Zumwalt West Seniors Leave Principal a 'Handfull'of Memories

Editor's Note: This story was updated at 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday. The previous version incorrectly listed the school's colors.

The evening began with a misty rain that dampened the clothes but not the spirits of the family and friends gathering Saturday night at the St. Charles Family Arena for the 11th annual commencement ceremony for .

Principal Neil Berry waited in the green room, warm and dry, the prospective graduates were on the floor above plotting “The Great Marble Hand-off."

After leading the dignitaries and students into the arena, Principal Neil Berry began his remarks with a story about a carrot, an egg and coffee beans. Mr. Berry made the analogy that “when all three items were boiled in water at the same temperature, the hard carrot became soft, the delicate egg became hard on the inside, but the coffee became strong and sure." Principal Berry emphasized that he hoped the graduates would handle the adversity that will come in their life with strength and perseverance.

Did Principal Berry know that the graduates were planning to “hand” him a little adversity of their own? The plan was to have a silver or purple marble (the school colors) in their palm and when they went to shake hands with Mr. Berry and then leave the marble in his palm. The plan worked like a charm, until Principal Berry pulled out the box he had set aside for just an occasion. The last student onstage, Kayley Weinberg, gave Principal Berry a decorative glass jar to place on his desk and store the marbles as a lasting reminder of the “handful” Class of 2011.

District Superintendent Dr. Bernard DuBray told the students they saved the best for last, as this is West was the fifth Fort Zumwalt high school to graduate over the weekend. DuBray also asked those students in the graduating class that have enlisted in the United States Armed Forces to stand and be recognized, and then followed with a request that all veterans in the audience stand up and be thanked for their service to our country.

The first student speaker of the evening, Senior Class Officer Jessica Robinson, reminisced about the past four years in school and the memories all the students share. She was then followed by Anne Holzen, who spoke not of the past but of the future.  With a delightful smile, Anne confessed to the assembly that she “did not know her way around a kitchen, but she “learned to cook grilled cheese sandwiches, and understands she needs to learn more to survive on her own.

"We all must become self sufficient, because our parents are not always going to be there to cook for us," she continued. 

As the ceremony ended, and the students tossed their graduation caps into the air and headed to the all-night graduation party to celebrate their achievements and and hang out with their classmates one last time.