"You have set a legacy that will last forever," Mathews High School principal David Malechek told the members of the MHS Class of 2011 during Saturday afternoon’s graduation ceremony, which was held in the school’s Harry M. Ward Auditorium.

Malechek commended the 100 graduates for distinguishing themselves academically, athletically, "but, most importantly, as outstanding young men and women."

At one point during Saturday’s service, the MHS principal, who earlier this month announced his retirement after 34 years in education, got a bit choked up when announcing the winner of the school’s General Excellence Award.

In presenting the award to Sharese Jarvis, Malechek listed the qualifications sought in the recipient (leadership, high academic standing, participation in extracurricular activities and a cooperative attitude), saying that Jarvis is the student who best exemplifies these qualities throughout his entire career in education.

"She’s always positive," he said of Jarvis. "She’s everything we want young people to be."

Malechek also presented another special award to a deserving graduate—giving the Lazarus Award to Graham Robbins. This award recognizes a student who, over the course of his or her high school years, "finds the courage to change the direction of his or her life by setting positive goals and developing the perseverance to meet those goals." The award also includes a $1,000 scholarship.

To view this article in its entirety, subscribe here. Already an online subscriber? Login Here