Filled to capacity, the Forbush High School stadium held family members and proud friends of the Class of 2010 June 10, as the heat subsided for commencement for graduation.

Jake Hill, pianist, led the Forbush Wind Ensemble as the JROTC presented the colors and the concert choir sang the national anthem.

Principal Dr. Wayne Price welcomed the audience. On the platform special guests included school board members Howard McKnight, Hazel Brown, Diane Hampton, Larry Vestal and Superintendent Dr. Jim Benfield, David Moxley, Phillip Graham, East Bend Mayor Stewart Maples, Earl Norman, Wayne Dixon, Mark Rumley, Bonnie Cook, Rep. Darrell McCormick and others.

A duet was performed by Adam Goodrich and Courtney Kiser, “Goodbye Forbush High.”

Hannah Brooke Lineberry gave the invocation, and the salutatorian address was made by Bailey Marie Stinson.

The valedictorian address was made by Jennifer Marie Jones, who was her school’s student representative to the Yadkin County Board of Education at its meetings.

“I am honored to stand before you tonight as a senior of the graduating class of 2010,” she said. “To my fellow graduates congratulations on making it.  I hope we all follow our hearts and succeed in what we strive to accomplish. I know through personal experience, you are faced with a situation in which you have two roads.

“Many people have heard Robert Frost’s ‘The Road Not Taken,’ but I would like to share the last few lines. ‘Two roads diverged in a wood and I, I took the one less traveled by and that has made all the difference.’ I was put into a situation where I had to decide what classes to take, I was strongly encouraged to take less than four AP classes.

“However, I followed my heart and signed up for four. Once these four AP classes began, I was given the opportunity and encouraged to drop one of my classes, however, again I decided not to take the easy way out and that choice has decided my faith tonight. I stand before you tonight, as a result of experiencing the road less traveled and I hope many of you will be able to make wise decisions, even if it does mean taking the road less traveled.

“Over the past 720 days, which is four years of high school, I have taken the high school journey along with 200 peers. I know this journey would be impossible without the teachers, staff, friends and family that fill this stadium tonight.

“First, I would like to thank our principal, Dr. Price, for the positive role model that he has set and for the endless hours of his time given to make this a better school for all of us. Secondly, I would like to thank all the teachers for taking their time to instruct us to the best of their ability and for teaching us life lessons.

“Several teachers have left a lasting impression on me, such as Mrs. Orr for her radical calculator tricks in algebra 1, Mr. Farmer for his hands-on physic’s experiments like the pumpkin launching competition, Mrs. Motsinger (Mama Mots), for her creative English activities and reading assignments, and Mrs. Jordan for her stringent calculus notebook quizzes.

“Next, I would like to thank my friends for helping me make high school memories that I will treasure for a life time. To my fellow teammates on the soccer field, I will always treasure my base players. Our soccer team was composed of many base players. I don’t literally mean a base player but figuratively, meaning that as a base player you stood up for your teammates and your teammates stand up for you.

“I also feel that our class has many base players and when we get together for our class reunions, we will truly understand how important it is to stand up for someone and have someone stand up for you. To Coach McCollum and the ladies tennis team, I appreciate the encouragement that you gave me during the matches and the many laughs we experienced throughout the seasons.

“Last but certainly not least, I would like to thank God for blessing my life  in so many ways and for giving me wonderful Christian parents who have supported and encouraged me to set my goals high and to never give up. Mark 10:27 states, ‘All things are possible when you put your trust in God.’

“At the end of my junior year, I was called to the office. I quickly began telling myself, ‘you’re not in trouble, you didn’t do anything, and it’s just a mistake.’ However, once I reached the office, I realized they did not make a mistake and in fact, Dr. Price was waiting to see me.

“At this moment, I tried racking my brain of all the things I had done in the past week. I stepped inside Dr. Price’s office and he said ‘I have something to ask of you. Will you be the student representative for Forbush High School?’ Without thinking I said, ‘Me? You want me to be the student representative for Forbush?’ Dr. Price immediately saw the fear in my eyes. With recommendations for this position, Dr. Price told me he was confident I would be a good candidate for the job.

“I stand before you today, glad that I was able to attend the school board meetings. And for this reason I encourage you, to step out of your comfort zone allowing yourself to experience things you wouldn’t normally have experienced.

“What better words can I offer regarding the future, than the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson: ‘Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.’ Congratulations to the class of 2010. My challenge to each one of you is to stay focused, work hard, never give up, and begin making your own trail.”

The concert choir then performed “Wanting Memories.” Senior Class President Carrianna Beck gave senior class memories, and Chris Hauser gave a charge to the senior class.