Faculty keynote speaker and Wright City head football coach Tyler Rickard has a long history with the Class of 2026. As 135 seniors crossed the stage and accepted their diplomas Thursday, May 21, it was fitting that the teacher they selected to speak at their commencement was Rickard.
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Faculty keynote speaker and Wright City head football coach Tyler Rickard has a long history with the Class of 2026. Starting out seven years ago when he was a teacher at Wright City Middle School and the current crop of graduates were just sixth graders, he had a unique opportunity to watch them grow.
As 135 seniors crossed the stage and accepted their diplomas Thursday, May 21, it was fitting that the teacher they selected to speak at their commencement was Rickard.
During his speech, he recounted his history with the class.
“I want to thank you because over the last six years you have taught me a great deal,” Rickard said. “You challenged me to grow professionally and personally. You taught me how to serve.”
Rickard then compared the students to golf balls. He said that when golf first started the balls were engineered to be smooth as players thought that would make the balls go further. They noticed however that as they used the balls and put dents into them the balls actually went further. He noted that now golf balls are all covered with hundreds of “dents” called dimples. The analogy he made was a simple one.
“As you take dents in life...”, he began, “those dimples and dents in life are actually going to propel you.”
He also noted that when a golf ball lands it creates an impression in the ground. He encouraged the Class of 2026 to be like those golf balls and when students land, land by impacting others.
As a reminder to the students he said he had a box of golf balls, one for each student that simply reads: “Be a golf ball.”
Superintendent Dr. Amy Salvo encouraged the class to never stop learning, saying that “learning is a life-long journey. Stay curious and keep growing.”
She also counseled students to not be afraid to fail.
“Some of the most important lessons I ever learned came not from success but from setbacks,” Salvo said.
She also reminded students to never forget where they came from.
Principal Dr. Jason Theodorakos thanked the community, who he said recently awarded $283,200 during the Senior Showcase to this year’s senior class.
He encouraged students to be good people. He also offered a bit of financial advice, telling students to invest their income aggressively, especially over the next 10 years.
“Your future self will thank you,” he said.
Senior Emma-Dixie Dietrich was the student speaker for the Class of 2026. Dietrich urged her fellow classmates to seek out new opportunities based upon her own experiences at the school.
“These experiences have taught me growth doesn’t happen when we stay comfortable, but when we say yes to new opportunities, even when they seem intimidating,” she said.
Senior class President Grant Lehmen said that the growth he and other members of the class experienced didn’t come from major events, but from small day-to-day moments. He said his best memories came from getting involved.
