Oakcrest graduates 380 seniors amid thunderstorm - pressofAtlanticCity.com: Hamilton Township

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Oakcrest graduates 380 seniors amid thunderstorm

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Posted: Thursday, June 7, 2012 7:43 pm | Updated: 12:28 am, Fri Jun 8, 2012.

More than 380 Oakcrest High School seniors graduated in front of family and friends amid rain, thunder and lightning Thursday night.

Valedictorian Michael Warrener acknowledged the success of his fellow graduates, and challenged them to keep striving.

“I challenge you, each and every one of you, to do something even greater, and more amazing than, whatever you’ve done in the past four years,” he said. “This class is talented in many ways, and, even though you have already accomplished much, I know that each and every one of you has more to offer.”

Warrener, who is headed to Union College in Schenectady, N.Y., quoted Mark Twain, President Barack Obama and Steve Jobs. He told his 2012 classmates to find what they love.

“Look for new things to love,” he said. “Look anywhere and everywhere: Try new foods, travel, challenge yourself to make new friends. And for those of us heading off to college in the fall, that is exactly what college is for: To find that which you truly love. If you don’t know, explore. Take a random astronomy course, a French history course, a human geography course. You never know what is going to inspire you.”

Warrener highlighted some of Oakcrest’s 2011-12 successes: The boys track team, which won a state Group III title, the Consumer Bowl team, which won a regional championship, the five members of the swim team who qualified for Meet of Champions, and others.

“These are people who know what it is like to sit at the head of the table,” he said. “They are proof that it can be done; that you can do it, too.”

Saludictorian Jason Palermo, recalled humorous, embarrassing experiences as a freshman at Oakcrest, but closed by pointing out the value of learning from failure.

“The most important thing I have learned, these past four years, is to never stop improving,” said the The College of New Jersey-bound senior. “It doesn’t matter how good you are at something, or how much you think you know. There is always room for improvement. The moment we grow complacent, is the moment we fail ourselves, and it’s the moment we fail those who depend on us... A failure is only a true failure if we do not learn from it. As long as we constantly improve ourselves, we can never truly fail.”

Contact David Simpson:

609-272-7204

DSimpson@pressofac.com

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