Beginning at 1 o’clock on Saturday, June ninth, nearly 250 people graduated from Wauwatosa West High School, ending four years at the school.

The ceremony was begun with the singing of the national anthem, performed by Erin Murphy, as well as speeches by Katie Adams, district superintendent Dr. Phil Ertl, and Waj Ali, respectively. Sally MacGillis, mother of graduate Elle MacGillis, said that she thought :the speakers did an excellent job.” After this, each graduate was given their diploma, and the school’s valedictorian, Natalie Mullins, and salutatorians, Ellyn Kirtley, Megan Falk, and Lauren Itzin, were all recognized. The ceremony was concluded by Principal Frank Calarco’s remarks, and the Coronation March, followed by the traditional graduation cap throwing.

After having spent four years at the school, the prospect of moving on recalled memories for some students. One graduate, Martha Schuster, felt that here experience at the experience was positive overall. “I had a lot of experiences at West that I might not have had elsewhere,” she said. However, many other students are looking to the future.

The graduates’ futures are distinctly varied. A number of students are attending college next fall, including twenty who will be attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Other students are planning on entering the workforce immediately after getting their diploma. Still others intend to join the military. Whatever their future, the graduates have all passed an important milestone in their lives.

[smugmug url=”http://tosawestsidestories.smugmug.com/hack/feed.mg?Type=gallery&Data=23479087_Nz2XdM&format=rss200″ title=”Class of 2012 Graduation” imagecount=”100″ start=”1″ num=”100″ thumbsize=”Th” link=”lightbox” captions=”false” sort=”true” window=”false” smugmug=”false” size=”M”]