The River Bend class of 2025 throws their mortar boards within the air to have fun commencement, Tuesday on the New Ulm Group Middle.
NEW ULM – River Bend Training District graduated 23 highschool college students Tuesday, with 19 of the scholars attending the ceremony on the New Ulm Group Middle.
River Bend Studying Middle Coordinator Chris Bodick mentioned college students graduating from River Bend this 12 months symbolize people who accomplished the varsity’s work program, space studying heart and on-line program.
The ceremony included two scholar audio system. The primary speaker, Alejandro Garcia, served as the varsity’s consultant to Minnesota Affiliation of Various Applications (MAAP).
Garcia mentioned when he first entered River Bend 4 years in the past, he was not anticipating the varsity to change into a second house for him. For many of his life Garcia had felt misplaced, like he didn’t belong. He mentioned the place he felt most misplaced was the classroom.
“I hated my academics and so far as I used to be involved the sensation was mutual,” he mentioned.
Alejandro Garcia delivers his graduation speech throughout River Bend’s commencement ceremony. Garcia credited the varsity with saving his life and realizing he was able to rather more.
For a time he would spend each lunch interval in detention pressured to work on homework he by no means deliberate to complete. Garcia mentioned earlier than River Bend, college was not sufficient to assist him, and what little was being achieved made him resent academics extra.
The COVID pandemic was the second issues modified. He mentioned the shutdown pressured the federal government to seek out various strategies to training. That’s how Garcia got here to River Bend for an alternate training.
“It was right here that I noticed that I discovered I used to be able to a lot extra,” he mentioned. “It was right here that I used to be given alternatives I’d not have gotten anyplace else,” Garcia mentioned.
He mentioned 4 years in the past, he had misplaced all hope of graduating highschool and plenty of anticipated him to be dwelling on the streets.
“River Bend didn’t simply assist me get my grades up, in all truthfully, River Bend saved me life,” Garcia mentioned. “These aren’t simply academics, they’re household. They helped me discover who I actually was. I used to be excited to come back to highschool and inform folks about my day and listen to about theirs.
Prudence Thompson provides a graduation handle for the 2025 River Bend graduating class. In her speech, Thompson inspired her fellow grads to look to tomorrow as a substitute of dwelling on the previous.
It was at River Bend he realized academics solely needed to see them succeed.
Garcia additionally thanked his household for his or her continued assist as he labored to graduate.
He mentioned that everybody makes errors, however errors don’t outline an individual. It’s how an individual responds to these errors that defines them.
To his fellow graduates, Garcia mentioned he wished nothing however the very best for all of them and he needed them to know they had been all able to unimaginable issues.
“In the present day I shared my story,” he mentioned. “I hope to someday to listen to yours.”
River Bend scholar Alejandro Garcia walks throughout the stage after receiving his diploma throughout Tuesday’s commencement ceremony at New Ulm Group Middle.
The second scholar speaker, Prudence Thompson opened by thanking the academics of River Bend for his or her assist and pushing them to commencement. She additionally gave a particular due to her mom for by no means doubting her. She mentioned her commencement was a shared accomplishment together with her mother.
Thompson mentioned with the intention to graduate she wanted to be taught to let go of sure issues, together with the expectations of others.
She mentioned there will likely be individuals who don’t such as you for becoming in a sure commonplace. Thompson warned her fellow graduates to not conform to what others count on.
“Tomorrow is a promise,” she mentioned. “So cease dwelling on the previous […] create a life that you may be happy with.”
River Bend instructor Kristi Rainwater served because the workers speaker. Rain gave the scholars one final project: to learn all of the names within the commencement program.
River Bend scholar Zoey Gareis receives her highschool diploma throughout Tuesday’s commencement ceremony.
“These are the folks which might be in entrance of us, the chums we all know the members of the family we now have, the scholars we had in our classroom,” she mentioned. “All of them have a narrative of how they received right here.”
Rainwater needed the River Bend graduates to know that all of them had nice potential that she noticed firsthand as their instructor and inspired them to proceed expressing themselves.
“Your training was not nearly studying and writing, it was about essential pondering, questioning assumptions, embrace variety and to discover a place that desperately wants your distinctive skills and views.”
In closing, Rainwater instructed college students to not be afraid, to be themselves. Every individual had a narrative price telling. She requested them to fill that story with braveness compassion and objective.
“No mater the place life takes you’ll at all times be part of the River Bend household,” she mentioned.
River Bend scholar Emily Ryhkus holds her highschool diploma throughout Tuesday’s commencement ceremony.
