On a Sundat when  the weather was suppose to be dreadful, the sun found a way to shine as the 321 members of the King Philip High School Class of 2012 walked on to the football field to “Pomp and Circumstance” for this year’s graduation exercises.

Things were emotional early in the ceremony when class president Ian Pimental gave flowers to his fellow class officers on stage and praised his classmates for their success.

“I could not be more proud of this class for all of our amazing achievements,” Pimental said.  “We boast a record number of future college athletes, several impressive Ivy League acceptances, a nationally recognized marching band and DECA program, softball and swimming state championships, a talented job program, and a list of brave students set for the military.”

Pimental reminded the crowd of the days where students would in frustration ask why their class had to be so smart, making higher class rankings more difficult to obtain. As Pimental said, “we took advantage of what we were given.”

Giving the salutatory address, Zachary Sogard’s speech strayed away from the typical advice and metaphors and instead left his classmates with a simple message while criticizing the pressure to conform in a high school environment.

“Don’t be normal. You need to break away from such ideas. Instead you have to realize that being normal is not being yourself. Being normal is boring. Being normal is average,” Sogard told the crowd.

To back up his words, Sogard also read a quote from 1980 US Men’s Olympic hockey team coach Herb Brooks.

“You can’t be common. The common man goes nowhere. You have to be uncommon,” Sogard said reciting Brooks’ words.

Harvard-bound Alyssa Siegmann gave a valedictory address that reminded her peers to enjoy the successes in life, but don’t forget what led to that success.

“It’s not always about the end result. Society has trained us to focus on obtaining certain goals and neglecting the actual journey it takes to get there,” Siegmann said. “We should remember to celebrate everything it took to get to this point, the people we have become along the way, and the special relationships we have made.”

Referred to as someone who always gives and never takes by Principal Robert Wargo, Cecelia Plaehn was awarded the KP Cup. The award is voted on by the senior class by secret ballot and is given out yearly to the student that represents what it means to be a KP student.

Principal Wargo asked out loud what the class of 2012 has given the community and their school.

“You have given us headaches. You have given us the necessary amount of stress to cause dark hair to go grey,” joked Wargo.

The graduates, according to Wargo also brought the community a basketball team to rally behind, state titles in multiple sports, and art pieces that left some wondering what museum wall they will hang on. They gave a desire to learn and better themselves.

“You have challenged us with intellectual curiosity, with questions that demanded answers,” Wargo said.

As school committee chairperson Pat Francomano spoke, he left the graduates with a simple message. Already proud of the beneficiaries of a public education, Francomano asked for the class of 2012 to make the community proud again.

“Continue to make us proud. Don’t hesitate to reach out for our help and continue to be kind to one another,” Francomano said.