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Singing East High’s praises
Gallery
By Harold Gwin
It’s not every day that the song you wrote is sung at your own high school graduation.
In fact, it may never have happened anywhere before.
But it happened Thursday morning as the graduating members of East High School’s Class of 2009 received diplomas at Stambaugh Auditorium.
Among the class is Antonio Ford, who wrote the East High School alma mater, which was debuted by the high school choir as commencement came to a close.
He wrote the lyrics and the bass line over spring break — “That was the only time I had to work on it,” he said — and presented it to Elaine Carlson, the school choral director.
Ford said he volunteered to write an alma mater after Carlson told him she was looking for someone to do it. She wrote the harmonies and did the arrangement, he said.
It was an honor to hear it sung at commencement, Ford said, but he penned the words as a tribute to East, hoping it will “bring pride back to our school.”
This was just the second graduating class from the new East High School, which was built two years ago.
School officials said 73 members of the class already have been accepted for admission at colleges, universities or trade and technical schools.
Commencement speakers advised the graduates that there will be challenges ahead, but also pointed out they have the power within themselves to succeed.
“This is only the beginning for you,” said guest speaker Christine Snipes, a member of the East Class of 1980.
She offered her own story as an example of how someone with odds against them can succeed. She detailed how she grew up in various foster homes, had a daughter at 15, became a victim of domestic violence at 18, and, in 2001, lost one of her six children.
All signs showed that “I should have been a statistic,” she told the class.
People told her she couldn’t make it, but she learned to use disappointment and adversity to motivate herself, Snipes said.
She became an ordained minister and went to college, graduating from Youngstown State University last August with a doctorate in physical therapy. She is married to Matthew Snipes, a graduate of The Rayen School, and now works with stroke rehabilitation patients at Forum Health Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital in Warren, she said.
Don’t let your circumstances and environment limit you, Snipes said.
“It’s how you handle that adversity that determines the type of person you will be,” she said. “Each of you have inherent gifts and talents that God has given you.”
Two members of the class drew extra-loud cheers as they crossed the stage to receive their diplomas.
Axel Rivera, who has had a physical disability since birth, was assisted in a wheelchair, and Breonna Sims, who suffered extensive injuries in a motor vehicle crash six years ago and is generally confined to a wheelchair, made it across the stage with the aid of a walker and a few helping hands from school administrators.
It had been her goal to walk at graduation, said Holly Seimetz, East’s academic dean.
The Class of 2009 had some special gifts to hand out, presenting laptop computers to its co-valedictorians, Aiesha Ethridge and Kyonia’ Johnson, as well as a laptop to their retiring principal and dean, Henrietta Williams.
Four student speakers offered their own advice to their classmates.
“We have endured as a unified class,” said Casandra Aponte, class president. “We have persevered, we have overcome, we have made it.”
“This has been a challenging year for many of us,” offered Marlyn Estrada, class salutatorian. Don’t dwell on past mistakes but concentrate on moving forward.
“Your lives are inspired by love, and you will be guided by knowledge,” she said.
Faith is a key to success, Ethridge said. There were no guarantees the class would reach this day, but the students had faith and did what they were required to do, she said, reminding the class, “It’s not always what you do, but how you do it.”
gwin@vindy.com