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Rocky graduates excited, nervous about future
Posted Online: June 07, 2009, 8:24 pm
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By Laura Anderson, landerson@qconline.com
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Nearly 300 graduates fixed their mortarboards, gowns, hair and make-up in Rock Island High School's auditorium before their school's 136th commencement ceremony on Sunday as they impatiently waited to line up. "I'm excited," Rock Island's Alannah Golden said as she fixed her gown. She plans to attend Augustana College to study elementary education. "I'm good," she said, and laughed. Bobby Taylor and Jon Marler stood on the steps of the auditorium, both with enormous smiles. "I'm excited," Mr. Taylor said. "Ecstatic!" Mr. Marler added. "It's time to move on," Mr. Taylor said. Though there are plenty of people he'll miss, he said, he's excited to go on to college and play football. Mr. Marler said the years seemed to pass faster and faster as they came. "I'm excited and happy," he said. Mr. Marler is looking forward to possibly going to college or joining the military. Mirna Hernandez was trying to get her mortarboard right. "I'm so glad and happy," she said about graduating. "I'm nervous about going to college," she said. Ms. Hernandez plans on attending Black Hawk next fall. Graduates laughed with friends and posed for photos. Some hugged, a few cried, but all smiled and cheered when it was time to line up. "Today is all about you," William Cleaver, president of the District 41 Board of Education said to graduates. He told the group that children are both the future and the present, and education is our generation's civil right. "Graduates, I salute you!" he said. Co-valedictorians Jenna Hull and Tara Vandygriff, who along with Abigail Sloan, Rachel Segal and Jenna Nevins tied for valedictorian honors, reminisced with their classmates about their journey through school together. "Remember your first day of school," Ms. Vandygriff said, taking her classmates back 13 years to kindergarten. She said they spent their elementary school days anxiously waiting to get home and watch Nickelodeon's "Hey Arnold!" and her classmates laughed. She walked her classmates through junior high to the beginning of high school, when "we became the class of 2009," she said. Their class was the first for many things, like the first class to have fireworks at their homecoming game, she said. "We've achieved so much in our four years," and we're on the right path, she said. "Just keep walking." Rock Island High School's Class of 2009 Raynikka Adams, Ryan Allison, Tyler Allison, Jaime Almanza, Reginald Amos, Anastasia Anderson, Courtney Anderson, Gabrielle Arrington, Thomas Ashpaugh, Elizabeth Aubrey, Major Barber, Justin Barnes, C.J. Bates, Elizabeth Bauman, Stephanie Bauwens, Jacquia Beavers, Ashley Bebber, Derrick Beckhart, Ceye Beh, Kelsey Berryhill, Rebecca Beswick, Layne Beuseling, Deevyang Bhakta, Tracey Black, Chad Blair, Thorlowe Blamah, Amanda Bognar, Amelia Booker, Drew Booth, Michelle Bower, Taylor Boyle, Takais Bragg, Jasmine Bragg-Rhoden, Schilana Bragg-Thomas, Timothy Braucht Jr., Rita Britt, Alexandria Brooks, Jasmine Brooks, Spencer Brooks Jr., Asia Brown, Greer Burke-Anderson, Allison Burkhead, Zachary Burkhead, Shatoya Burnett, Cherise Burrage, Shavonda Byrd, Jose Calderon Jr., Ezequiel Cantu, Chelsey Carey, Nicholas Carlson, Zachary Carlson, Colin Carstens, Kristie Carstens, Brittany Carton, Cory Cavins, Aaron Chapman, Gabriel Cheng, Eric Christensen, Lauren Clark, Twanna Clay, Alyssa Clevenstine, Synphony Collins, Marquez Comer, Aramis Conner, Matthew Coopman, Timothy Corwin, Andrea Coyne, Ebony