Starting a new chapter in life means the ending of another. This scenario became all too real for the graduating class of 2013 as they were surrounded by family and friends who watched them walk across the stage with diplomas in hand, marking the end of their high school careers, May 23.

The ceremony began at 7 p.m. and was held in the People Church sanctuary, immediately followed by a reception in the Peoples Church gym.

The ceremony started with a welcome from Superintendent Debbie Siebert followed by an invocation from Mike Bruton, Chairman on the FCS School Board. Bruton was followed by Prinicpal Todd Bennett, introducing salutatorian Jessica Healy, Co-valedictorians Maddie Yee and Ashley Erickson to give their speeches. Afterwards, Bennett presented academic honor awards to various students.

Erickson was honored to be chosen as co-valedictorian alongside Yee, for the senior class. Although Erickson is not too keen on public speaking she was happy to do it for her class. Taking a deep breath she gave her speech, hoping her many hours of practice payed off.

“Even though valedictorian was a huge honor, I was absolutely terrified to give a speech in front of everyone,” Erickson said. “Public speaking is not my forte, so I was very nervous. I spent many hours writing and then practicing the speech, and I was still scared. It was a huge relief once I was done.”

Awards were followed by the Celebration Concert Choir singing “Jesus Paid It All” accompanied by the Concert Band, with a performance form the Adoration Ensemble, including solos from the seniors on the team, towards the end of the ceremony. Following the Celebration Choir, Bennett announced the keynote speaker for the night, Brad Bell, Pastor of the Well Community Church.

After Bell’s speech, the Parents Serving Together (PST) award and the Faculty/Staff award were announced along with Bennett’s address/recognition of students. The recipient of the Parents’ award was Brandon McCormick while Yee received the Faculty/Staff award.

Marking it as the best night of his life, Juan Ruelas, ’13, was touched by the words of Bell. Ruelas did more than listen to Bell’s speech but he took in and applied his comments to his current life.

“I loved the ceremony,” Ruelas said. “Honestly, I loved everything about it. That night was the best night of my entire life so far. I really loved the speech by the pastor. I was blown away by his words of wisdom that reminded me to never forget God and always keep him involved with everything I do.”

After receiving her diploma Erickson did not feel much different, but knows from the advice of others that once college comes, the reality of no more high school will finally sink in. She is excited to start her new chapter but will miss the friendships she has formed at FC.

“I really don’t feel any different now that I’ve graduated,” Erickson said. “I have talked to alumni from previous years and they have told me that it probably won’t set in that high school is over until college begins. Some of these people have been in my class for thirteen years, so it will be very strange not seeing them next year at school. I will miss the companionship and availability of my friends to talk to or hang out with.”

Junior Robbie Hill enjoyed the ceremony and all that came with it. Hill was more receptive to this years main speaker than past years. Even though Hill enjoyed the event, he was still sad to see the seniors graduate but was proud of their accomplishments.

“The ceremony was great as always,” Hill said. “Getting to see all the awards given out and hearing the valadictorians speak is always a nice experience. I thought Brad Bell did a great job speaking. I felt like he brought a different feeling from the past speakers, and I really enjoyed it. It’s always a bittersweet experience seeing the seniors go. It’s sad to see them leave FCS, but I also am proud of them and wish them the best of luck in college.”

For senior Ashlyn Key graduating has been a big relief. Key is excited about the extra time she will have this summer to spend with her friends but will greatly miss the teachers that have helped her through the years.

“It feels really good to be done and to have time for the things I love to do like photography and spend more time with my friends without the worry of writing an essay,” Key said. “I’m gonna miss the caring and loving teachers from FC. I love how the teachers care so much and how I was able to become close to them and create a relationship with them. I also love how they can give advice with a godly influence behind it.”

Graduating did not seem real to Ruelas. Only feeling like a long vacation Ruelas goes into the future with a positive outlook. After a while, he finally felt the freedom of graduating and looks forward his years to come.

“It feels like magic to graduate,” Ruelas said. “After four long years of high school I graduated and honestly it feels a bit unreal. At first it just felt like a long weekend, but it’s finally starting to actually hit me that I’m done. It’s a great feeling of freedom and anxiety for the future, but it’s a great and optimistic feeling as well.”

This writer can be reached via Twitter: @vivhinojosa. Follow The Feather via Twitter: @thefeather.

For more features, read the May 24 article, Senior Trip solidifies high school friendships, memories.