330 receive diplomas during the school’s 14th annual commencement
The George Gervin GameAbove Center on the campus of Eastern Michigan University was the setting for the 14th annual Commencement Ceremony of Skyline High School on Monday, June 2.
After the 330 gtaduates took their seats and the Skyline choirs performed the national anthem and “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” Principal Casey Elmore welcomed the crowd.
She said the graduates have come to believe in the Skyline big idea, and to soar like eagles.
“Students are assembled here in smaller learning communities named purposely after the four core democratic values: Integrity to be a good character, diversity to celebrate and take pride in our differences, equality, to offer equal opportunity to all; academic innovation, to connect academic excellence with ground-breaking pedagogy,” she said. “The graduates’ accomplishments over the last four years have been nothing short of astounding.”
Next, Owen McKelvey, speaking as the 2025 Class Speaker at Skyline’s graduation ceremony, delivered a thoughtful address cautioning his fellow graduates against pigeonholing themselves in their pursuit of success.
McKelvey began by defining “pigeonhole” as assigning someone “to a rigid category, often unfairly or too narrowly,” then applied this concept to how students often limit themselves. He argued that while the pursuit of excellence in academics, athletics, and other achievements is valuable, it can lead to tunnel vision that damages relationships and personal growth.
Drawing from personal experience, McKelvey admitted to making this mistake himself. “I spent a lot of time chasing the next time cut, the next win, the next step forward. And while that drive pushed me, it also cost me,” he shared. “I missed conversations I should’ve had. I overlooked the simple moments—the ones that don’t come with medals or certificates.”
He noted that achievements are temporary while relationships endure: “I realize now that trophies collect dust, grades are forgotten, and titles are just words on paper. But the relationships—the people we grow with, laugh with, and sometimes even hurt along the way—those are what stay with us.”
Skyline OSE Resource Teacher Young Park opened his address to Skyline High School’s Class of 2025 with an energetic call-and-response, encouraging the crowd to shout “EAGLES!” when he said “Skyline.” But beneath the celebratory atmosphere was a deeper message about the remarkable timing of this graduating class.
Park revealed that the Class of 2025 is part of the largest graduating high school class in U.S. history—3.9 million strong—due to a mini baby boom in 2007. He noted that 2007 was the Year of the Golden Pig in the Chinese Zodiac, an event that occurs only once every 60 years. “Babies born that year are believed to have exceptional fortune—health, wealth, happiness… and yes, even perfectionist tendencies and a life of comfort,” Park explained “So yes, I just called all of you pigs—but in the most flattering, once-every-60-years kind of way.”
Drawing parallels between young eagles and graduating seniors, Park described how both prepare to leave their nests in late spring and early summer, flapping their wings, hopping around the edge, and hesitating before taking flight. He reassured graduates that even after young eagles take their first flight, they still return to the nest for food, rest, and guidance. “Whether you’re headed to college, a job, the military, or the unknown—you’ll always have your roots. You’ll always have your loved ones. You’ll always have your nest,” he said.
The heart of Park’s speech centered on what it means to be a Skyline Eagle, using the acronym EAGLES to outline key principles.
“E is for Ever Upward,” he began, encouraging students to take action and soar rather than remain stagnant. Other letters stood for assembling your team, following the Golden Rule, leaving the world better than you found it, experiencing life fully, and staying strong through challenges.
Before concluding, Park took time to honor retiring staff members, acknowledging their contributions to making Skyline better.
He ended with a message of resilience, quoting Atticus Finch: “Real courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” His final words to the graduates emphasized that while they may leave the nest, they’ll never fly alone, carrying with them their loved ones, their purpose, and their story as they “Go and soar, Ever Upward!”
Superintendent Jazz Parks thanked families for all their support, then spoke to the graduates:
“Every experience that you’ve had on your journey has prepared you for this moment,” she said. “Tonight, you have absolutely everything that it takes to move forward and make your mark on the world and profile and positive ways. You have persevered and overcome, and you represent and unique and special generation. You have shown us what it means to be resilient and what it looks like to do unprecedented and hard things. This is your moment, class of 2025. We believe in you in our commitment to your success does not end this evening with your graduation. It extends well beyond this moment. And as of this evening, you will not only become Skyline High School graduates, you will become alumni, who will forever be a part of the Ann Arbor Public Schools family.”
After the ceremony, graduates posed for pictures with family and friends as the area filled with the sounds of celebration as 330 new graduates began the next chapter of their lives.
For more photos, go to the AAPS Facebook page here and here. You can watch CTN’s broadcast of the full ceremony here.
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