Burlington graduates receive diplomas in the storm shelter

Burlington High School's Class of 2017 will most likely never forget their graduation. It's not every graduate that can say their commencement was interrupted with a tornado warning and that they received their diplomas in the school's storm shelter. The best part is there was no damage.

Fortunately for the graduation crowd, the school's storm shelter is actually the recently built state-of-the-art music room that is a safe room. Superintendent Glen Elliott said the transition from the auditorium to the safe room went pretty well, but went a little slower than he would have liked. He estimates the more than 200 people at the graduation had no problem fitting comfortably into the safe room.

The superintendent said they had storm watchers, law enforcement and others keeping a close eye on the skies and in communication with school officials.

With a break in the stormy weather, commencement started normally with the welcome and the senior class singing together for the last time an appropriate song: "You're Gonna Miss This." The valedictorian and salutatorian gave their addresses.

Salutatorian Kelsi Smith congratulated her classmates and told a few humorous stories. She said her favorite memory was when their second-grade teacher, Mrs. Tanner, bet her classmate Tanner Rieger she could win a race with him, and the teacher "clearly won."

Smith said, "Everyone in this auditorium is family," and thanked them all. She gave a special thank you to "Coach (Kirsten) Pruett," saying, "You inspired me greatly and pushed me to my fullest ability." She gave a special thank you to her parents and siblings.

"Always remember where you came from and always be thankful," Smith told her classmates.

Valedictorian Jonathan Armbruster told his class, "I'm reflecting on our past high school years and predicting our outstanding bright futures."

Armbruster said, "I'll never forget" that both the Elks and Lady Elks basketball teams made it to the state basketball tournament this year.

He thanked the teachers for putting up with their class and said he was sure they would breath a "sigh of relief" upon the Class of 2017 graduation. He thanked FFA Advisor Mr. Bradshaw and his fellow FFA members for the experience.

"Push yourself to your true potential," Armbruster told his classmates. He thanked all the parents for molding the graduates into who they are today. He thanked his own parents for raising him "in a Christian family."

Dr. Keith Ballard Stresses Values and Hard Work

Beginning his message, Dr. Keith Ballard, a 1967 graduate of Kiowa High School, said the values instilled in him were found working in the hay and wheat fields, "and by having the opportunity to go to a small school."

"We don't get where we are without lots of support," he said – thanking parents, grandparents, teachers.

Now retired as Tulsa School Superintendent, Dr. Ballard said the district had 3,000 teachers, 41,000 kids and a $500 million budget.

From his days in Kiowa as a student to his 46 years in education, Dr. Ballard said, "It's always about the classroom teachers. It's the teachers who make a difference." He had all teachers in the auditorium stand, and said "Folks, these are the heroes."

Dr. Ballard thanked his uncle Harold Gates (who served on Burlington's School Board at one time) and was in the audience. "He was a great source of inspiration for me."

Referring to his "good friend" Roland Pederson, a Burlington farmer/rancher who graduated from BHS 49 years ago, Dr. Ballard said, "The American dream can be realized if you have values and hard work." Pederson is now an Oklahoma senator. His father, Axel, arrived in America from Denmark, not speaking the language and with 50 cents in his pocket. "His kids went on to get an education at Burlington," and well beyond.

Turning to Superintendent Elliott, Dr. Ballard said, "I respect you and these board members sitting behind me." He was head of the Oklahoma School Board Association for eight years.

"I still strongly support small school settings. I so admire you for hanging on to this place of excellence. Burlington has always been a great school system," Dr. Ballard said. He applauds their efforts, "even if swimming upstream in political battles."

"I'll never forget opening the Tulsa World one morning and seeing Burlington had the highest ACT scores in the state," he said.

In Dr. Ballard's retirement he teaches leadership classes at the OU/Tulsa campus. He listed Abraham Lincoln as one of the greatest leaders of all time. He said that Lincoln had four qualities he deems important for the graduates.

The first is being a good communicator. "Learn to communicate beyond texts," he said. "Have a vision starting with walking out the door tonight. The greatest leaders will tell you that you achieve your vision by persuasion."

The second quality is character. "I cannot stress enough the importance of character," he said. Leaving high school each graduate has "a clean slate" and must do something whether it's going to college or a trade school.

"All else will fail if you don't have character. All else will fail if you don't understand the importance of humility and being grateful for the gifts given to you and the people who've made a difference in your life; and going to a school where you got an excellent education," Dr. Ballard said.

"Perseverance" was the third quality Dr. Ballard listed and his final word as the tornado warning moved the graduation to the storm shelter.

It was an interesting word to end on, because the people of Burlington persevered and finished the Class of 2017 commencement.

In the storm shelter, Dr. Ballard laughed as he said, "In my 46th year as an educator, this is a first for me Mr. Elliott." He made a few more remarks, telling the graduates that his father was janitor at the school when he was a kid. It was seeing his his father's hard work in numerous jobs that instilled a strong work ethic in him.

In conclusion, Dr. Ballard said, "When the best work is done, the people will say, `We did it ourselves.'" and "You honor other people or they will not honor you."

Superintendent Elliott handed the graduates their diplomas while still in the safe room. With the "all clear" sign, everyone returned to the auditorium to watch the senior video. Just as she had played the processional when graduates entered the ceremony, music teacher Kiley Feely played "Pomp and Circumstance" as the graduates recessed up the aisle and into the next chapter of their lives.