Mandy Akers speaks to ASPIRE Academy graduates on Friday.
Photo by Kurt Hildebrand.
Fourteen of the 18 ASPIRE Academy graduates participated in the school’s 11th graduation ceremony at the CVIC Hall in Minden on Friday.
The school’s mascot is the phoenix, which Class Speaker Mandy Louise Akers compared to the students at the school.
“A mythical bird of great power and resilience, the phoenix is said to burst into flames at the end of its life, only to be reborn from its own ashes, emerging stronger and more vibrant than it was before,” she said. “They symbolize renewal and rebirth, representing the hope of a second chance, and the possibility of a fresh start.”
Akers completed her classes in January and is attending college in Utah, where she had a calculus test on Thursday before driving back to Minden to walk with her class.
Our school’s motto is All Students Pursuing Integrity, Responsibility, and Education, that is why we are ASPIRE,” she said. “But these lofty values aren't just sappy words on an old plaque; they are truly the foundation upon which we have built our community and our fu-tures.”
She said that overcoming obstacles is part of learning and growing.
“The only true failure is not doing anything,” she said. “Standing still is failure. Moving forward and tripping along the way is not.”
