BUCHANAN — Eighty-seven graduates accepted diplomas at Buchanan High School’s commencement Sunday afternoon at Memorial Field.

Fifty-seven graduates plan to attend a college or trade school; five will join the military.

“The hard work is paying off,” said graduate Savon Brown, who will attend Kalamazoo Valley Community College. He will play basketball and study sports management.

“I have a lot of great memories,” Brown said.

James Kidd is one of the graduates enlisting in the armed forces. He will begin in the Marine Corps in November.

“It was cool,” he said of the high school experience. “Football was cool.

“It all went by in the blink of an eye.”

The student speakers for the ceremony were Audrey Funk, Eliza Couch and Jeffrey Schnell Jr., who recalled school memories and funny moments for their classmates.

“Go for your dreams and don’t get caught waiting for them to happen,” Couch advised the class. “You are responsible for what your life turns into.”

“I can look out upon the crowd and be bombarded by memories,” Funk said. “Go out there and show this world what we’re made of.”