Schools
Emotional Voskuhl, Dempsey Send off Bel Air Seniors
Bel Air High School's 196th commencement ceremony was held Tuesday night.
Joseph Voskuhl had difficulty speaking as he choked back the tears.
The recently-retired principal was the Alumnus of the Year selected to speak at 196th commencement Tuesday.
"I want to pass on a little bit of advice that I first received in high school from my high school football coach," Voskuhl said. "Don't let disappointment stand in your way. Don't fail because you were disappointed. You have to get back up off the ground. Now, typical high school kid, I figured he was talking about Friday night; a tough loss on the football field. No—he was talking about life."
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Class President drew laughter with her remarks, poking fun at the old school—closed in 2009—while taking a dig at the new building.
"The picnic tables lined outside of the school and the smell of the boys locker room that greeted us when we walked into the lobby—yum," Dempsey said. "Two years with the old, two years with the new—we kind of got the best of both worlds ... minus the swipe cards."
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Valedictorian Madison Kafer, selected students Kathleen Murphy and Amanda Nohe and various officials also spoke before diplomas were handed out. Among local elected officials were state Delegate Donna Stifler and Harford County Councilman James McMahan—both Bel Air graduates.
The ceremony was jubilant until Voskuhl, the last speaker before students walked the stage, shared his advice. With his voice cracking, he showed appreciation for the young men and women he led until his Jan. 31 retirement.
He asked them for two favors.
The first was to return to the community and give back to future generations. The second was that they look after each other at senior week.
Dempsey said they should also look after themselves.
"The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep pushing and don't settle," she said. "I hope you all will go on to do spectacular things. That you will wake up every single morning with a happy heart and an attitude that says, 'This is my life—it rocks.'"
