Sycamore High School graduates' challenge: 'Make this world better'

SYCAMORE – In the company of their family and friends supporting their milestone, Sycamore’s high school graduates walked to the stage in their field house of four years Sunday welcomed by their principal, Tim Carlson.

The choir and orchestra led with the loyalty song for Sycamore, followed by the class song “We’re All In This Together” from Disney’s “High School Musical.” The lyrics “We’ve arrived because we stuck together/Champions one and all” set the tone for the celebratory day.

“This class has faced big challenges, and learned that they can bring a voice from the student perspective,”Sycamore School District 427 Superintendent Kathy Countryman said during the ceremony. “The voice of every one of you has been heard, and your legacy will be whispered in the halls for years to come.”

Then she offered a charge.

“Seek joy and passion in all that you believe in, and always remember your voice will be heard,” Countryman said.

Elizabeth Swedberg, a third-generation valedictorian at Sycamore High School, reflected over the past four years and what she and her classmates have achieved.

There was football success and shared glory with the whole school, students being part of the marching band family, winning a math competition for the eighth year in a row, evacuating the school during a BluePoint alarm malfunction, school plays, and passing finals, and the Water Wars tradition, all shaping the students’ history at Sycamore High School.

“These moments define us and shaped our identities,” Swedberg said. “We have left a positive legacy, and now we have a responsibility to inspire others to do the same. Remember who you were as you learn who you are.”

Elliott Marsh was the student speaker for the ceremony, and gave a call to his fellow graduates to make a lasting change in the world.

“The diversity with our class has the power to make a difference in this world. We have to get the message out and be heard,” Marsh said. “We have more power than we recognize, and we have the tools to do what we can with what we have and make a difference.”

District 427 board President Jim Dombek ended the ceremony by echoing that sentiment.

“Make this world better and change it for good,” he said. “We invite you to go forward and do just that. As you do, you carry alone some of the influence from here with you. You are a representative of Sycamore, be a good one.”