BY TOM FONTANA
Correspondent

Defining the road to success, Mountain View Class of 2013 president Owen Flannery told his fellow graduates a parable of a drowning man trying to breathe.

In Flannery’s story, a guru holds a young man’s head under water, and when he pulls him out explains, “When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you will be successful.”

The Saturday morning commencement ceremony on Saturday morning, was opened with remarks by principal Robert Presley, who first met the class when he was hired last fall.

“Although I didn’t know you before that,” Presley said, “I have thoroughly enjoyed our year together, through getting teachers to duct tape themselves to a wall, seeing who could slide the farthest on Jello, or having the faculty dominate the class in a tug-of-war?”

Presley advised the students to “listen to your parents.”

“They’ve already gone over the same hurdles and made the same mistakes you will,” he explained. “The best thing is that there’s no charge for listening to their expertise, and you might even get a free meal out of it.”

Salutatorian Alicia Belch offered special thanks on behalf of the class to “our life-director,” guidance counselor Donna Porter.

“She gave me what is most important,” Belch stated. “The acceptance of myself and the things I cannot change.”

Valedictorian Stephanie Verbitsky repeated the words of a “wise old man,” a person very familiar to her fellow students.

“Defy mediocrity,” were the words she said history teacher Darin Bain divulged to them “a thousand times.”

“Reject mediocrity,” Verbitsky encouraged her classmates. “Live with an ‘all-in’ approach to your lives. Put all of your cards on the table in this game of life.”

Class vice president Caroline Miller sang a song, accompanied on guitar by classmate Logan Palmiter.

The Mountain View band, under the direction of teacher Eric Boylan, played processional and recessional music as the graduates entered and exited the school auditorium.

Presentation of diplomas was conducted by superintendent Francine Shea and school board president Elwood Williams.

The Class of 2013 gathered in front of the school following the ceremony for the traditional tossing of their caps, accepting the congratulations and well-wishes of their families and friends.