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Just a couple of weeks ago, the 76 members of Brandywine’s Class of 2016 retraced their footsteps back to the beginning of their education.

For the inaugural Cat Walk, seniors dressed in their caps and gowns and took a walk through Merritt and Brandywine Elementary schools, a rehearsal for the big event, when they turned their tassels on Sunday.

This new tradition was made mention of frequently during the commencement ceremonies, as four valedictorians and the salutatorian reflected on how many classmates they had known since kindergarten.

“I love how close our students, staff and administrators are,” said Kaylee Chambers, salutatorian in her speech to her class. “A lot of us have been together since day one, and here we are, taking that last step together.”

Other speakers shared memories of past graduating classes from Brandywine.

Janis Exner, board of education president, reflected on her own time at Brandywine, as did commencement speaker Ambrosia Neldon, a 2009 graduate.

Hunter Janowiak, one of the co-valedictorians, shared a message his mother shared when she was valedictorian at Brandywine High School.

“’Never forget your old friends, because your oldest friends are your best friends,’” he said, quoting her speech.

Janowiak talked about how when he started his freshman year, he set a goal of becoming valedictorian.

“Usually when you reach a goal it feels pretty good,” Janowiak said. “But then when I actually achieved it, I said, ‘oh crap. Now I have to actually get on stage and talk to people.”

Another co-valedictorian, Alyssa Bolen, reflected on a number of accomplishments the Class of 2016 shared. This graduating class contained a number of members of successful sports teams throughout their four years in high school.

“The class of 2016 is full of a number of remarkable athletes,” she said. “I’ve gotten to watch so many classmates grow into the talented athletes they are today.”

Bolen said she was a member of two teams that made it to the state championships this year — the Brandywine Lady Cats basketball team, and the Bobcat tennis team.

“While neither team took home the championship, both teams battled to the end and made so many memories along the way,” she said.

Nathan Sachman, another co-valedictorian, thanked a number of educators he said impacted his life, and then offered some words of wisdom to his classmates.

“Do not hold up your career plans for someone else,” he said. “Never be sorry for following your own aspirations.”

He reminded fellow classmates that there are many potential paths they can take now that they have their degrees in their hands, be it the military, a trade school, college or going straight into the workforce.

“As Beyonce says, ‘who needs a degree when you’re schoolin’ life?’” he joked.

Co-valedictorian Joshua Youngs, who has opted to take one of those paths less traveled and pursue his passion in Russia next year, used his speech to inspire his classmates.

“Life is a game to be played carefully, but not with fear,” Youngs said. “The term failure gets tossed around a lot in these hallways. You failed a test, you failed a class, but failure does not mean you are dumb. Failure is motivation to bounce back and be successful.”

Like the rest of the speakers, Youngs thanked his educators and classmates for shaping him into the person he is today, and encouraged everyone to go out and do great things.

The class’s graduating song, “See You Again” by Wiz Khalifa, summed up the camaraderie the students seemed to share quite nicely: “We’ve come a long way from where we began, I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again.”

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