UNION SPRINGS - Commencement, the end of one chapter and the beginning of a new one, is a day long anticipated from the time students take their first tentative steps in kindergarten all the way through the senior year.

It was a memory many recalled fondly during the Class of 2007 commencement ceremony on the front lawn of Union Springs Central School Sunday afternoon.

“Looking back now, we built the foundations of our friendships with a crayon and a coloring book on our first day of kindergarten,” recalled Amy Hoskins, class president. “I borrowed a crayon from the girl next to me and I knew I had made a friend, a friend forever. Back then when I was 5 or 6, I thought a friend was someone you borrowed a crayon from. Our favorite colors may change, but we will never forget the primary colors of our friends. And as we go on in our own directions I know we are leaving a whole pallet of colors in Union Springs.”

Linda M. Rice, superintendent of schools, expressed similar feelings as she addressed the class, noting they had started as freshmen when she first came into the district as superintendent. She left them with some words of advice as they prepared to head out into the larger world.

“I have a special bond with this class,” Rice said. “I saw them come in as wide-eyed freshmen and I have seen them grow into seasoned seniors and young adults. I ask that you take the time to reflect on your dreams and take the time to consider what is true and what is real and to live with empathy and tolerance.”

But it was a road that was not always easy to traverse. It came with its own highs and lows, but always in the background was the support of friends, family, teachers and coaches.

“I have to thank my parents,” Drew Brantner, class salutatorian, said. “My teachers, my coaches, my friends. This is an amazing place (Union Springs Central School) and certainly there can't be another one like it and I know it will be a long time before any of us ever forget it. I learned a lot in these walls, but the most memorable thing may be my way of thinking. I think Vince Lombardi said it well when he said we can accomplish more things if we stop thinking of them as being impossible.”

And there are many dreams the graduates are anxious to begin pursuing.

“This is awesome,” said Emilie Salato, who will be attending Cayuga Community College in the fall to pursue teaching. “It is a little nerve wracking we all grew up together, but it is good that we've finally made it. I'm excited to begin college and begin my own life.”

And as the graduates prepare to take those tentative steps, there was one last moment to look back and reflect on all that led to this day.

Class valedictorian Christopher Shrimpton recalled his first nerve-wracking day of kindergarten as his mother took pictures with the fear of the unknown and how it shaped the person he grew up to be 12 years later.

“Looking back I learned a lot of important life lessons,” Shrimpton said. “Life has its ups and downs, but you always have to think and realize that it could be worse and that life goes by pretty quickly and you have to enjoy it while it lasts.”