Family, friends, and D38 staff packed the Broadmoor World Arena on May 20, to celebrate the Palmer Ridge High School (PRHS) Class of 2025. The ceremony was the second of two graduations for District 38 that day and honored 277 graduates.
The graduation ceremony began with music from the Monument Hill Brass Quintet and also featured multiple student performances.
Cora Grayson and Hayden Fields opened up the ceremony with “The Star Spangled Banner.” Then following the welcome from Dr. Adam Frank, Annabelle Erminger performed an incredible rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide.” Luke Bridges performed an arrangement he wrote himself of “Rose Storm” and “The Kill,” by John DeLoach and 30 Seconds to Mars, respectively. Chamber singers and choir seniors also performed “You’re Gonna Go Far,” arranged by Michelle Ericksen, Johnny Herbert, and Bradley Perry.
Dr. Adam Frank, PRHS Principal, began the introduction of graduates by having the Class of 2025 stand and say a collective thank you to friends and family in the audience, those who, “have provided for you, helped prepare you, and have loved you through the good times and the tough times.”
“It has been said many times by a lot of staff members, you really are an exceptional class. One with noticeable character and much school pride,” Dr. Frank told the graduates. “Even through the fires of life, we protect one another to have a stronger and better future,” Dr. Frank told the graduates to conclude his speech.
In her speech to the graduates, D38 Superintendent Amber Whetstine quoted the Dhali Lama in saying, “Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.” She concluded her speech by saying, “Your diploma is proof of what you know, but your humanity will be remembered by how you make others feel. Graduates, the world needs your ideas, but it needs your hearts even more.”
Congratulations to the PRHS Class of 2025! Although one chapter has come to a close, you have just opened a new, longer one. From everyone in District 38, we wish you all the best in life’s next chapter.
