WESTMINSTER, Vt. – Kurn Hattin Homes for Children marked the end of the 2023-2024 academic year with a beautiful graduation event for six outstanding eighth grade graduates.
Kurn Hattin Homes’ Board President Mark Bodin opened the program by welcoming the audience of students, staff, family, friends, and supporters, and praising the graduates for their accomplishments and perseverance.
Following the invocation, flag salute, and a musical selection from the Homes’ jazz band, the class salutatorian, Soma Lever, addressed the audience, and shared a valuable lesson that she learned outside of the classroom. She said, “For all the younger kids here, I want you all to know to never take Kurn Hattin for granted. As someone who is leaving here, it’s scary, and it comes faster than you think. It may seem like this place is never ending, overly strict, but the truth is that this place shelters us, keeps us safe, and builds our confidence, until we are ready to be released into the real world, like a butterfly.”
Being released into the world can be scary, but it’s also an opportunity to grow and thrive. In his message to the graduates, Kurn Hattin Homes’ executive director Steve Harrison said, “Your life is just beginning to open up to a new chapter. High school can be a wonderful adventure if you make it so. Striving for a good education is perhaps the most important investment you can make in your own success – embrace it fully. Use the core values you have learned here – compassion, perseverance, hope, nurturance, and sense of worth – to make your life as full as possible.”
In his speech, Kurn Hattin Homes’ valedictorian Dreyson Warren quoted Apple cofounder Steve Jobs, who once said, “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.”
Dreyson explained to the audience that the Jobs quote means a lot to him. He said, “Too many people rely on others to tell them what to do instead of making their own decisions. If you want to be successful, don’t follow others around and do what they do, figure out what you want to do, and strive to do it.”
After receiving their diplomas, the graduates moved their mortarboard tassels to the left, symbolizing their new status as Kurn Hattin Homes alumni.