Pikesville High School Graduates Class of 2012

A mosaic of young students bound by common experience and friendship has graduated from high school.

Members of Class of 2012 received their diplomas  Wednesday during a commencement ceremony at Towson University's .

Rachael A. Siegel-Berele delivered a senior speech mixed with nostalgia and humor.

"We're a mosaic," she said. "Every single cap-and-gown figure as a tile, a marble, a shard of glass ... glued together."

While each class member is unique, they are held together by common experiences and interactions with each other and faculty, Siegel-Berele said. "We formed such bonds and made such close friendships."

She also noted some memorable times for the Class of 2012, including no snow days during the senior year, midterms, SAT and ACT tests.

Other, more fond memories include: "The smell of the track at fall sports tryouts, or the mesmerizing glimmer of Mr. Whatley's head from down the hall," she said, referring to assistant principal Kevin Whatley.

Some adults say graduation is the best day of high school students' lives, Siegel-Berele said. "But we all know the best day of our lives was ," she joked.

The following class officers were honored, and were among the students  on stage during the ceremony: Ragime R. Camphor, president; Natalie D. Benamor, vice president; Lindsay Kelly, treasurer; Torie Davis, secretary; Stephanie Honig, historian, and Scott Gilbert, member-at-large.

spoke to the approximately 215 graduates, as did David Uhlfelder, a member of the Baltimore County Public Schools Board of Education.

The school choirs, conducted by Russell P. Garner and accompanied by Jordan Markham, provided music for the evening.

Whatley and assistant principal Joy O'Brien read the graduates' names.

Awarding the diplomas were Mitzel, assistant principal Allen D. Brown and Susan Adess, commencement coordinator.

"No matter what direction you take after graduation, education is the key. ... Do not abandon the process of learning," Uhlfelder said, congratulating the class.

"Education allows you to make those wise decisions and at the same time provides you the ability to work out the consequences of decisions that didn't turn out as planned."

Shout out to your favorite graduate in the comments section below this article! And do you have any life advice for these young graduates?