By Alex Stogdill

It’s a time of year that calls for joy and celebration. Students are taking big leaps as they improve their learning, and kids are jumping into adulthood. This time of the year is of course, graduation.

Graduating is a goal many students have and are able to achieve in their educational careers. It’s not always an easy task, but with hard work and dedication it can be achieved. Haven’t you at least thought about walking across the stage in your cap and gown as you receive your diploma in front of all of your friends and family? It is a defining moment in many peoples’ lives as they go on to do bigger and better things.

North Star feels the same way about this very important topic of graduating from high school. McKenzie Currey (10) is an under-classman, but still has a clear vision of what graduation can do for people. “I feel graduation is taking one step closer to starting your new life outside of high school and accomplishing your goals.”

Starting to think about graduation can be a difficult thing as an underclassman or someone who won’t graduate for a while, but it is important to do so. You can never start planning too early.

Senior Trevor Reimnitz will be graduating this year and said the importance of graduating from high school is, “Going to college and starting a new part of my life.”

Transitioning from high school to college can prove to be a huge challenge. Nonetheless, many North Star graduates take that challenge head-on every year. In fact, 81.7 percent of the 2012 senior class did it by graduating. That was the highest graduation rate we have had at North Star in our history. The graduation rates have steadily increased every year at North Star, ultimately leading to our largest rate last year. It’s not just the students graduating who recognize the importance of pursuing this educational endeavor, but the teachers, administrators, and all others that help them along the way.

Principal Vann Price is one of those strong supporters. Price feels she knows what has helped the graduation rates increase over the years. “I think that a focused effort by both the students and teachers has helped the graduation rate. When North Star comes together as a community to push for a certain goal, we get it done. The students know that we are not going to let them fail, and the teachers know that failing is not an option,” Price said.

The teachers at North Star do a great job with the students in making sure they succeed and be the best they can be. That is just another reason to love North Star! Mrs. Price was also asked how she felt about being able to see this rise in graduation rates over the years, and said, “I am absolutely thrilled to see it, because seeing students walk out of North Star with a diploma is a sign that we have achieved our goal, and I know that a high school diploma is very important in giving our students a fighting chance as they go beyond North Star.”

Our high school has a very firm assessment of learning and what it means. People want to see you succeed in school as well as many other aspects of life. They want to see you walk across that stage with a diploma in your hand and your head held high.