Triumph High School held its 2024 graduation ceremony Thursday, May 23 at 4:00 at Storey Gymnasium. Over 50 Spartans received their diplomas and celebrated the culmination of years of study and hard work with family, staff, district administrators, and school board members. Eva Torres tearfully delivered a heartwarming speech as the student representative sharing aphorisms from her mother and delivering some clever inside jokes with her classmates as they soldier on into life after high school. Dr. Newton’s speech was anchored in a nautical analogy about a ship being safe in harbor but offering the reminder that being safe in the harbor isn’t what ships were designed for. This analogy was apt and resonated with the audience further highlighting to everyone that these young ships will be leaving the safe harbor of Triumph and braving the sea of adult life. Michael Hendrix, faculty speaker, put the exclamation point on the speeches with his poignant reminder that while times will undoubtedly be tough, cynicism and bitterness aren’t a viable position from which to interact with life. He shared some fun memories of things studied and learned and made overtures to a long-standing differing of opinions he has with the students concerning the innocence of one Lizzie Borden – that must have been quite the English class. The ceremony concluded with a slide show of seniors’ pictures alongside their baby pictures and the handing out of diplomas. Troy Lake, Triumph High principal, led the students in the changing of the tassels and amid raucous cheering, confetti poppers, and air horns, students embraced each other and family members and walked out of their last official school function before joining the adult world outside the gymnasium.