‘We are Patriots’

It’s been a long year.

Jay County High School held its graduation ceremony Sunday, saying goodbye to 240 seniors who had to hang around in its hallways and classrooms for a couple of weeks longer than they had expected.

The last scheduled day for students this year was originally planned for May 22. But a variety of weather issues — ice, snow, extreme cold and fog — resulted in 15 canceled days of school. Even with the use of built-in make-up days, that would have pushed the end of school all the way back to June 11 if not for a waiver granted by the state. The last day now lands on June 5.

“Anybody interested in e-learning next year?” joked Jay Schools superintendent Jeremy Gulley.

It was a year that saw successes in a variety of areas, including, most recently, the Patriot baseball team winning its second consecutive sectional championship and advancing to the regional final.

Other achievements from the year included:

•Additional sectional championships in girls track and girls swimming.

•A third-place finish for the Marching Patriots at the Indiana State Fair Band Day competition.

•Patriot Edition show choir advancing to the Indiana State School Music Association state finals.

•Recognition of the FFA chapter as top-10 in the state.

•A fifth-place finish for the cheerleaders at the Indiana Cheer Championship. 

•A third consecutive year of the school’s chapter of the National Honor Society raising more than $25,000 to host a Feed My Starving Children MobilePack.

Gulley touted the 1,338 service hours the senior class had completed, and pointed out the vast amount of students who had earned college or other post-secondary education while in high school. That includes Daniel Bracy and Dillon Muhlenkamp, who have each already earned associate’s degrees. They both gave a commencement address during the ceremony.

Bracy encouraged his classmates to continue using their various gifts, comparing their time in Jay Schools as an investment. And he noted that some of those who have invested — grandparents, parents, classmates — may no longer be with them.

“I believe that to honor the memory of those we loved, we need to make the most of the investments that they made in our lives,” he said. “And we can do that by wholeheartedly investing in the path ahead of us.”

Muhlenkamp, who said he plans to spend his life in Jay County and has an interest in holding elected office, encouraged his classmates to always remember their roots.

“We may become Hoosiers, Cardinals, Red Wolves, Marines, sailors, workers or, most importantly, Boilermakers,” said Muhlenkamp, who is headed to Purdue University. “But as we take on these new identities, we should not let go of the old ones. They are a part of who we are and who we are destined to become. …

“We are Patriots.”