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With heart and perspective, Mt. Pleasant’s Class of 2025 steps into the future
Graduates reflected on friendship, faith, and the future
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MT. PLEASANT — The Mt. Pleasant Community High School graduating class of 2025 didn’t just cross a stage on Sunday, May 18 — they crossed into a new chapter of their lives with laughter, reflection, and heartfelt celebration.
More than a ceremony, the afternoon told a story of growth — a reminder that heart, humor, and perspective will carry them forward.
The graduates gathered with family, friends, teachers, and community members in the school auditorium to mark the moment. A mix of wisdom, wit, and emotion shaped the event from its first words to the final diplomas.
Elias Heaton, the class salutatorian, opened the ceremony with an address that felt both intimate and wide-reaching. Heaton acknowledged the moment’s emotional complexity with a calm clarity.
“We've all been waiting for this moment,” Heaton said. “Maybe you're sad, more likely you're overjoyed or just done. But regardless, I want you to take a look at the people around you — you know their name, and they've all affected you in some way.”
Though Heaton joined the class later in high school, they described finding a true sense of connection.
“I wasn’t a part of this class long,” Heaton said, “but I’m so excited to share this moment with y’all. I’ve grown to love some of you like family — and I hope you all have too.”
They encouraged classmates to pursue every kind of ambition, from doctors and lawyers to dog surfing instructors, before closing with a hopeful blessing.
“I wish you all the luck of your dreams and hope every one of you grows to be the person you want to be,” Heaton said.
Their words reflected a recurring theme of the afternoon: that relationships, not just achievements, shape who we become.
Superintendent John Henriksen followed with his signature mix of humor and advice. After a string of lighthearted jokes — including one about a graduate bringing a map “to navigate her future” — Henriksen shifted to a more grounded message.
“Perspective is the way you look at situations, the way you look at circumstances, and in large part, how you determine your choices,” he said.
Henriksen didn’t shy away from the realities graduates will face beyond high school.
“Not every person and opportunity fighting for your attention wants the best for you,” he warned. “That’s why you’ve got to keep good perspective.”
He urged the graduates to lean into two sources of lasting wisdom: faith and family.
“No one loves you like God does, and no one loves you like your family does,” Henriksen said. “They can give you great perspective for the many consequential life decisions that are set to come your way.”
Henriksen’s speech echoed Heaton’s — a call to trust in something deeper than ambition alone: in values, in faith, and in the people who love you.
Mt. Pleasant High School Principal Michael Wilson, who will retire this July, delivered a farewell in the form of a poem — his final send-off to the students he had watched grow up.
He reminded graduates of their hard work clawing through tests, studying for finals “half asleep,” and forming friendships they’ll “always keep.”
Despite the poem’s humorous tone, Wilson wove in moments of real insight between the jokes.
“You wrote your story in bold paragraphs,” Wilson recited. “Now, hear this loud from class to field, show your pride, and never yield. So, take the risk and chase your spark. Be the roar that lights the dark.”
His final message offered a poetic send-off — one that tied humor and courage together, reinforcing the ceremony’s central message: trust what’s inside you, and don’t be afraid to shine.
Following the speeches filled with advice and memories, laughter and tears, Wilson declared the Mt. Pleasant Class of 2025 “ready for graduation.”
One by one, the graduates stepped forward to collect their diplomas. Each handshake, each step, each smile marked the end of one journey and the beginning of another.
The Class of 2025 didn’t just graduate — they stepped into their futures equipped with heart, wisdom, and the strength of perspective.
Comments: AnnaMarie.Kruse@southeastiowaunion.com
