Falcon High School Principal Dr. Darryl Bonds talked of the true grit the members of the Class of 2021 have shown the last 15 months.

The seniors proved their worth again on Sunday morning as they withstood the rain, a 15-minute delay, and a power outage during their outdoor graduation ceremony at UCHealth Park.

“Many adults complained about how today’s students didn’t have any grit,” Bonds said. “They talked about what would happen if you ran into a true crisis. In the spring of 2020, this class ran into real adversity. Not only did you survive and persevere, many of you flourished. And you showed all of us, especially the adults, what true grit really is.”

When the rain delay was over school administrators announced to the wet crowd the traditional senior walk would be canceled due to student safety and to hurry the ceremony. The senior class would not have it. Chants of “let them walk” began to fill the baseball stadium. With a quick conference on the stage and a thumbs up by the school board, the decision was reversed.

Though the diplomas had already been moved inside to prevent them from getting wet, the FHS Class of 2021 walked across the stage to cheers and applause.  

 “I can clearly see the strength and resiliency that each senior holds,” Genevieve Alpar said to her fellow seniors during her address. “This last four years has been anything but easy.  COIVD has proved to be and arduous obstacle. But thanks to these staff members and our amazing student council we were able to have events and share memories that many other schools were not able to experience. We can make the best of any situations that is thrown our way. Each and every one of us have been shaped by these difficult times and have grown into individuals that we can be proud of.  This senior class is made up of individuals who know how to live each day like it is their last and be grateful for the little things in life. These individuals sitting before us are some of the strongest, most hard working, and resilient people I know. In these next couple of years, take Robert Frost’s advice and live in the moment.”

Abigail Delzeit’s speech was interrupted by the rain delay. She waited and finished off the ceremony with these words to her classmates. “Whether you are going off to college, a technical school, the military or straight into the workforce, I have confidence we will each succeed…and be able to move out of parents’ houses.”

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