At graduation, Stonewall salutes an alumna

Kim Graham Miller, Olympic gold medalist and a former Stonewall Jackson High School student, has her name on the map. Literally.

"From this summer onwards, the road between Stonewall Jackson and Ellis Elementary will officially be known as Kim Graham Lane," said Stonewall Jackson principal Richard Nicholas. "As our honored guest speaker, I'd like to present you with this," handing Miller a street sign bearing her name.

"I was sitting in these same seats years ago," Miller said. "I remember when the third floor of Stonewall was my first training ground; it was where I would run laps in the winter. As for the class of 2008, the training for the rest of your life starts right now, and I'm giving you the pep talk. Train hard! And never, ever give up."

Racing seemed to be the element of the evening as several family members and friends of the Stonewall Jackson class of 2008 arrived late for the event, and rushed up Nissan Pavilion's slope in hope of making it in time to see their loved ones officially graduate.

"You're already late! You might as well take your time now!" a police officer laughingly yelled to the late arrivals.

But the ceremony proceeded on course and in time as salutatorian William David Moore bid farewell to his former classmates.

"This is not the end, but the beginning of a new chapter in our lives," Moore said in his speech. "Some of us will go on to college, some to the military, and some on their own chosen paths. But wherever you go, just go out there and make a difference!"

In her speech, valedictorian Nadia Tanoli reflected not only on her high school years, but what she learned along the way.

"I once had a teacher that told me that life is not measured in years, but in deeds. Just as Alfred Nobel wanted to be remembered for peace more than his invention of dynamite, which can be used in destruction. We too need to think about what legacy we want to leave behind. The decision you make along the way will decide this, just as your decisions have led you here, to this day," she says.

Senior class president Ted Jackson summed up the energy of the evening by one simple phrase: "We did it!"