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Luverne School District Superintendent Craig Oftedahl encouraged the 87 graduating seniors gathered in the elementary gym Sunday afternoon not to dwell on negativity that afflicted the country for the past 15 months.
“I challenge you to persevere, to push through, to not get bogged down in the rhetoric, to not allow negative thoughts and restrictions keep you down,” he said.
“Break through, rise up, move forward and keep your eyes on all that lies ahead of you.”
That forward focus was how senior Jonathan Dolo Jr. described his journey toward a Minnesota high school diploma. Dolo joined classmates Cade Wenninger and Gracie Zewiske in presenting the senior address.
Dolo and two of his six siblings arrived in the United States from Liberia, West Africa, in May 2019. His parents, Natking and Ester Cole-Kraty, and three other siblings already lived in Luverne.
“Coming from Africa, I was behind in credits and needed to make up a lot in two years’ time,” Dolo told his classmates.
“We really didn’t think it was going to happen, but with hard work and the grace of God I was able to get everything completed. And now I stand here today proudly with the Class of 2021 to say, ‘We did it.’”
Sunday’s graduation was the first in the school’s history to be livestreamed.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, last year’s Class of 2020 graduation was a compilation of video recordings of each student receiving their diplomas from their parents.
State officials lifted mask and social distancing requirements Friday, allowing for a large crowd at the in-person ceremony.
To reduce the number of people in the gym, the high school band, directed by James Jarvie, recorded the traditional graduation march, “Pomp and Circumstance,” and their musical selection, “Star Wars,” prior to the Sunday ceremony.
Videos of the band playing were shown on a screen above the stage.
The choir, directed by Seana Graber, also completed a videorecording of “In Meeting We are Blessed” that was also shown on the screen.
Motto for the LHS Class of 2021 comes from a line in the Disney movie, “Ratatouille” uttered by Chef Gusteau: “If you focus on what you left behind, you will never be able to see what lies ahead.”