The Warrenton High School senior Class of 2010 faced its share of hardships and obstacles throughout the school year. Rain canceled the Homecoming Parade and forced the last home football game to be moved elsewhere. Courtwarming was snowed out and prom was met by tornado warnings. As Jennifer Bradshaw, one of three valedictorians, put it, "Nothing seemed to go as planned this year. It felt like nature was out to get us." So it seemed only fitting that a downpour followed the conclusion of Sunday's commencement ceremony. But that wasn't going to dampen the mood of the 241 seniors who were awarded diplomas. "To me it's a new start on life," senior Latavya Caston said. "It's an end of one thing and the start of another. We worked hard to get here." While some of the seniors' big moments didn't go as designed, that didn't impact the accomplishments and successes they achieved. Principal Jeremy Way said this year's class, the largest in school history, received more than $1.5 million in scholarships and racked up numerous all-state athletic and academic honors. He also pointed out that the senior class donated money to Special Olympics, gave coats to the needy and mailed care packages to deployed soldiers overseas. "Wherever life takes you, let me make it clear, you have left your mark on Warrenton High School," Way told the students. Superintendent Dr. John Long said the students' next successes will be determined by how they react to difficult situations. "The secret to success is to persevere and to minimize your failures while maximizing your successes," he said. Joining Bradshaw as class valedictorians were Morgan Barton and Wilbert Hawley. Micah Johnson was named class salutatorian. Barton spoke about how Sunday's commencement was a "wake-up call" for her. "It's time to show everyone what we can do with our adult life," she said. "When we leave these walls behind us, there is no turning back. I am confident that we can accomplish the goals that we set for ourselves." Hawley quipped that the Warrenton Police Department made Warrior Avenue one of the safest roads in the city and said a medal of honor needed to be awarded to the faculty for alerting students to the danger of cell phone usage during school hours. He also thanked the school board, including his father who is a member, for finalizing a decision to replace the grass football field with artificial turf - after they graduate. He asked his classmates to remember the people who helped them overcome adverse situations to reach this point in their life. "Remember no one of us is as capable as all of us together," Hawley said. "When we take that next step in life, remember we're not doing this alone." This year's commencement speaker was Barrett Vahle, a 1997 graduate and now a lawyer for the Kansas City law firm of Stueve, Siegel and Hanson LLP. He reminded the class to slow down and to ignore the technological advances that seem to consume individuals every day, noting that two neighbors fail to talk to one another in person because they can be in contact on Facebook, a social networking Web site. He also emphasized to the students to strive to reach "greatness." "Whether you're digging ditches tomorrow or studying to be a heart surgeon in 15 years, you ought to do so greatly," Vahle said. Sunday's graduation ceremony included a moment of silence for Devin Sherry, who was killed in a car accident last April and was scheduled to graduate this year. His death occurred two weeks after senior Casey Monshower was killed in a separate vehicle accident. She was only weeks away from graduating. "I would like to think both of their sprits are with us today," Hawley said.