After a year unlike any other, the students and teachers of Marshalltown High School gathered on a cloudy yet bright day at Leonard Cole Field to celebrate many things — the graduation of over 300 students, the survival of the entire school through a year-plus long pandemic and the start of the rest of each graduate’s life.

There was a palpable sense of joy at the stadium before the graduates even entered to “Pomp and Circumstance,” with a large crowd filling the stands. General tickets were not available, but each graduate had seven tickets to give to family members.

The day began with the students entering — men in blue gowns, women in red — and taking their seats in the middle of the grassy field. After the presentation of colors and national anthem, three students welcomed the graduates to the ceremony — Emily Manis, Hae Tha Lay Paw and Marcos Medina.

“Let us rejoice on this special day, and enjoy the following ceremony,” Manis said at the end of the opening.

Their greeting was followed by MHS principal Jacque Wyant, who spent her time honoring and recognizing many of the students at MHS who graduated with honors — members of the National Honor Society, Silver Cord recipients, Senior Class Officers (President Emily Manis, Vice President Mariana Ramirez and Secretary Katherine Joya Flores) and honor students with 3.5 or higher and 4.0 GPAs.

The class’s student speaker was next — and it was Elizabeth Banakeng, who spoke eloquently in French and English about her journey since arriving in Marshalltown at the beginning of high school. Her speech encouraged students to come together and understand each other, no matter their race or ethnicity. She emphasized how this class has shown love and understanding.

“Let us continue to spread out wings and share the power of togetherness and the power of believing everywhere we go,” Banakeng said. “Let’s love our neighbors like ourselves. We can accomplish great things if we believe in ourselves.”

After Banakeng’s speech the duo of Deonte Dean and Elijah Thiessen stepped up to the stage to perform a rendition of Bill Withers’ classic “Lean On Me”. They were followed by Wyant presenting the senior class.

Dr. Theron Schutte took the podium to address the students.

Schutte emphasized the unprecedented circumstances students had to deal with — from a derecho in the summer during the middle of a pandemic, to the transition to hybrid learning in the fall semester.

“This past year represents numerous individual, group and team accomplishments while persevering through individual and collective struggles, challenges and adversity faced along the way,” Schutte said. “I encourage you to be passionate about pursuing your dreams, be purposeful in pursuing excellence in whatever life path you choose and most importantly, take great pride in who you are, where you come from, what you’ve accomplished and what you set out to accomplish in the future.”

Before the students were able to get their diplomas, though, the president of the Marshalltown Board of Education, Sean Heitmann, said a few quick words.

“Each and every one of you, congratulations. Graduation is a momentous occasion, the culmination of years of hard work,” Heitmann said.

MHS guidance counselor Meri Edel announced every single student’s name, and the smiles and satisfaction present on each student’s faces as they received their diploma was evident. When the final student’s name was called, that of Stephanie Zavalza Flores, a big round of applause rang out throughout the stadium.

A year of difficult changes, storm damage, time away from classes and a slow return to normal was complete.

Caps went up into the sky, and the Marshalltown Class of 2021 was officially graduated.