Before the diplomas were handed out and caps thrown into the air, the 2009 graduates of Fred T. Foard High School remembered a classmate whose life was cut short during their sophomore year.
Tyler Howton was remembered by his cousin, William Marcus Maxwell, and a friend, Jefferson Caleb Hull, as a good friend who liked to play jokes.
Howton, who died in an automobile accident about two years ago, was present at his class's graduation Thursday night through a portrait and flower arrangement on the stage other seniors would walk across at the Multi-Purpose Complex at Catawba Valley Community College.
Maxwell remembered a time when he and his cousin were in an elevator and Howton pushed all the buttons to make the lift stop at each floor. The joke backfired.
"The elevator froze and we were stuck for three hours," Maxwell said, drawing laughter from the family and friends at Foard's graduation ceremony.
Maxwell became emotional as he remembered Howton, but recovered and reminded his classmates it was not a night for tears.
"We all need to remember as we celebrate tonight that Tyler would want us to be happy," he said.
And the remainder of the night was just that — complete with beach balls tossed by students along with their caps after they were pronounced graduates.
Principal Sally Bradshaw complimented the approximately 250 graduates, who earned $2.5 million in scholarships and grants.
"Their many accomplishments demonstrate the high caliber of these students graduating tonight," Bradshaw said.
The school named two valedictorians for the class: Roger Yang and Sabina Rita Rumswinkel.
Yang compared his high school years as a "quest," complete with a goal, an obstacle and a lesson. He said he and his classmates "gained so much more than a diploma" during their four years at Foard.
"We gained knowledge, maturity, and a plethora of things I can't even begin to list," he said.
Rumswinkel urged her classmates to set goals and work hard.
"Most successes have been achieved by people who dreamed big first and refused to let go," she said. "All of us have the same foundation, but the next step in our lives involves a number of choices for each of us."
The school's Concert Choir and Honors Ensemble performed "Live Your Dream" and "No Day But Today."
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