No matter how talented a student is, whether it be in the classroom or out, complacency has a tendency to set in from time to time.

Alexander Karpowicz, Lehighton Area High School’s 2018 valedictorian, is not immune to it.

Entering high school, Karpowicz was aware of his intellectual abilities, but often found himself asking if he maximized his potential.

During Friday night’s commencement ceremony, he encouraged the Class of 2018, members strong including himself, to never rest on your laurels.

“Following the realization that I was squandering my time and efforts by merely waiting for opportunities to fall in my lap, I began to search, with the help of many great mentors and friends, for ways to expand the scope of my potential outside the fundamentals of the classroom,” Karpowicz said. “Much of what we do and what we learn is dictated by our interests independent of the traditional setting and how we explore them. And, I can safely assure you, the resultant experiences are by far the most rewarding.”

At some point, Karpowicz added, discussion must stop and action begins.

“We are the masters of our own futures,” he said, “and the only determining factor that lies between us and our aspirations is our will.”

For many wearing a cap and gown Friday night, the commencement ceremony was the culmination of a high school juggling act that included academics, extracurricular activities, employment and maintaining friendships built along the way.

Salutatorian Michael Bongiorno is but just one such example.

“Last year, I made the decision to take one eyeball-bustingly difficult course on top of three garden variety difficult ones,” he said.

“At the same time, I had Zion Opera Workshop, the school musical and tennis to eat up what time was left. It was torture. I had never been pushed so hard and I was constantly on the verge of a breakdown. Nevertheless, I got through it. I grabbed the bull by the horns and came out feeling accomplished.”

Class President Savanna Buchinsky told the story of a group of hikers who heard a voice telling them to pick up rocks along the way.

At the end of the hike, the rocks had turned into gold and jewels.

“Let us remember the story as a metaphor for the many opportunities that lie ahead of us, waiting to be picked up along the way,” Buchinsky said. “Let us never be disappointed that we didn’t pick up enough rocks.”

Sue Howland had a unique perspective of this year’s graduating class. As elementary principal, she saw many of them walk through the door for the first time and as high school principal, she ushered them out on Friday.

“As you all begin your next chapter, I ask you to simply be the best at what you do,” Howland told the graduates. “Never settle for mediocrity. To be mediocre is to be average and that is not how you were trained these last 13 years. Go to bed each night leaving the world better than you found it in the morning. You will all sleep better.”

Lehighton welcomed back the Class of 1968 with representative David Hawk addressing the current graduates.

The class song was “Good Old Days” by Macklemore.