DAPHNE, Ala. — Rain forced the Daphne High School graduation ceremony indoors on Tuesday evening.

The class of 2010 graduated 251 students who received their diplomas in a ceremony at the Daphne Civic Center.

Principal Don Blanchard said that the 2010 class was a “fun class” and he was very proud of them. “Daphne is a great area. We have great families and so we have great kids,” he said.

The event was originally planned for the football stadium, but was forced to relocate at the last minute by a sudden downpour.

“We were all standing there and then it started to sprinkle, and then it got heavier and then it poured,” Salutatorian Maria Boccardo, 18, said. “I was soaking wet.”

Blanchard said it was a last-minute decision as radar showed a possible break in the weather, but it arrived just too late to hold the event outdoors.

“Some of us got pretty wet in the process,” he said.

Valedictorian Kelsey Shinnick took the inspiration for her speech from an unusual source: a fortune cookie.

“I recently opened a fortune cookie that read: ‘Most success springs from an obstacle or failure.’ Usually I read my fortunes with a grain of salt, but this one really hit home with me,” she told the audience.

“Those who know me are aware that I have a neuromuscular disorder. I have trouble walking long distances and have spent way too much time at school hobbling through the hallways after an injury or a surgery,” she said.

“All my life I could never keep up with my peers on a physical level, so I did what I could to keep up and exceed on a mental level. I have learned that an obstacle isn’t put there to trip you up, but to jump over and help you to become a stronger person.

“I have jumped hurdles all my life, from proving to myself I could walk a mile, to participating in a beauty pageant. I know I cannot do everything I would wish, but I have learned that in order for others to accept you, you first have to accept yourself — imperfections and all.”

Shinnick, 18, is heading to the University of Southern Mississippi in the fall and plans to major in psychology.

Boccardo — who will attend Spring Hill College in the fall, undecided in her major — took her speech’s theme from Franklin D. Roosevelt’s dictum, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

“As humans, we seem to always be attracted to what is easiest and what requires the least effort,” she said. “We cringe at the thought of taking risks. However, as a wise person once told me, ‘If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space.’

“And so, class of 2010, fear is not something we should fear, but something we should overcome. Pope Benedict says, ‘The world offers you comfort, but you were not made for comfort, you were made for greatness.’

“Let us all take courage to break out of our comfort zones and strive to defend truth, and seek the good — no matter what the cost.”

Online extras: Full speeches

Kelsey Shinnick, Valedictorian:

Good evening family, friends, faculty, and above all, class of 2010.

I recently opened a fortune cookie that read : “Most success springs from an obstacle or failure.” Usually I read my fortunes with a grain of salt, but this one really hit home with me. Those who know me are aware that I have a neuromuscular disorder. I have trouble walking long distances and have spent way too much time at school hobbling through the hallways after an injury or a surgery. All my life I could never keep up with my peers on a physical level, so I did what I could to keep up and exceed on a mental level.  I have learned that an obstacle isn’t put there to trip you up, but to jump over and help you to become a stronger person.

Perhaps acknowledging my limitations has been more of a challenge for me than the limitations themselves. People are constantly reminding me of my disability and telling me what I cannot do. If someone told me I could never win a gold medal in the triathlon, I would probably start training today. I have jumped hurdles all my life: from proving to myself I could walk a mile, to participating in a beauty pageant. I know I cannot do everything I would wish, but I have learned that in order for others to accept you, you first have to accept yourself – imperfections and all.

In fact, every one of these students behind me has or will face some kind of obstacle or failure. It is not the obstacle itself, but our reaction to it that makes the world of difference. Hard work, motivation, and determination are the ingredients of success. When running a race, it is a known fact that someone must come in first and someone must come in last. Class of 2010, always remember to accept the challenge. Be proud that even if we come in last, we didn’t give up at the starting line, but gave it our all until the finish. With that attitude, I am confident that we will all finish winners.

You cannot pick up a book and learn wisdom. It takes experience. Unlike the ABC’s, there is no song to remember how to take on responsibility. After all, a history book does not teach us that we have to learn from the history of our mistakes. Math does not teach us to solve our own problems. And science experiments do not answer all of our questions. Life lessons cannot be crammed or memorized for a test. In the end, your final exam is what you did with your life.

My advice to you: don’t cram for this one, but pass it with flying colors.

Maria Boccardo, Salutatorian:

Good evening class of 2010, faculty, staff, parents, and friends,

Or as us Italians would say, buona sera.

While trying to figure out what to say in this speech, I came across a quote by Franklin D. Roosevelt, which reads, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” My first thoughts upon reading this quote was that FDR must never have had to deliver a speech to his peers at his high school graduation.

There is no doubt that we are all anxious to become independent and begin our next journey.  Nevertheless, this anticipation is closely followed by a certain fear of the unknown. 

We must not forget, however, that only four years ago, we were also starting a new adventure, as freshmen students at Daphne High school. Although at first we might have been slightly terrified and intimidated, we quickly adapted and grew to even love the leaky ceilings and the gum-patched walls of the break area.  I would even venture to say that we became more mature individuals. 

 Maturity and growth are impossible without change, and this change is always accompanied by sacrifice. I believe I speak for the whole senior AP class, when I say that none of us actually enjoyed writing endless papers for Mr. LaPalme. But in doing so, we learned that A: procrastination increases stress. And B: don’t risk enlarging the margins— they will be measured.

As we move on to college or work, we must remember that if we wish to become authentic and free, we must take courage and recognize that fear is normal— so long as it does not impede us from progressing.  Ultimately, we will never learn how to truly love if we refuse to move beyond ourselves and take responsibility. 

As humans, we seem to always be attracted to what is easiest and what requires the least effort. We cringe at the thought of taking risks.  However, as a wise person once told me, “If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space.”

And so, class of 2010, fear is not something we should fear, but something we should overcome. Pope Benedict says, “The world offers you comfort, but you were not made for comfort, you were made for greatness.” Let us all take courage to break out of our comfort zones and strive to defend truth, and seek the good. No matter what the cost.

Thank you, and God bless.