity members, parents and teachers
drove by. Being led by a firetruck,
the cars honked and people shouted
while showing the graduating class
of 2020 their support.
“I hope that everyone sees how
the community has come together
for them and how we are truly one
big family,” Henry said.
TIPTON COUNTY PULLS OFF
COMMUNITY PARADE
EDUCATION
SPOTLIGHT
Tipton senior Eliza Jones
waves as a community parade weaves
through Tipton Park on May 30, congratulating Tipton and Tri-Central
seniors who were gathered in the park with their families as part of
Destination Senior 2020.
(Kokomo Tribune file photo)