Craig, Stacey Crosby, Grace Damewood, Thomas Daniels, Geneva Darnell, Alexander Jackie Davis, Alexander Scott Davis, Allison Davis, Anthony Davis, Breanna Davis, Carl Davis, Elizabeth Davison, Ashley Dean, Donald Dean Jr., Nathan DeGarmo, Alexander Diaz, Melvin Dickerson Jr., Thomas Dillie, Le'Quan Drummond, Michaelle Dulaney, Breona Dunbar-Guthrie, Teighlor Echols, Andrew Eckert, Brandy Ely, Chelsey Enlow, Garrett Feldhahn, Robert Ferkel, Peter Franzke, John Garlock, Amber Gates, Denise Gay, Erin Gehn, Christopher Ghess, Maria Gilbraith, Marshall Glover Jr., Alannah Golden, Shayron Goldsmith Holt, Ethan Gordon, Marian Grandberry, Jessica Granja, Austin Graves, Elizabeth Greenwood, Christopher Greer, Audry Griffin, Terence Grimmett, Asta Gustafson, Alysin Hageman, Eddie Hamilton II, Shykeyla Hamilton, Josef Harl, Mercedes Harmon, Frashawn Harris, Patricia Harris, LeDiamonisha Harris-Jackson, Brittney Hart, Vernon Hart III, Daniel Hartmann, Kendrick Hearn, RaNae Henderson, Shane Henning, Mirna Hernandez, LaShalle Hickman, Jessica Hill, Taylor Hilmo, Pashian Hobson, Adam Holdorf, Jeanette Holmes, Ian Hornback, Tyshayla Horne, Jacob Howard, Jenna Hull, Brian Hutson, Lindsay Inman, Rebecca Isaacs, Elijah Israel, Kristen Israel, Patric Jackson, Matthew Jacobs, Steven Jacobsen Jr., Aleksander Jakobsen, Ellen James, Donald Jarvis Jr., Eleanore Johnson, Erica Johnson, Genesis Johnson, LaTesa Johnson, Michael Johnson, Bryce Jones, Victrese Jones, Alissa Jungjohann, Sepehr Kalhor, Jordan Kernan, Ericka Kerr, Abby Kerres, Kathryn King, Jordan Koberstein, Kate Lang, Adam Lavery, Sara Lawver, Zachary Lavine, Christopher Leiby, Ebony Lewis, Ashlen Lincoln, Levi Livingston, Brian Lopez, Jesus Lopez, Kayleen Loring, Seth Lubben, Dylan Luloff, Michael Manary, Aletha Mangelsdorf, Christianna Mangelsdorf, Danielle Markham, Jonathon Marler, Maria Marquez, Alanna Marshanke, Emily Mayfield, Julian Mayfield, Shalaymeeyah McAllister, Caryn McBride, Reginald McCarty, Shadia McCullough, Octavia McGowan, Andrea McNeal, Brooke-Lynn McNeal, Elizabeth McSparin, Eveleidy Mendoza, Rebecca Mendoza, Shane Mhoon, Amy Miers, Brandy Miller, Joseph Miller, Keisha Miller, Karly Mizlo, Alberto Mojena, Karla Mojica, Andrew Morris, Drevonte Morse, Aaron Motta, Wali Muhammad, Danielle Myers, Alisha Neely, Kamisha Neely, Brett Nesseler, Brittney Nettles, Jenna Nevins, Shanae Newman, Sherell Newman, Margaret Ng Dung, Charles Nunn, Xenobia Nunn, Alec Ortiz, Zachary Orzechowski, Andrew Palm, Ryan Parrish, Nizam Patsiyev, Michael Patterson, Michelle Patton, Rachel Petersen, Thaddeus Pool, Brandon Pullman, Katrina Quarterman, Marcus Quick, Erica Ramirez, Jarvis Randle, James Rangel, Joseph Raychel Jr., Tara Rednour, Maxwell Reeh, Ashley Roberts, Anthony Rock, Brittney Ross, Amanda Ruark, Travis Saldana, Tyler Salmonson, Ambrea Samuels, Matenne Sasay, Abbey Scharer, Matthew Schofield, Jennifer Schroder, Rachel Segal, Ayla Serrano, Gabrielle Shadd, Benjamin Simkins, Abigial Sloan, Cameron Smith, Gary Smith, Joshua Smith, Shawonna Smith, Alyssa Snook, Benjamin Sparkman, R'Richa Speights, Colton Staley, Matthew Starr, Nikeia Steele, Kimberly Stephenson, Michelle Strickland, Trinity Stroup, Jessica Stump, Mohammad Taimuri, Nicole Tavizon, Alexis Evon Taylor, Bobbykines Taylor II, Kolby Teats, Jalesa Terrell, Jennie Thompson, Sarah Thompson, Travis Thomson, Chad Torrence, Chelsi Torrence, Brittany Traman, Courtney Trice, Taylor Tuttle, Kelsey VanCamp, Tara Vandygriff, Brian Varble, Evelyn Vasquez, Ty Wakefield, Lauren Walker, Da'Leesha Washington, Jaide Watson, Jaclyn Wehrle, Matthew Weiland, Remita Wells, Joshua Whicker, Garret Willliams, Tina Williams, Maurice Woods. 
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