Congratulations Class of 2020

by Rick Cardey, Rib Lake Superintendent

I am honored to be the first to get the opportunity to congratulate the Class of 2020 on their graduation. Graduation in Rib Lake is a special event and my favorite night of the school year. It is time for the graduates to be honored, families to come together, and a source of community pride. Although we are not in the gym tonight, the staff and School Board wanted to celebrate the graduates of the Class of 2020 on the scheduled ceremony time and date of May 22 at 7 pm.

I will always have the utmost respect for this year’s seniors. The senior year is the time for upperclassmen to shine and be the leaders of the school. Our seniors have lost many of their last events, including sports seasons, music, forensics, prom, and senior week activities. Now their graduation ceremony is being postponed. In spite of the series of disappointments and lost chances, our seniors have excelled. Our senior graduates have displayed class and been good ambassadors of the school district even when the disappointment has been great. As a community and school district, we are proud of you.

I would also like to address the seniors personally, something I usually do outside of the graduation ceremony. Although you are from a small school, you have all the skills to achieve and compete in a global society. Your knowledge, work ethic, collaborative skills, and small town values will serve you well in your life. Do not back down from life’s challenges, as you are well equipped to succeed in any setting.

While this year may have been full of obstacles and things outside your control, the experience at the end of this school year will prepare you for life in ways that many other senior classes were not. As a class, you will have a much greater appreciation of life’s little things and have mastered the art of resiliency. You have experienced first hand that life is not always fair and that little in life is guaranteed. The maturity and strategies that you have had to incorporate recently will give you a competitive advantage as you head off to college and start your careers.

The Rib Lake High School Class of 2020 has endured and grown in light of the significant challenges at the end of their final year. We feel they need to be recognized more than our typical senior class. The virtual graduation you are about to see is an additional way of honoring our graduates. It is not viewed by us as a replacement for our in-person graduation ceremony, but rather a way to celebrate our seniors until a graduation ceremony can be held later this summer if conditions allow.