St. Charles North grads bid farewell
Molly Fremgen, the senior class president of St. Charles North High School's Class of 2008, gives a farewell speech during Sunday's graduation ceremony.
As Molly Fremgen approached the lectern, she made sure to remember one thing.
She had to ask for a moment of silence to honor a senior who couldn't make it to the graduation.
Lauren Laman died Feb. 8 when she collapsed during a drill team practice.
Fremgen, St. Charles North's senior class president, told her fellow graduates that Laman's death should be looked at as a learning experience.
The aftermath of the death "taught us the beauty of friends," Fremgen said.
The remarks were made in a poem written by Fremgen and read at Sunday's St. Charles North graduation ceremony at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates.
The ceremony included 512 graduates decked in blue and eager to move past this final step.
After the moment of silence, Fremgen read her poem, which she said was a result of seeking inspiration and finding it in Dr. Seuss.
In it, she described four years of high school experiences and even managed to throw in a jab at North's chief rival, St. Charles East.
"Beating East in, well, everything and leaving them in shock," she read.
The graduates' family and friends filled more than three-quarters of the seats in the lower level of the Sears Centre, including one section that managed to bring in an airhorn.
Valedictorian Patrick Eschenfeldt told graduates to take the experiences they had in high school and use them to try and have a positive effect wherever they go after graduation.
"Turn each into a place where people are comfortable with each other," he said.
He also said high school helps everybody in a different way.
"We must each decide for ourselves what benefits we take from every opportunity."
After praising the class as having a "spirit of humanity unmatched by anyone," Principal Kim Zupec quoted the song "True Colors" by Cyndi Lauper, telling the class of 2008 to "don't be afraid to let your colors show."
She said the class was "an inspiration to all."