The 71-member Cassopolis High school Class of 2017 will be remembered as one of the most unique groups to ever toss their mortarboards.

The diversity of the class is not much different than previous graduates, but the uniqueness of their character will leave a lasting legacy.

Following the welcome by Mary Wright, Katie Jones stepped up on stage to deliver the reflective speech.

“Public speaking has never really been my thing,” she said. “I’m terrified, but I’ve managed to sum up enough courage to stand up here and do this. For anyone who was in Mrs. Brawley’s speech class last year you are probably expecting me to choke and start crying, but hopefully that won’t happen.

“This isn’t about me though. This is about us. How we walked down these Ranger hallways for four years. How we grew together as a family. Today represents the accumulation of four years of hard work. Today is the day of remembrance.”

Jones recalled how quickly her senior year went, especially following spring break.

“Between senior pictures, applying for scholarship after scholarship, stressing over exams, battling senioritis, for some, even sports helped pass the time,” she said. “I’m sure we’ve all pondered about the things we did, the things we did not do, the things we perhaps should have done, and what leaving high school means. It’s an entirely different ball game out there. Some of us, though, may wish that we had done things a bit differently.

“Maybe we should have gone to a few more school dances. Maybe we should have experimented with more extracurricular activities to see if we were interested in them. Maybe we should have taken more pictures. Maybe we should have spent more time with our friends. Maybe, we could have done a lot more.”

She challenged her classmates not to look back with any regrets.

“Let us look back with laughter at our accomplishments, and all the experiences we shared to celebrate,” Jones said. “All those things that brought us where we are today.”

Molly Benson delivered the motivational speech.

She too admitted she was terrified. Not about speaking in front of her classmates and a gymnasium filled with family and friends, but about the future.

“Well, here we are,” she said. “This day marks a significant step toward the rest of our lives. I don’t know about you, but I’m terrified. And really, why shouldn’t I be? I just spent most of my life in a system where all my steps were mapped out for me. I’ve been passive and compliant, just doing whatever was suggested, and now I’m afraid. I’m not supposed to talk about myself up here, but I’m saying these things because I know I can’t be the only one who feels this way.

“I hope I’m right about that or else I’ve lost the basis for most of my speech. If I’m the only unmotivated one here then it’s somewhat ironic that I’m the one giving the motivational speech. Regardless, I want you guys to know that it’s reasonable to be afraid, so long as we don’t freeze in our tracks.”

Benson said that it is okay to dream, but you must chase it.

“I’ve heard it been said that people who don’t have a dream are dead and lifeless on the inside,” she said. “I beg to differ given that most of the dreamers I’ve seen are dead asleep themselves. They’re not doing anything but dreaming. The most productive dreamers I’ve seen were sleepwalkers, and they don’t even know what they’re doing.

“With that in mind I’d recommend not just having a dream but chasing it, hunt it down. If you don’t have anything to hunt then don’t be too hard on yourself, just keep looking around until you find something. In your pursuit of happiness, you’ll surely encounter distractions, and I encourage you to follow every tangent, diversion, and side quest to the ends of the earth, so long as you’re pursuing something.

“Really, there is no itinerary for life. The reason why school is so different from the “real world” is because school is rigidly structured, while life (despite our best efforts) has no real structure at all. True, there is a lot to fear out in the open ocean, and the sea may appear bleak and desolate, but so long as you move in any direction you’ll find islands and harbors and reefs and spectacular sights that you never even thought you’d experience. It’s no coincidence that the word animated can mean both moving and alive.

“You don’t need any special goal, so long as you’re chasing something, always on the hunt while remembering to enjoy the journey, you’ll do just fine. People who get caught up and worried about attaining their goal never truly live. Maybe someday we’ll actually reach our Ithakas but if things go rightly we’ll have lived so much more of the world before we get there. Until then, keep going and enjoy it.”

Shane Los, a member of the Class of 2017’s top 10, introduced the alumni speaker and current Ross Beatty Jr./Sr. High School teacher Kristine Widerquist Bosler, from the Class of 1980.

Following a special performance by the band, it was announced that the Class of 2017 had received more than $350,000 in scholarships.

Retiring Cassopolis Superintendent Tracy Hertsel and Board of Education President Scott Ward certified that the class had completed graduation requirements before Principal Dave VanLue and Dean of Students Matthew Brawley awarded the diplomas.