MONTEREY &8212; Thirty-one graduates, diplomas in hand, made their way out of the Monterey High School gymnasium into the real world Friday night.

&8220;It&8217;s time for you to get off the sidewalk and into the street,&8221; Principal Neeva Sibley said.

Before taking to the street, however, the students got a chance to publicly thank their loved ones in the traditional presentation of roses ceremony.

One by one, the graduates walked off the stage and found their families to give them a big hug and a small token of their appreciation.

But while past kindnesses were on their minds, their eyes were on the future.

&8220;This is the time to reflect and think about the future and how we can use the tools we have toward our success,&8221; salutatorian Kassie Kennedy said.

Valadictorian Brittany Woodruff invoked the name of Dr. Seuss to enumerate some of those tools.

&8220;We have brains in our heads and feet in our shoes. We can steer ourselves any direction we choose. We&8217;re on our own. And we know what we know. Oh! The places we&8217;ll go.&8221;

Nine students won awards or scholarships, including Jennifer Ellen Jensen, who was awarded a Louisiana Army National Guard scholarship valued at nearly $50,000 for her commitment to serving the country.