When Maison Stuart went to the podium to make a speech at the Wellsville-Middletown High School graduation ceremony on May 12, the first thing that was on his mind was his grandfather, Shorty Stuart.

Shorty, whose real name was Elmer, died on Dec. 21, 2020, which was during Maison’s sophomore year. Maison wanted to honor his grandfather by graduating from high school.

“I made a promise that I would graduate,” Maiso

n said. “I kept that promise. He would be proud of me that I’m standing on this stage giving a graduation speech to my class.”

At 8 p.m., Maison was one of 24 W-M students to receive a diploma.

“He would have loved to see me walk across this stage,” he said. “Sadly, he didn’t get to, but I know he is proud of me and my accomplishments. He would probably make a smart joke about how he knew I could do it even if I’m accident prone.”

Stuart’s mother, Jennifer, brought a sign to the ceremony that said, “We Know You Would Be Here Today If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away.” She said she was happy her son dedicated his graduation night to his grandfather.

“He made his grandpa proud,” Jennifer said.

The ceremony also included a presentation of the awards and scholarships, a performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” by senior Molly Scott and speeches from superintendent Dr. Erin Oligschlaeger, principal Jessie Cobb and senior Kaleb Peak.

“Tonight is a celebration,” Cobb said. “We, your family and friends, past and present, faculty and staff of Wellsville-Middletown R-I and your community have come to support and celebrate with you all of your accomplishmen

ts that have led you to this day. Tonight, we get to reflect on all of your accomplishments.”

Out of the 24 graduates, only Libby Kleinsorge will be heading to the University of Missouri-Columbia next year, meaning that she will continue to be a Tiger for at least the next four years.

“I’m ready to start something new,” said Kleinsorge, whose older sister, Abbigail, graduated from W-M last year and is currently attending Kansas State University. “It will be different.”

Kleinsorge said she enjoyed her four years at W-M after attending grade school at St. Joseph’s School in Martinsburg.

“I feel like a part of the Tiger family,” said Kleinsorge, who was a member of the FFA chapter all four years and was crowned homecoming queen in her sophomore year. “It’s a great place. I love it. I’m going to miss these halls, that’s for sure.”

During his four-minute speech, Stuart mentioned his freshman year at W-M, when school was shut down for in-person learning in the final months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I thought we were going to be stuck at home, but we made it through,” Stuart said.

Stuart, who isn’t planning on going to college next year, said his favorite moment at school was going to band classes. He plays the trombone with the W-M band, which performed at the graduation ceremony.

Peak, who earned a pair of awards at the Missouri FFA Convention in April and qualified for state competition in cross country and track, gave some advice to the graduates.

“Life is always full of opportunities,” Peak said. “It is important to know that you have the potential to do anything as long as you put your mind to it. Always chase your dreams. You will succeed if you put your mind to it, dedicate yourself and never give up. Learn as much as you possibly can and learn new things by doing things. It’s OK to fail as long as you are never giving up and keep searching for bigger dreams.”