“You are loved”: Tolton Catholic Class of 2023 told to go “teach the Good News”
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“I could not have asked for a better group of people to go through high school with.”
Alexis Hammes spoke from the commencement platform to her fellow graduating seniors of Father Tolton Regional Catholic High School in Columbia.
“Our new journeys will be a big change from the tight-knit community we are used to here at Tolton,” she stated, “but I do not doubt that we will all adapt accordingly.”
Joining Alexis on the platform for the school’s May 14 Commencement Exercises were: Monsignor Robert Kurwicki, vicar general for the diocese; Erin Vader Ed.D., diocesan superintendent of Catholic schools; Daniel Everett Ed.D., president and principal; Father Christopher Cordes, pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish and president of the Tolton Catholic Board of Directors; and Father Michael Coleman and Father Ignitius Nimwesiga, chaplains.
Graduating senior Andrew Fallis led the assembly in a prayer of gratitude for the school, the faculty and staff, the graduating seniors’ families, their friends, the hardships they’ve weathered together, the jokes and happy memories they share, and God’s love, “which has been made evident through the relationships we will carry with us beyond these walls.”
Msgr. Kurwicki encouraged the graduating seniors to remain grateful to God, to keep setting and meeting new goals while helping others to do likewise, and to give relentless witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in all circumstances.
“Go out and teach the whole world the Good News!” he told them.
“Amazing things”
Alexis recalled how the Class of 2023 became more tightly bonded after returning to in-class instruction after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We tend to thrive in the face of adversity,” she observed.
She lauded their teachers and coaches for giving them challenging instruction and taking a personal interest in helping them succeed.
She said the past four years have shown “that my class is capable of anything we set our minds to, and we can tackle any challenge that comes our way.”
Graduating senior Molly Gibson urged her fellow graduating seniors to take risks, embrace and learn from failure, and always remember the people who helped them become who they are.
“Be willing to try new things, even if they scare you,” she told them. “You never know where they might take you.”
She thanked all the families and faculty members, and encouraged her classmates to treasure the memories they had made together.
“I am so proud of each and every one of us,” she said. “I cannot wait to see the amazing things I’m sure each of us will accomplish.”
“Never forget”
Among the awards presented to the graduating seniors were:
- the St. Paul Service Award to Ashley Wilkerson, who completed the most hours of community service during her four years at Tolton Catholic;
- the Fr. Coleman Award to Luke McBee and Ava Lawless, for exemplifying the spirit of the school;
- the Bishop Gaydos Award to Molly Gibson; and
- the school’s highest honor, the Fr. Tolton Award, to Ashley Wilkerson.
Both the Bishop Gaydos and the Fr. Tolton awards are for exemplifying the school’s mission.
Dr. Everett reminded the graduating seniors of how proud the faculty and administrator are of them.
“We know you will accomplish wonderful things in the years ahead, and we truly hope you’ll stay in touch with your extended Trailblazer family,” he told them. “And, never forget, You Are Loved.”
Fr. Coleman, the school’s longest-serving chaplain, closed the ceremony with an Irish blessing and lively exchange of “God is good ... all the time!”
“Sense of family”
Graduating seniors Katelyn Ankemman, Andy Brouder, Jacob Hoernschemeyer and Macie Parmer took time to share some recollections of their previous four years, a few days before graduation.
Katlyn said her time at Tolton Catholic has been filed with great experiences and the best friends she’s ever had.
Andy said the most unexpected thing about his time at Tolton Catholic was the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought life to a halt during the spring of his freshman year.
“A lot of the very simple things we enjoy in high school, like going to football games or having school assemblies, the absence of those things is a lot more noticeable than their presence. So don’t take them for granted,” he said.
Macie said she learned a lot about herself and what her relationship with God means.
“Because you come in the building and you know all the people, and when you step out, it’s who you are, it defines the impact you make on the world,” she said. “And if you have God with you, you can do so much more.
“That’s something I learned here,” she said, “that with God, all things are possible.”
Jacob said the two things he’s cherished most during his time at Tolton Catholic are faith and community.
