News : Class of 2016 says farewell to VSHS

VSHS Graduates Katie Isbell and Daisy Johnson enter the gym during 'Pomp and Circumstance.'

2016 graduate Brendan Turner leaves VSHS in a limousine after graduation on Sunday.

The Class of 2016 is a family, said graduate Celia Turner.

Turner, who gave the student address during commencement on Sunday afternoon, recalled her days as a reluctant newcomer to Vinton-Shellsburg as a middle school student, but also recalled how every group of students treated others well.

It was during their senior year, said Turner, that the Class of 2016 became even more like a family, as they shared experiences like homecoming painting traditions.

Nearly 130 graduates received their diplomas on Sunday, after hearing from Turner and teacher Tyler Lorenzen. Lorenzen, chosen by the graduates to give the faculty address, reminded the students of some of the lessons they had learned in class, and told them to make the best decisions.

The gym was full with more than 1,000 friends and relatives of the graduates. Among them was a Paris family. Although there were no foreign exchange students attending VSHS this year, 2016 graduate Anna Sagan spent her junior year in Paris. Her French host family is visiting Iowa this week and attended the graduation along with the Sagans.

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