At 7:57 p.m. on May 9, a total of 29 Wellsville-Middletown students marched out of the school’s gymnasium with diplomas and yellow roses as they are now officially high school graduates.

Now, they plan to go their separate ways next year. Two of them are heading back overseas, one is going to college on a baseball scholarship, 10 of them are going to community college, two of them are going to the military and one is going to Truman State University and hoping to become a U.S. Senator someday.

“Today marks the end of one chapter and the beginning of another,” W-M principal Kevin Oligschlaeger said.

In his nearly three-minute speech at the graduation ceremony, Oligschlaeger – who has been the high school principal since 2023 – gave the graduates some advice about taking risks when they are out in the real world.

“As you step into that next chapter, there’s a message I want to leave you with – take the risk,” Oligschlaeger said. “Too often, we let fear keep us in our comfort zones. We wait for the perfect moment. We tell ourselves that we’re not ready. But the truth is there is never a perfect time.”

The principal shared quotes from two famous people. The first one is from comedian/actor Steve Harvey.

“Steve Harvey once said, “You have to jump. If you never jump, the parachute will never open. You may get scraped. You may get bruised. But your parachute will open.’ What’s saying is this – if you never take the risk, you never know what you’re truly capable of,” Oligschlaeger said. “If you never jump, you’ll always wonder what if?”

The other is from author Ray Bradbury, who is well known for writing the novel, “Fahrenheit 451,” in the 1950s.

“(He said) Living at risk is jumping off a cliff and building your wings on the way down,” Oligschlaeger said. “It’s scary, but that’s the point. Every great accomplishment in history started with someone willing to take the risk and that same courage lives in each of you.”

First-year superintendent Tiffany Gosseen said she enjoyed working with this year’s class, which had 13 honor students.

“I had the pleasure of knowing most of these young men and young ladies since they were in the first grade,” she said. “Sure, I knew one of them longer. I’ve known a few of them since they were in junior high, but I do know them. I know that this class always had a little extra. A little extra humor, a little extra creativity and intelligence and, yes, a little extra impulsivity and orneriness. There was nothing predictable about this group. For these qualities and others, this group has made a profound impact on the culture of W-M R-1.”

Gosseen’s daughter, Della, plans to go to Truman State and major in political science. Recently, she received a Gen. John J. Pershing Scholarship from the Kirksville school.

During her four-minute speech, Della Gosseen talked about starting a new life after high school.

“As we close this chapter of our lives, begin a new one, a new chapter with countless opportunities, new people and experiences,” she said. “All we can do is try to enjoy them now.”

Awards were announced during the ceremony. Hallie Guzy, who plans to attend the University of Missouri-Columbia next year, received 17 scholarships, more than any other student. Gosseen, Alyssa Beach and Jonah Slovensky also had more than 10 scholarships apiece.

Lea Denet and Julia Dias were foreign exchange students who were in this year’s class. Denet and Dias will return to Belgium and Brazil, respectively.