Middletown honors 28 grads

MIDDLETOWN — Twenty-eight mostly early Middletown High School graduates received their diplomas Wednesday night.

NATHAN BROWN

MIDDLETOWN — Twenty-eight mostly early Middletown High School graduates received their diplomas Wednesday night.

Hundreds of friends and family members packed into the auditorium to clap and cheer them on as they walked across the stage. Out of the 28, 25 are early graduates, mostly looking to get started with college early, said Ann Hall, director of guidance services and high school operations.

School board President Linda Knapp said many of them "maybe have experienced some speed bumps" on their way to graduation.

"That you're here today accepting this diploma is a testament to your perseverance and dedication," she said.

District Superintendent Ken Eastwood urged the students to not be deterred in accomplishing their goals in life, talking a bit about his childhood to make his point. He put off going to college for a couple of years, he said, because when he was a senior, someone told him he wouldn't succeed at it — he wondered how his life would've turned out if he hadn't changed his mind.