Congratulations to the hundreds of high school seniors who took part in commencement ceremonies in the past several days.

This is a major accomplishment in a series of what we hope will be many, many more.

Much attention is given to those donning the caps and gowns in these ceremonies, and rightfully so.

However, the efforts of the men and women sitting in the stands shouldn’t be over looked.

Parents have kept these students motivated year after year, ensuring that homework is done and done on time.

They were there for the rigorous rear-end chewing when poor report cards came home and they were there for the pats on the back when long study sessions paid off with an A.

The teachers, who were never hesitant to push a student further than they wanted to go when they knew they were capable of more.

These men and women have played a large role in these festivities and while the students are the ones who actually had to pick up those pens and pencils the parents, teachers and principals along the way were the ones who made sure they were being used to the best of their abilities.

Congratulations to all the students, parents and teachers for another successful school year. We wish the best of luck to each of you.