Students band together as first graduating class of new East High

By Harold Gwin

Graduates face a tougher test now that high school is behind them, the speaker said.

YOUNGSTOWN — The Rev. Gary L. Frost brought some good news and some bad news to the 2008 graduates of East High School.

The 1972 East High School graduate and current pastor of Evergreen Baptist Church in the Bronx, N.Y., told the seniors at Friday’s Stambaugh Auditorium commencement that the good news is, “You passed the test. The Ohio Graduation Test — you passed.”

The bad news is the graduates must now face another, more difficult test, he said.

“It’s a character test,” and you don’t get a grade until it’s all over, he warned.

Character isn’t about doing, it’s about being, the Rev. Mr. Frost said.

“It’s about the real you. It’s about who you are in the dark. It is who you are under pressure,” he said.

He advised the graduates to keep it R-E-A-L by building Relations in life, being Educated and never stop learning, being Alert and choosing friends carefully and being Loyal to family, community and to God.

He also advised them to stay and invest in Youngstown, if they can. Youngstown needs good people, he said.

This is the first graduating class form the new East High School, a group that Principal Henrietta Williams referred to as “The Alpha Class.” The new school brought together students from the former Rayen and Wilson high schools, which no longer exist.

Our fate is uncertain, Brittany Felder, co-valedictorian, told her classmates.

“All we can do is make the right choices. We cannot let our fears overshadow our dreams,” she said.

Aisha Butler, co-valedictorian, pointed out that the graduates have persevered over the years.

When knocked down, they got back up and kept going, she said.

“Let us remember that great things lie ahead,” she added.

“This is the end of everything as we know it,” said Victoria Cook, co-salutatorian.

This is the first graduation class of the new East High School, and, “I’m proud to be a part of it,” she told her classmates.

“Our work for the future is just beginning,” said Ashley Carter, co-salutatorian.

Everyone took different roads to get here, she said, adding, “Now we embark on a new life as adults.”

After the ceremony, Crystal Clinkscale stood near the exit from the lower level of Stambaugh Auditorium, a tear rolling down her cheek as she bade farewell to classmates passing by.

“I’m just happy for the privilege,” she said when asked what it was like to be part of the first East High School graduating class.

There had been some concern that the students from Rayen and Wilson might not get along in the new school, but that wasn’t the case, Clinkscale said.

“We got along. We really did. We put our differences aside. We were just kids all trying to graduate. We came together,” she said.

“I’m proud of everyone,” said Gerald Franklin, another member of the class.

Being in the first senior class “is very delightful,” he added.

“We all just had to get to know each other,” he said of the district’s plan to combine high schools. “We all came together.”

gwin@vindy.com