Richland High grads urged to get out and live a little

A teacher’s passionate speech about work ethic capped off Richland High’s 2013 graduation.

Jack Long — who is known at the high school for the stories he tells his students — spoke to the graduates at the Toyota Center in Kennewick Friday night.

His message was simple: Get off the couch and live a little.

“Don’t sit on the couch and be a bump on the log,” he told the students. “The only thing a bump on the log is good for is a bear to scratch his butt.”

Long’s speech came after the five valedictorians gave their speeches in front of a large crowd.

Every speaker was thankful for those who helped them graduate and they reflected on the time they had being a Bomber.

Anneliese Barnes challenged her classmates to not only try to achieve their goals in life, but stop along the way to appreciate all that is around them.

“The ladder we use to get to our goals has a beautiful view from each rung,” she said.

Valedictorian Elinor Lake called her close friend, Salutatorian Shelby Kurtz, on stage to give a combined speech that drew laughs from the crowd.

Bomber class president Brandie Kulmus remembered four classmates who passed away. The crowd observed a moment of silence as a display near the podium served as memorial for the teens.

This story was originally published May 31, 2013 at 9:38 PM with the headline "Richland High grads urged to get out and live a little."