Hurricanes get diplomas in abbreviated ceremony
An hour before Manatee High School’s Hawkins Stadium filled with members of the class of 2017 and their family and friends Saturday night, thunder crashed and rain poured down on Bradenton. And as the ceremony began, dark clouds gathered in the skies behind the podium where seniors would be crossing.
But, as 516 seniors crossed the stage on Joe Kinnan Field and received their diplomas, an abbreviated ceremony accomplished what Manatee High Principal Don Sauer said was “the most important thing we have come here for tonight.”
Sauer announced at the beginning of the ceremony that they had about an hour before the next pocket of rain arrived and no one would be giving any speeches.
Graduating senior Mary Dryer said she was “kind of bummed out” about the speeches being canceled because the students had worked so hard on them. But, she said it was worth risking rain to maintain the Manatee High tradition of graduating on the football field, rather than at the Bradenton Area Convention Center where the rest of Manatee County’s high schools have their ceremonies.
Anthony Cucci, the Student Council Vice President, was the one student speaker to address the crowd, and in his invocation challenged his classmates to rise to the occasion when life gets tough.
“What lies ahead is unknown,” Cucci said. “Take action to determine your future.”
The decision to shorten the ceremony kept many people dry, as it began to rain shortly after the ceremony ended.
Ryan McKinnon: 941-745-7027, @JRMcKinnon
MANATEE HIGH SCHOOL
Graduates: 516
Graduating class: 67th since the class of 1950, the school’s first graduates after a consolidation with the old Palmetto High School
Speakers: Principal Don Sauer and Student Council Vice President Anthony Cucci spoke. Class President Caroline Smith and student speakers Simon Auguste, William Galvano and Megan Johnston were scheduled to speak, but the threat of rain forced administrators to cancel the speeches. Sauer said videos of the student’s speeches would be posted onto the school district web page next week.
Shining moment: When Sauer regretfully told the crowd they would be skipping all the speeches as dark skies gathered behind him, the crowd cheered loudly.
Interesting fact: In 2013 rain caused Manatee to delay their graduation until the following day.
Best quote: “When faced with adversity, be grateful,” Cucci said. “Such opportunities to grow don’t come often.”
This story was originally published May 20, 2017 at 10:41 PM with the headline "Hurricanes get diplomas in abbreviated ceremony."