By NICK BUDD
Hays Post

A day after Fort Hays State University held its commencement exercises, Gross Memorial Coliseum transformed into a sea of maroon caps and gowns as members of the Hays High School Class of 2014 took their final steps as high school students. And the group took pride in its shared accomplishments.

All 170 members of the class achieved Standard of Excellence in the areas of reading, math and science on the Kansas State Assessments. Sixty eight of the seniors graduated with a 3.6 cumulative GPA or higher, and 108 of the graduates received some kind of scholarship for their next level of education.

At the ceremony, graduates spoke of mixed emotions.

“I’m a little bit nervous. But at the same time, I’m kinda flippin’ out,” John Staab said. “I can’t believe it’s actually here. The year has gone by way too fast.”

“There’s a lot of pressure off of your back now,” classmate Clayton Riedel said. “It’s really exciting.”

The featured speaker at the commencement exercise was math teacher and track coach Jerold Harris. He gave a speech titled “Lessons Learned From the Four Minute Mile,” in which he compared the challenges new graduates will face to those of famed runner Roger Bannister.

“If you have a goal like the four-minute mile, you will need belief that you can surpass it,” Harris said. “Once you have that belief, you will need to train, surround yourself with a support system, work hard and persevere. If you do that, you can pursue your four-minute mile.”