Seniors take a final bow

Baldwin High School seniors tossed their mortarboards at their graduation ceremony on June 26.

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Graduate Maya Robinson embraced her friend Michaela Barnette.

Maureen Lennon/Herald

Valedictorian Connor Mack told his classmates that it is how they respond to adversity that will truly define them.

Maureen Lennon/Herald

Graduate Elisa Nunez celebrated with her mother, Anna, far left, her sister, Stephanie, and her father, Mario.

Maureen Lennon/Herald

Chelsea McGowen, the salutatorian, urged her classmates to “remember the way you feel in this moment” for the rest of their lives.

Maureen Lennon/Herald

Frank Gallagher was one of many excited Baldwin High School seniors who graduated last Friday.

Maureen Lennon/Herald

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With their bright blue caps soaring into the air, Baldwin High School’s seniors said goodbye to their lives as high school students and welcomed a new chapter on June 26.

Teachers, family members and friends looked on as the class of 2015 received their diplomas and checked off a big milestone in their academic careers.

The day was perfect for a graduation ceremony, with the sun shining brightly and not a single cloud in the sky. The chairs on the school’s football field were packed with the soon-to-be graduates and the bleachers were filled with their loved ones.

Salutatorian Chelsea McGowen began the ceremony by noting the accomplishments of the members of the graduating class, from academic achievements to music awards to championship games. She reminded her classmates how hard they had worked since they entered the school as freshmen, and challenged them to do the same in the future.

“I want you to remember the way you feel in this moment,” McGowen said, “the way you felt on that first day of high school — like you can be anyone or do anything. I challenge you to become that person. And I encourage you to take all that you have learned here in Baldwin and embrace the possibilities you have once again.”

In his speech, Valedictorian Connor Mack shared his thoughts on success, telling his fellow seniors that it shouldn’t be based on awards and recognitions and how anyone else defines theirsuccess, but instead how they view their achievements. Mack said that as cliché as it sounds, failures and hardship help shape people, as well as how hard they work in life.

“Do what matters to you and take pride in it,” he said. “No one can take that pride from you. I’m not going to say you can achieve anything you want to, because you have to tell yourselves this. Self-confidence is the first and most important piece of achieving any dream. With this you can hope and aspire and try.”