EDITORIAL

You made it.

Three words you have no doubt heard on plenty of occasions during the

last four years.

They may have been shouted by your coach as you crossed the finish line

in the championship meet. Or gushed by your proud parents as you showed

them your college acceptance letter. Or uttered sarcastically by your

friends as they awaited your arrival before heading off to a party.

But this week, those three little words never meant so much: high school.

It’s over.

For some, it could not have come quickly enough, while others are doing

all they can to hold on before having to, finally, say goodbye.

First of all, congratulations are in order. From those at the top of

their class to those who struggled to make it through, you have earned

that deep sense of relief you are feeling today.

Now comes the fun part.

From this moment forward, your lives are like blank pages in a book that

you will write day by day in the decisions you make and the paths you

take.

Some of you will climb aboard a plane and travel to new towns, where you

will know no one and will have to build new lives for yourselves. Some of

you will stay close to home, juggling work and a full load of classes.

Some will forget school for a while -- or forever -- and jump right into

the work force.

As you continue to grow up, move up and move on, your community will

always be here for guidance and support. We’ve watched you achieve and

succeed in high school, and we are eager to see you do the same out there

in the real world.

And you, being part of this year’s class of graduates, are particularly

special. You are the class of 2000 -- the group of young people who could

very well hold the key to our society’s future.

We are counting on you, the next crop of brilliant doctors, to come up

with the cure for cancer. You, the next batch of dedicated teachers, to

continue educating our country’s youth. You, the budding dot-com

entrepreneurs, to transform the face of business. You, the idealistic

social activists, to effect change wherever and whenever need be.

Good luck, graduates.

You made it. Now it’s time to make it happen.