Opening remarks from Alyssah Martinez, who is graduating a year early, set the mood for the rest of the night — sentimental but goofy. She thanked the teachers “who put up with our shenanigans.”

“There is no way to show you how much we care about you without causing a little trouble in the process,” Martinez said.

Throughout the speeches there were repeated mentions of a mysterious “ranch incident” that was never fully explained.

Middle-high school Principal Russ Bartlett spoke about how change is a good thing. The “good old days” may have been good, he said, but they also had things like crank windows on cars and scurvy. Now, he said some students may go on to careers as terrestrial and aeronautic autonomous transportation specialists.

Noah Cordes, right, follows Superintendent Seth McGowan’s directions and tries (unsuccessfully) to keep his arm rotating clockwise. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Cerbone)

“These are all things that are going to make our world a better place,” Bartlett said. “Most of us have never heard of them; you guys are going to be them.”

Logan Sparks’ sharp, rambling speech drew lots of laughs from the graduates, filled with inside jokes and memories.

Salutatorian Emily Burns used Elle Woods’ (Reese Witherspoon) speech from “Legally Blonde” as a blueprint.

The senior members of the chorus sang one last song, “The Climb,” performed by Miley Cyrus in “Hannah Montana: The Movie.”

Valedictorian Sophia Martin gave an address centered around two stories that she learned from her time in Tupper Lake. The first was in second grade when she was racing to catch up with a bus and was stopped by Superintendent (then L.P. Quinn principal) Seth McGowan, who told her to be careful running too fast. The other was a quote often repeated by Choral Director Elizabeth Cordes while practicing for performances: “Do more. Go further. Trust me. I will tell you if it’s too much.”

“In life, you have to run until you’re stopped and sing until you’re silenced,” Martin said.

The educator’s award was given to Linda Sexton.

The event closed with a magic trick. Benjamin Jones, with a deck of cards, told a story of growth and personal discovery, using numbers, kings and hearts.

At the end, the graduates, with their caps bobbing up and down — most of them decorated with sayings, emblems and glitter — ran to meet with parents, grandparents and teachers to hug and talk about the rest of their lives.