Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, June 16, 1990 TAG: 9006160368
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CHRISTINA A. SAMUELS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Students embraced, greeted friends, and adjusted their outfits. One late-arriving senior tried to step into her gown before she realized it unzipped in the front, much to her embarrassment and the amusement of bystanders.
"When do we line up?" asked Christopher Shawn Poulin, another senior. "Tomorrow?"
Despite Poulin's concern, the 227 graduates filed into the packed auditorium to begin the commencement exercises precisely at 8 p.m.
The 10-member Senior Choir picked two songs that summed up the feelings of most graduates: "Let's Celebrate" and "It's Time for Movin' On." The Concert Choir sang "Walk Along Beside Me," another fitting song.
The president of the class, James Daniel Omer, humorously recalled his years spent at Lord Botetourt in his speech. When remembering senior year, he said, "Many students made trips to the guidance counselors for their infinite wisdom on life, or just as an excuse to miss class."
The crowd cheered for salutatorian Mitzi Lynn Garman, who had to stand on a box to reach the microphone. Garman read a poem that ended, appropriately enough, "It isn't by size that you win or fail; be the best at whatever you are."
The valedictorian, Jeffrey Kyle Baker, said he holds two values very close: individuality and "making a difference." He referred to poet Robert Frost, who wrote a famous poem about the road less traveled. "I hope each of makes the right decision." Baker will attend the University of Virginia as an Echols Scholar.
by CNB