Class of 2013: Brookfield Central Sends Success Toward the Future

For 302 Brookfield Central High School students, the day finally arrived Sunday – graduation after 13 years of schooling.

As School Superintendent Mark Hansen pointed out, that represents more than a million minutes spent in the classroom by each and every one of those who made the journey.

Some of those students may have counted the minutes every day until dismissal, but it's clear that most of those commencing life after high school had put in plenty of effort and initiative and got much back.

When Associate Principal Natalie Collins asked all honors students to rise – those who had achieved a 3.5 or better grade point average and taken at least six honors or advanced placement courses – approximately half the class stood up, identified by their gold tassels.

The average GPA for the class was, in fact, a very respectable 3.3. The graduation rate for the Central Class of 2013 was higher than 98 percent, and of those graduating, 93 percent will be going on to higher learning, carrying with them nearly $2.5 million in scholarships.

Among them are class valedictorian Sai-Suma Samudrala, who urged her cohort to keep in mind as they move ahead to "Keep it simple" – do not miss the obvious in life by becoming buried in the details.

One student, Ellen van Schwartzenberg, will carry her memories a long way, quite literally. She graduated from Central as a foreign exchange student.

The heartiest laugh of the day was captured by Superintendent Hansen in his first-ever commencement address.

One memory graduating seniors could always hold dear from their time at Central, he reminded them, was getting out of school "for a snow day on which we got nothing but rain."