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The ceremony was delayed for about 45 minutes. But when the band began to play, the graduates were welcomed on the stage with thunderous applause.
It was graduation night for about 600 Battlefield High School students Friday night at Nissan Pavilion.
The Haymarket school welcomed hundreds of friends and family members who filled the seats in the outdoor theatre, air horns and congratulatory posters in hand to cheer them on.
Battlefield's Student Council president, James Sung, was the first to speak at the ceremony. He delivered a few choice phrases and few unexpected jokes.
"I want to thank my family and friends for all of their love and support … I'd like to thank my family for all of their love and support … I'd like to thank my girlfriend for her love and support … I would also like to thank her sister for all of her love and support," Sung said.
On a slightly more serious note, Sung went onto say that everyone in the graduating Class of 2009 had potential -- from the businessman to the artist, to the guy working at McDonald's.
As he struggled to keep his cap on, he also urged the graduates to take advantage of the many congratulations they might be getting from their parents -- and to ask for more money from them.
Adding a little more pomp and circumstance to the ceremony was Betsy Fischer, a producer for NBC's "Meet the Press." She urged the graduates to stay interested in politics, current events and to stay in-formed about the things that shape their lives.
She also read a passage Tim Russert wrote to his son when he graduated. Russert served as host of "Meet the Press" and died a year ago at age 58.
"He was someone I learned from for 17 years … he was a great man, a talented journalist and a great father to his son," said Fischer.
Staff writer Uriah A. Kiser can be reached at 703-878-8065.
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