Congrats Graduates: Solon High School Seniors Moving On and Up

It's safe to say that Solon High's class of 2011 was full of talented, record-breaking individuals. Four hundred sixty-two of them crossed the Cleveland Playhouse State Theatre stage Thursday night to receive their diplomas.

Solon High Principal Erin Short took the stage and described the accomplishments of her class. Among them, there were 14 commended scholars, seven U.S. Presidential Scholars (the average is one per school), 55 who had a 4.0 or better GPA and 103 who had a GPA between 3.5 and 3.99.

"We have 326 students being recognized for being on the merit or honor roll this year," Short said to applause. "That's 70 percent of the class."

She added that 190 students received honors diplomas, 95 percent of students were headed to college and they had earned more than $2 million is scholarships. Eight athletes secured full-ride scholarships for sports.

Rather than having class valedictorians or salutatorians at commencement, Solon holds a contest and the senior with the best speech delivers it on the big day. This year's speakers were Sonia Godbole and Aliza Weiss.

"In Spanish there exists an entirely separate set of tenses call the subjunctive that is used to indicate uncertainty," Sonia began her speech. "It's possible that I'll finish the rest of this speech without messing up. I hope that my friends and I will remain close after high school. It's possible that we won't."

She went on, "The future, that thing we've been fixating on ever since senior year started, is full of doubt. In the present, we have the power of affirmation, of assured knowledge."

Her speech explored the events she and her classmates have shared since they started high school and how they would connect them for the rest of their lives.

Aliza's speech took a different approach, one that follows a journey.

"A journey is an expedition that begins with a movement that inevitably leads to a destination," she said. "Each of our personal GPSs represents our conscious. As children we entrust our choices to our family and parents, letting them determine our turns and paths."

She describes a scene that you might pass while driving through a town.

"At the first stop light, there are various side streets to turn on to. Each one representing a different class or activity offered at the high school," Aliza said. "Do we turn onto the street which offers a multitude of sports teams? Unsure of which turn to take, our family steers us down a street they feel we would succeed in."

Before the diplomas were handed out, Short challenged the senior class to three tasks:

"Take pause in your hectic lives to listen to your soul," she began. "Don't lose the song in your heart. Second, Don't settle for being successful, be significant. And third, inspired by a lyric from Katy Perry, there's a spark in each of you. Light it up and let it shine."

After each student crossed the stage, they joined in singing Solon's alma mater, which brough tears to the faces of the senior girls in the front row, and as the song concluded, they were instructed to turn their tassels to the other side.

Hats went flying.

Congratulations, Class of 2011 and best of luck in the future from your friends at Solon Patch!