MILL HALL - The first-ever graduation at a brand new stadium is a grand occasion, especially when held under a brilliantly blue sky dotted by light clouds with temperatures hovering between comfortably balmy and slightly sultry.
Many of the hundreds of friends, family members and well wishers in attendance Friday evening dressed in a festive and casual manner, and many scooped up bottles of mountain spring water from a large ice bucket as they entered the bleachers and prepared to watch loved ones make a transition into a new life.
This was the 11th annual commencement ceremony for Central Mountain High School - Home of the Wildcats -and a yearly celebration as traditional as they come.
Still, the word "new" hung in the air.
However many classes come before them, these were new graduates, and they were inaugurating a new stadium under the watchful eyes of a new superintendent.
It's also a new and very different world from the one that existed when Kelly Hastings was a student facing a similar ceremony.
Hastings, who just recently took the helm of Keystone Central, told the students their high school experience, indeed, their entire lives so far, were touched by technology of which the previous generation never dreamt.
"Google," Hastings said.
Back in the day, students like Hastings would do their research at something called a library, and use an encyclopedia, hoping it wasn't one of the sets from a decade earlier. They'd also use something called a "circular file," a collection of clippings from newspapers and magazines, arranged in files.
"Today there's the internet," she said. "That's where you can find anything ... Today when you want to find out about an oil spill, you just Google it."
Hastings said she called up onion soup, and found more than three million sites, and searched great commencement speeches and found nearly 100,000 sites all "in less than a second."
"There are some things you can't find on Google," she said, and one of them is how to be happy.
Oh, there are recommendations out there, and to that end, Hastings noted 10 scientifically proven ways to be happy - Savor everyday moments. Avoid comparisons. Put money low on the list of priorities. Have meaningful goals. Take the initiative at work. Make friends and treasure family. Smile even when you don't feel like it. Say thank you like you mean it. Get out and exercise. Give it away, be it time or experience, or wisdom or toil. Give it away.
Hastings told the 2010 class that she counts them and their special moments as happy times she will savor and smile about.
"Today is your day," said Nicholas Adam Turchetta, class president, who went on to reference the popular Dr. Seuss book, "Oh! The Places You'll go!" in his speech"
"You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go."
Turchetta also focused on the important people in life, a subject that became a common theme among the students invited to speak.
"When the going gets tough, know that at the end of the day it's the people we share our lives with that matter," he said.
Valedictorian Melissa M. Gettys took her fellow students back to the fear and excitement of kindergarten, and drew a parallel between that experience and what was happening on the field at that time.
She also noted the changes that occurred over those years, thanks to the influence of friends, parents, teachers and colleagues.
She said the students were beginning another journey now, and she urged them to "put your heart and soul into everything you do."
As for Salutatorian Katelyn R. Mackey, she also focused on the people who assisted her through the school years.'
"We will walk away tonight not alone, but with memories of many helping hands," she said, noting the accomplishments of the wrestling and sports teams, chorus, band, technical students and others.
"We may not know everybody's name," she said, "but we will always know we did this together as the class of 2010.
The ceremony was also marked by several musical selection, much appreciated by the crowd, including the traditional music provided by concert band and chorus, and excellent vocals by Ericka Lee Conklin and Nicholas Carroll and an original composition by Matthew R. Shank.
Principal Karen B. Probst acted as master of ceremonies, and school board members and administrative leaders assisted in the awarding of diplomas.
