Alva High hosted the Academic Banquet for seniors on Monday night, May 8, in the Northwestern Ballroom. A total of 39 seniors were awarded with their stoles, cords, and pens for graduation based on their grades and achievements throughout their high school careers.

The banquet was opened with the introductions of the outstanding juniors and their parents, followed by the introductions of attending seniors and their parents or guests. After that, keynote speaker Karen Koehn took the podium to deliver a speech riddled with advice to the graduating class.

On the tables were a small shoe keychain and a ‘thank you’ note for each senior, and a pencil and nine playing cards for each person. The shoe, Koehn said, represented the impressions that each graduating student will leave on the people around them as they embark on this new journey in their life.

“Seniors, close your eyes. Now think of five people that have helped you get where you are today,” Koehn said. “This thank you note is for those people.”

The pencil, which taught five lessons, represented each senior and was a very important part of Koehn’s speech. Lesson 1: Everything you do will leave a mark. Lesson 2: You can always correct the mistakes you make. Lesson 3: What is important is what is inside of you. Lesson 4: In life, you will undergo painful sharpenings that will only make you a better you. Lesson 5: To be the best pencil you can be, you must allow yourself to be guided by the hand that holds you.

After this advice-filled oration, students were awarded honors, high achievement, highest achievement, and very highest achievement. The stoles, cords and pens that an individual received was based upon these rankings.

Congratulations to the graduating class of 2017 and good luck on any future endeavors.