Rockville High School Celebrates Its 138th Commencement

Rockville High School on Thursday sent 198 members of the Class of 2013 to college, to the military, to the work force - and to the world with its 138th commencement ceremony in the school's courtyard.

The featured speakers were Class President Alicia Biske, Salutatorian Lisa Mueller and Valedictorian Peter Melander.

Biske greeted her classmates by reminding them that as freshmen, they could barely find their lockers on the first day.

"And now look how far we've come," she said.

She talked about the irony of an arguably perfect weather night for a class that has endured two hurricanes during the first week of school two years in a row, a freak fall snowstorm that tore up the town and a blizzard that dropped 30 inches of snow on Vernon.

"Years from now, we will reminisce about these high school memories," she said. "But at this moment, as we finally enjoy some perfect weather, we are excited to move on to the next chapter …"

In her salutatory address, Lisa Mueller charged her classmates with finding happiness in their day-to-day living and drew an analogy with the sidewalk chalk she enjoyed as a young girl.

"As we embark on our journey as adults, let's continue to discover what makes us happiest," she said. "Let's look at the larger-than-life driveway ahead of us and draw futures that are filled with the energy and happiness we had as children.

"And when we are faced with with those rainstorms - with the drama, the irritation and the heartbreak - let's take them as a blessing, because when the rain stops, we can begin to draw a new picture."

Valedictorian Peter Melander stressed simplicity as the key to the transitions.

"After we leave here today, we will likely never all be together again," he said. "We will all go down our own trails, and while they may cross again at some point, they will stay largely our own. As long as we can maintain integrity and simplicity in our lives, we can accomplish great things."