Alva Review-Courier -

A large group of Alva eighth grade students celebrated their completion of middle school and their promotion to high school Thursday night. The Alva High School auditorium was filled as AMS Principal Stephanie Marteney welcomed the audience and introduced those on the stage.

Kenneith McIntosh directed the seventh and eighth grade chorus in singing "Blackbird." Marteney then introduced the speaker, Dr. Janet Cunningham, president of Northwestern Oklahoma State University.

Cunningham opened her remarks telling the eighth graders she had been where they were now sitting as a proud graduate of Alva Junior High and Alva High School. "This is not my first rodeo, so to speak. I calculated I have attended or been a part of around 65 graduations."

"It really wasn't that long ago that completing the eighth grade was the end of formal education for many, and there is so much more today."

Cunningham offered a few pieces of advice "from someone who's been around for a while."

• This is not an end; this is really just a beginning. "If you loved middle school, there's a pretty good chance you'll love high school." On the other hand, she said if you didn't care for middle school "you have a chance to start over. Get started out on the right foot; try new things; try new subjects. You will find out in high school what you are really interested in."

• Be proud of your town and your school. "Believe it or not you have been given a gift ... to be able to grow up and go to school in a small town really is a great thing. There are people here who care about you, and you are not anonymous."

• Technology is a tool. "It (cellphone) doesn't take the place of relationships and face-to-face communication. I think Steven Spielberg said it very well, 'Technology can be your best friend, and technology can also be the biggest party pooper of our lives.' It interrupts our own story. It interrupts our ability to have a thought or a daydream, to imagine something wonderful because we're too busy bridging the walk from the cafeteria back to the office on our cellphones.

"Use it for all the wonderful things it can do, but know when to turn it off."

• Have a positive attitude. "You might have heard of the person who said this, 'I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I failed over and over and over again in my life, and that is why I succeed.' That person is arguably one of the best basketball players ever. No not LeBron, Michael Jordan who always sought to make the game-winning shot. And my guess is that LeBron and Steph and Kevin and Russell probably feel that way too.

"Positive attitude really is the great equalizer. People who exhibit that 'I can' attitude are often more successful than even those that have more talent. A person with a positive attitude certainly seems to have a lot more fun as he or she goes through life."

Cunningham concluded, "Always remember your time at Alva Middle School and those who worked hard to prepare you for your next step."