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Liberty’s Class of 2010 survives an alarming commencementSFlb
By Elise Franco
Youngstown
The Liberty High School 2010 graduates got more than they bargained for when a false fire alarm threatened to cancel their commencement ceremony.
As the final seniors took their seats Sunday afternoon inside Stambaugh Auditorium on Fifth Avenue, an announcement was made asking everyone to evacuate the building.
Lt. Frank Marino of the Youngstown Fire Department said a child pulled the alarm, causing the evacuation. Marino said for a brief time the fire department was ready to cancel the ceremony because no one at Stambaugh was able to turn off the alarm.
“We couldn’t get the alarm to reset,” he said. “With so many people inside, if something would’ve happened with the alarm not working properly, it would be unsafe for the people.”
And 30 minutes later, as the graduates filed back into the auditorium, they seemed more eager than ever to receive their diplomas.
Senior Class President Lauren Stevens was first to address her classmates with a speech that focused on growing up and moving on.
“Today marks the start of our adulthood,” she said. “This is about us, class of 2010. Liberty High School has exposed us to reality, and I have no doubt that all of our lives are worth watching.”
Stevens reminded classmates that they’ve grown together during their time in high school and though they’re about to begin the next part of their lives, they’ll always be connected.
“As students of Liberty High School, we have learned to help one another,” she said. “With that, we’ve grown into a family.”
Valedictorian Jillian Billeck highlighted her speech by reading a story called “What If?” by Shel Silverstein, one of her favorite childhood authors.
Billeck said for her fellow seniors, the story is meant to illustrate all of possibilities that could happen.
“It illustrates what everyone wonders, ‘What if my life is completely terrible?’” she said. “To tell you the truth, that probably won’t happen to you.”
Billeck asked her classmates not to worry about the things they can’t control.
“Life is not the way it should be. It is the way it is,” she said. “Don’t dwell on the bad things ... Learn from your mistakes.”
Salutatorian Suraj Lakshminarasimhan and School Board President Jeffrey Grinstein also addressed the audience.
Senior Richard Sutton said he is proud of his time spent at Liberty High School and is looking forward to the future.
“I want to go down as accomplished,” he said. “I’m going to college at either Akron or Youngstown State for business administration.”
Sutton summed up what his classmates felt as they were handed their diplomas.
“It’s a great feeling to be graduating today,” he said. “I really loved going to Liberty High School. It was really a joy.”