Cheers, tears and miles of sticky string capped an emotional graduation ceremony on Thursday, June 12, at Mount Si High School.

The Class of 2008 strode down the aisles of the Mount Si gymnasium and out into the adult world.

“It’s a great day to be a Wildcat,” commencement speaker Kelcey Simpson told her fellow grads.

“Just about all day, I’ve had the melody of ‘Pomp and Circumstance’ playing over and over again in my head like a broken record player,” Simpson said. That song, interweaved with “Celebrate Good Times” and the hip-hop song “Party like a Rock Star” was her soundtrack for the bittersweet day.

High school is like a lab test, and high schoolers are like guinea pigs, in Simpson’s view. She and her fellow grads have passed their challenges.

“Bring it on, because we’re ready for more.”

“Where will our class be in the future?” asked Simpson, who envisioned classmates as teachers, firefighters or contestants on ‘American Idol.’

Commencement gave Mount Si Principal Randy Taylor a chance to brag about some of the proudest accomplishments of the senior class.

The class has earned $2.9 million and counting in scholarships, as well as numerous leadership awards. Eight running start students are graduating with their two-year associate of arts degree completed at Bellevue Community College — the highest number of recipients from any Eastside high school. Seniors organized food drives, a local Special Olympics, and will leave a legacy of thousands of hours of community service.

“They are really nice young people, with a tremendous future in front of them,” Taylor said. “I will miss their school pride.”

Taylor said that no students in this year’s class were held back for WASL requirements.

Before the ceremony, stand-