Spain Park launches 384 seniors from Class of 2019 into the world

Spain Park High School launched 384 seniors into the world Wednesday night with a graduation ceremony for the Class of 2019 at Samford University’s Pete Hanna Center.

The seniors were offered admission into 141 colleges in 32 states, and 56% of the graduating class were offered college scholarships, said Tracy Prater, Spain Park’s college and career specialist. That's an even higher percentage than announced at graduation after updated numbers were recalculated Thursday morning.

At least four members of the Class of 2019 are headed into the military, and others will go straight into the workforce, Prater said.

Spain Park's Class of 2019 was offered scholarships totaling more than $21 million and accepted almost $8.6 million in scholarships, he said.

In all, 23% of the graduating class ended with a GPA of 4.0 or higher, while 66% had a GPA of 3.0 or higher, Prater said.

Spain Park’s Class of 2019 had one National Merit Scholar (Lauren Choi), seven other National Merit finalists (Benjamin Hartwiger, Rory Luthin, Manish Nagaraj, William Schoel, Zachary Shaw, Bryce Thornton and Anastasia Zellner) and one student recognized by the National Hispanic Recognition Program (Subhan Ahmed).

Four members of the class — Choi, Luthin, Nagaraj and Zellner — are candidates to become U.S. Presidential Scholars.

Eleven of the school’s athletic teams made it into 7A postseason play this past school year, and the girls’ basketball, softball and bowling teams were area champions. Spain Park also had the state’s first e-sports — or electronic sports — champions this year.

The school’s choir received a “superior with distinction” award at the state assessment, and the Rhapsody in Blue show choir won a grand championship for the fourth year in a row, Prater said.

Seven Spain Park students were selected for the All-State Band and Orchestra, and the Pride of the Park Marching Band was selected to perform at the National Cherry Blossom Parade in Washington, D.C., in April.

2,340 DAYS OF SCHOOL

Hartwiger, one of 17 valedictorians at Spain Park this year, was chosen to speak at the graduation ceremony and noted that they had 2,340 days of school from kindergarten through their senior year.

However, “our time in school is more than just a number,” Hartwiger said. “There’s no word or expression that can capture the realization that this shared experience is over.”

That number holds a different meaning to each one of the graduates, he said.

“Although we were often in the same location doing similar things, each of us has a completely unique memory of school,” he said. “Every one of us sees school through different eyes.”

That’s powerful because they can choose to decide how Spain Park will shape the people they will become and beautiful because there is so much more life yet to live, he said.

Just as their struggles, fears and accomplishments are all unique, the way they each approach the world will be unique as well, Hartwiger said.

“We are a group of talented and diverse individuals who have been equipped with an education that allows us to reflect on our past and to forge ahead with confidence,” he said.

Hartwiger posed some questions for his classmates to answer about themselves: “What am I going to do during the next 2,340 days? Which experiences will I take with me, and which will I leave behind? Am I going to become a better person? Will I challenge myself? Am I going to embrace my individuality? Will I seize my own destiny without fear? What about the 2,340 days after that?”

Other valedictorians in the Class of 2019 are Subhan Ahmed, Lauren Choi, Zachariah El Fallah, Naomi Gonzalez, Ahmed Hamid, Anna Hargett, Lauryn Kortman, Hannah Luther, Rory Luthin, Ibshar Marnia, Madeline Martin, Manish Nagaraj, Steven Pate Jr., William Schoel, Zachary Shaw and Bryce Thornton.

SPAIN PARK WAS A 'SECOND HOME'

Senior Class President Joshua Wallace thanked everyone who made it possible for the seniors to get to this moment in time, including the teachers who taught them, the coaches who pushed them, the friends who encouraged them and, most importantly, the parents who loved them.

The journey wasn’t easy, but Wallace said he was standing there with happiness and a sense of accomplishment.

“We’ve endured late nights of studying, countless exams and all the drama that comes with high school, but because of those struggles, this moment is only made sweeter,” Wallace said. “What makes this moment so bittersweet is that this ceremony marks the end of our high school journey.”

While he’s excited about the next stage in life, he’s sad to leave Spain Park, he said. With all the morning workouts, afternoon practices, sporting events, plays, shows, Frisbee golf in the courtyard and “sometimes going to classes,” Spain Park became a second home for him, he said.

“Our lives have been altered so much not only by the building that sits at 4700 Jaguar Drive, but the people that are there,” Wallace said.

“Don’t remember Spain Park for its freezing classrooms, annoying bells and constant homework. Remember it for the sporting events, the pep rallies, the dances and the friendships that you have made because no matter what — you’ll always be a Jag,” he said.

Wallace encouraged his classmates that, as they embark on a new chapter in life, they should try to live in the present instead of dwelling on the past or stressing about the future.

“Just take a second and take it all in because, as we have all experienced, life goes by fast,” he said. “Enjoy every moment. Take risks and leave no regrets because it’s the journey, not the destination, that defines a trip.”

TAKING ON RESPONSIBILITY

Spain Park Principal Larry Giangrosso told the students that they now must become their own advocates.

“No longer will society expect and, in many cases, allow your parents or anyone else to be your advocate,” he said. “It will be up to you to make the decisions and choices. You will decide where to live, where to work, who to marry, how to live your life. The responsibility will be solely on your shoulders.”

Giangrosso said the generation that preceded them will ask them to solve the problems that generation couldn’t solve, right the wrongs they couldn’t right and take care of them in their old age. In turn, the Class of 2019 will need to give the generation that follows them the tools, moral integrity, work ethic and education to do the same things for them, he said.

“My prayer for you is this — May the road always rise up to meet you, may the wind always be at your back, may the sun always shine warm upon your face, may the rain always fall softly on your fields and may God always bless you and keep you in the palm of His hand all the days of your life.”