St. James High School’s Class of 2026 crossed the stage at the football field on Friday, May 15, celebrating the end of their high school careers during the graduation ceremony. Family and friends filled the stands to cheer on the 131 graduating seniors as they received their diplomas.

“Today, we gather to celebrate a class that has shown – both collectively and individually –  leadership and achievement,” Principal Greg Harlan said. “From academic success, to artistic talents, to athletic victories and community involvement, this class has certainly left a lasting impact at St. James High School and the St. James community as a whole.”

Superintendent Tim Webster kicked off the evening’s speeches by telling the graduates that no matter where their life’s journey leads them after high school, each one of them has something important to offer to the world.

“Our district’s theme this year has been ‘All Roads Lead Forward,’ and there’s one thing we all know about Missouri roads: they’re not all smooth,” Webster said. “Some are under construction, some have potholes, some have roundabouts that most of us don’t know how to use, but every road, every challenge, every lesson, every late night and every success has led you to here.”

Webster also called up some students individually to recognize them for funny memories or antics throughout the school year, garnering laughs from the graduates. He ended his speech by reminding the students that they will always be a part of the district family.

The first student speaker of the evening was Isabelle Bolte, who graduated Summa Cum Laude and was in the top ten students of the class.

In her speech, Bolte encouraged her classmates to make mistakes and to learn from those mistakes, because it will motivate them to do better.

“High school was a time for mistakes,” she said. “We all used it to find ourselves and figure out how we fit in our world. Some of us still do not know how we fit in the world, and that’s okay. It’s your life, and you have time. No one else can choose your path for you.”

She used an example of when she was giving a public speech for FFA at a state competition, and forgot her speech. Though she was at first discouraged, she was able to use that moment of failure to drive her toward future success.

“I started doing things until I couldn’t get them wrong, instead of ‘til I got them right,” Bolte said. “We will fail, and that is a fact of life.”

The second student speaker was Senior Class President Johnny Perkins, who graduated Summa Cum Laude and was in the top ten students of the class. Perkins was also an A+ program student.

Perkins spoke about the journey of self discovery that happens throughout high school and encouraged his fellow classmates to stay true to who they are.

“If you try to be what the world wants you to be, you will lose yourself in the process, and if there’s one thing that high school has ever taught me, it’s that losing yourself hurts a lot more than standing alone,” he said. “The world doesn’t need another copy, it doesn’t need perfection, it needs something real. It needs you, the version of you that is honest, that is different, that is still growing and still figuring things out.”

Each graduate was given a small mirror, which Perkins asked them to each look into for the final part of his speech. At the same time, he asked all of the audience members to turn on their phone flashlights, creating a sea of bright lights behind the graduates during the special moment.

“Graduates: that person staring back at you, that person has struggled, they have grown, they have failed and they have learned, but that person has kept going, and that person has a purpose,” Perkins said. “And sometimes, the world is going to try to convince you to change that person – something more accessible, something less than you. Don’t, because if you see in the reflection behind you, there is a community waiting to see you succeed as you.”

Following the students’ speeches, Assistant Principal Patrick Burke recognized the 33 students graduating with A+ program scholarships. Harlan recognized those graduating with Latin honors and the seven seniors who will be entering the military following graduation. To read the full list of names, see the story beginning on page 1A.

Harlan also spoke to the graduates, using trapeze artists as an analogy for how they will move through life in their journeys after high school.

“To move forward on the trapeze of life and into the new chapter of your life, you have to let go of the old bar,” he said. “You’ll be there swinging back and forth, and never moving forward, unless you let go of the things in the past to some degree. And then, when that happens, you need to realize that when you let go, you are then untethered, you are flying, and that’s what we want for you.”

Once each of the graduates crossed the stage and received their diplomas, the class tossed their caps as confetti flew, marking the completion of the ceremony. Family, friends and supporters flooded the field for hugs and pictures. The Class of 2026 will now move on to their future endeavors, leaving their legacy behind for years to come.