Huntington School’s 25 graduates marched across the football field and into adulthood at the Huntington School commencement ceremonies Friday night.

Being a graduate had Gabriel Nelson — who will attend Louisiana Tech University and study aviation — awestruck.

“I’m excited,” he said. “I’m really excited.”

Graduate Ricky Dunbar, who looks forward to attending University of Lousiana at Monroe to play football and study marketing for a possible future in real estate, said he’s glad to be done.

“It feels like I’ve gotten a load off my chest,” he said.

Colin Stacy, who is considering becoming a minister after studying at Wesley Bible College, agreed.

“It was hard, but it was a fun two years,” he said.

Others expressed reluctance to leave Huntington.

“I’m definitely leaving looking back over my shoulder,” said Mollye Ashmore, who plans to attend LSU to major in fashion design. “I’m going to miss my friends.”

Salutatorian Curt Barker said graduation was the first step into independence.

“It is not merely a transition from high school to secondary education,” he said. “It is a transition from childhood to our adult lives.”

Until now, the graduates have been the responsibility of others, he said.

“Now we must take responsibility for ourselves,” he said.

Graduates should aim high, trying to attain the unattainable, he said.

“There is no limit to human potential,” he said.

Barker compared the graduates to a vine.

“Though like a vine we will be going in many directions, we all have a common root,” he said. “That common root is Huntington School.”

Valedictorian Katie Moak said the graduates will leave high school with many memories.

“We will never forget the last four years and the teachers we were forced to spend many hours with,” she said.

Moak challenged her fellow graduates to remember high school is only a fraction of this life.

“We can accomplish many things if we take advantage of the opportunities along the way,” she said.

“Remember, failure is not fatal,” she said.

Graduates need to have courage to face life head-on, she said.

“Courage is not the absence of fear,” Moak said. “Rather, it is acting in the face of it.

“Where we go from here is simply up to us.”