Baccalaureate services were held for the Moapa Valley High School 2011 graduating class on Sunday, June 5 at St. John’s Catholic Church in Logandale.
After the graduating class entered the hall in a procession, Senior Class President, Eva Chidester welcomed the crowd.
An opening prayer was offered by Jessie Vallet and the MVHS Encore Choir performed “May Your Roads Be Straight and Narrow”.
Chidester then introduced the Baccalaureate speaker: United States Air Force Colonel Michael R. Hass.
Hass is the Civil Engineer Operations Division Chief for the Air Force Global Strike Command; the nuclear arm of the Air Force. He is also the brother of Overton resident Melanie Vallet.
“I remember years ago, when I graduated from high school, sitting in your place and wondering what is next,” Hass told the students. “You should remember that you have limitless options out there for you. The trick is to get started.”
Hass gave the students four steps he felt would be important in getting them started in their paths after high school.
First was to Think. “Take some time to set expectations and goals,” he said. “Chart a path to follow. Develop a course of action.”
Next was to Act. This was to start down the path that they had charted. “Take some risk,” Hass said. “Thoughts are great, but action is a lot better.”
The third step was to Do. “Actions put you on the course,” he said. “But do-ers follow the course through to the end.”
The last step was to Live. “Enjoy your achievements,” he said. “Savor the path along the way.”
Hass closed his speech by quoting Theodore Roosevelt. “Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checked by failure…than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.”
“That is the same as the more recent saying: no guts no glory,” Hass said. “I’d encourage you to go out, take some risks and accomplish something.”
After the speech, the MVHS Encore Choir sang “The Prayer”. A closing prayer was then offered by Haley Causey and the program came to an end.
