Graduation is always the most bittersweet of times. No doubt many tears will have been shed even before the lights go out, the room grows dark and the very first slide show marking the journey from childhood to graduate lights up the screen

But now, here you are, ready to don cap and gown and get that well-deserved diploma. Sure, the world poses different challenges for you than it did for us on our graduation day. But you are ready. And your community has confidence in you.

We hope that the days in the classroom and the hours outside of it, that the ups and downs of athletic competition and the toil of summer and after-school employment, and that the camaraderie you’ve developed with your classmates, teachers, advisors and mentors along the way, will serve you well.

It can be a challenge out there, in the real world, far from home, or, even close by, for that matter. Have confidence. We’ve seen you at your best and at your not so best, and know you’re capable.

Even though eyes may tear as you prepare to leave, we eagerly anticipate news of the heights you will scale, the goals you will achieve, the changes you will bring to the communities you will touch.

Congratulations on reaching this milestone in your life. Best of luck, Class of 2014.