St. Louis High School’s senior class of 2023 officially graduated at SLHS Thursday, May 25, at 7 p.m. The senior class started the evening with the traditional processional, while Pomp and Circumstance was performed by the St. Louis High School Band. The Presentation of Colors was then performed by St. Louis’ Veterans of Foreign Wars branch. After this, the band played the National Anthem.

Following this, principal Benjamin Brock started the evening with a welcome, and a presentation of the class of 2023.

After the presentation of the class of 2023, several members of the class got up and shared their speeches. Izabelle Hrabal presented Salutatorian Marlena Pestrue, and after Pestrue’s speech, Payton Kuhn presented Valedictorian Jenna Abell.

“It was really a sad moment, knowing that the senior class is leaving,” stated junior Curtis Brashaw. Brashaw was a member of the Honor Guard that night, and got first-class tickets to watch the graduation ceremony. “It was also sad knowing that my classmates and me would be in the same spot a year from now.”

After all the speeches were done, the senior video was played for the entire crowd to watch. The video showed all the lives of the seniors, from infancy to them on the brink of adulthood.

“I wasn’t graduating, but if I was a senior, I’d be pretty emotional about it,” said junior Lexie Thayer. Thayer is the girlfriend of graduate Dylan Luft, and thus had some pretty sentimental feelings attached to the video.

When the video finished playing, Mia Lawhorne took to the stage to present the band. Every year, the graduates in band join their peers one final time to perform a last song. The final song played by the band was Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It.”

Wrapping up the evening, superintendent Jennifer McKittrick addressed the seniors and presented them with their diplomas. Brock returned to start the closing ceremony and senior class president Payton Kuhn addressed the seniors in tassel turning.

After a long four years at St. Louis High School, through trials and tribulations, the class of 2023 has officially graduated. Many doors have now opened for the senior class, and they will be missed in the halls of SLHS.