“Going to Mass with my family used to be just about all the time I’d spend in prayer with God,” he said. “Now, I actually incorporate it into my everyday life. Prayer, reading the Bible whenever I can and bringing verses to share with other people.”
Macie said she cherishes having gone to school in “a place you don’t have to be ashamed of your faith.”
Andy said he quickly got comfortable with “the unmistakable sense of family that this place has.”
“It’s just close, really comfortable and a really loving and supporting environment to go through high school in,” he said.
Macie said she’ll miss her friends, many of whom she started in kindergarten with at Our Lady of Lourdes Interparish School.
“Change is obviously hard, and I’m glad I went to Tolton because it helps ease the change, because God is with you and you’re reassured of that,” she said.
Kaitlyn will miss the community she’s been a part of for the past four years — and the years before that.
“Seeing the same people has been very comfortable and has allowed me to grow as a person, to kind of come out of my shell,” she said.
Andy will miss the teachers who have become like members of his family.
“You can tell that the teachers care very much about their students,” he said. “It gets to where I really want to go to this person’s class, I really enjoy going to this person’s class because the class is interesting but also because the teacher is so great and so interesting, too,” he said.
Jacob said he’ll miss friends, faculty, and especially seeing his younger sister every day at school.
“I just pass her in the hallways and give her a smile and that means a lot,” he said.
Important choices
Macie found a deeper relationship with God in her time at Tolton Catholic, and she plans on taking that with her into the next phase of her life.
“Having that relationship wasn’t pushed on us but was highly encouraged,” she stated. “Now, we’re adults and we have to choose that relationship with God, rather than have someone help us.”
It will be work, but she’s convinced it will be worth it.
“Just being able to stand with God and be on that rock and say, ‘I’m not budging; my morals and my principles are not budging,’ is something I learned here,” she said.
Jacob plans to go to Saint Louis University in St. Louis in the fall, to major in biology and play baseball.
“I’d like to do something either with dentistry or orthodontics or oral surgery or something like that,” he said.
Macie plans to attend William Woods College in Fulton to study elementary education and minor in sign language while playing soccer.
“Hopefully, I’ll do elementary education for a little bit and then be a stay-at-home mom,” she said. “To take care of the kids. Raise them well. Have a big family. Bring them to church.”
Kaitlyn plans to attend Truman State University in Kirksville, to major in psychology on the pre-dental track.
“I want to be a dentist,” she said. “I’m very interested in the pediatric side. Child psychology is a good basis so you can help them stay calm while you’re working with them.”
Andy plans to major in biology at the University of Missouri in Columbia, “with the hope of transitioning into something medical in the future.”
“Live for him”
Andy said he plans on taking his identity as a Christian into adulthood with him.
“The education and affirmation we’ve all received at Tolton is going to help us in college and give us a good solid foundation of truth and what’s right and wrong,” he said.
Katlyn said that having been given a solid foundation of theology and doctrine in grade school, she got to have open discussions at Tolton on matters of faith with people who have different perspectives.
“Thinking freely while still having that good core Catholic education — I think that will help me stay strong in my faith, even if there’s adversity.”
All four said they want to stay Catholic.
“Jesus died for us, we need to live for Him,” said Macie. “You can go about your life and not think about God, and try to find the worldly things to fulfill you, but nothing else except God will fulfill you.”
“You are naturally drawn to His love and mercy and forgiveness, and that draws you to the right people,” she asserted. “And I believe the structure that the Catholic Church brings, while it’s not always easy, it’s going to be the most beneficial.”
“I just find that specifically, among the different denominations of Christianity, Catholicism is where the most direct truth lies,” said Andy. “I find that it’s the central source of truth because of that original foundation that he put in place, and from that, everything else follows.”
They asked their fellow Catholics to continue praying for them.
“That society finds God,” said Macie.
“That we have success and bright futures ahead of us,” said Katelyn, “And that we are okay and maintain sanity through college.”
Jacob asked for prayers for safety, especially in light of several recent car wrecks involving young people.
Andy asked for prayers for him and his classmates to stay on the right path.
“With college, you’re going to meet all these new people, have all these different experiences and have all these opportunities to change directions and waver,” he said.
