Multimedia: Grads Bid Farewell to West Morris

Temperatures flirted with triple digits.

Thousands of friends and family members crammed into Wolfpack Stadium like sardines.

And more than 300 seniors graduated from high school.

It what was the hottest graduation ceremony in recent memory, according to the school’s athletic trainer and Long Valley First Aid Squad member Joanne Barba.

The heat wouldn’t stop the Class of 2012 from accomplishing its final goal, though, as 324 seniors had their names read and received diplomas.

Senior class president John Isemann III stood before his peers and told an anecdote of his family life that he felt would relay well to his class.

“Every time I leave the house in the morning, my father reminds me of ‘the name,’ Isemann said. “He always says to be proud of the name we have. And now, the class of 2012 has a name for itself to be proud of.”

As is customary, the senior class provided a gift to the school it is leaving behind, one in memoriam for longtime administrative assistant Debbie Taylor, who died earlier this year after a 12-year battle with ovarian cancer.

The class has donated a custom, memorial bench in honor of Taylor to the outside of the school. Also, on Taylor’s birthday, Dec. 24, a flag will be flown over the New Jersey Capitol Building in her honor.

became emotional when he thanked the senior class for its gift to the school, and implored the graduates to “Every day, exceed someone’s expectations.”

The graduates of 2012 are no longer bound to classes and schedules inside the halls of West Morris Central.

But, just like the classes before it, has left an indelible mark on the history of the high school.