It is that time of year when parents and grandparents get mistyeyed as they celebrate the accomplishments of sons and daughters,grandsons and granddaughters, nieces and nephews at high schoolgraduation ceremonies.

Over the next three weekends 608 seniors from the 10 highschools in this area will reach a milestone in their lives – amilestone that leads them to a new path in the journey of life.

For their parents it is a time a joy, as well as sadness as theyreflect on that first day of first grade and the years that havepassed since.

For the seniors it, too, is a time of joy and sadness. Joy forthe accomplishment of a goal and sadness of leaving fond memoriesbehind.

Graduates, we hope you savor the moment, for you have workedvery hard to get to this point but your work is just beginning.Your school years have been nothing more than a training groundpreparing you for what lies ahead. A tough path that will not getany easier but a tough path that will give you great rewards – ifyou are willing to put out the required effort.

What are those rewards? It depends on your definition and yourpersonal drive. Do you want fame and fortune or calm andtranquility? Do you want to help others or expect others to helpyou? Do you want others to one day remember you for youraccomplishments or for what you could have accomplished?

Only you can now answer these questions. In the past yourparents and teachers were there to guide and help, now you are onyour own and the decision is yours.

Congratulation graduates, this is an exciting day and we lookforward to watching where you go from here.