Schreiber High School graduating senior David Rabman has been playing chess since he was 5 years old, and he said it has taught him more than just moving pieces around a 64-square board.

First you need a strategy, then you need the ability to adapt to changing circumstances, collaboration with others and the power of perseverance.

“Success and achievement are rarely accidental, they are the result of a well-thought-out strategy, precise execution and the ability to adapt to obstacles or opportunities along the way,” Rabman said.

Like chess, these are skills he applied to his time in high school, whether it was strategizing to find the perfect parking spot, navigating his coursework or planning for his future after graduation.

“Like in chess, in life you need to have a vision of where you want to end up and try to work to get there,” Rabman said.

He shared these lessons of chess and their applicability to life with his fellow graduating seniors as they celebrated their accomplishments and the future ahead of them at their high school graduation.

“As we take this final step across the stage, remember that the game of life is waiting for you,” Rabman said. “The pieces are set, the board is ready and the world is your playing field. Make every move count and together let’s build a future that is bright, inspiring and filled with limitless possibilities.”

A brief moment of technical difficulties with the microphones and the threat of rain did not spoil Paul D. Schreiber High School’s graduation Thursday evening as the microphones soon worked and rain clouds dispersed for more than 400 students to take the stage and graduate.

The ceremony featured a performance of “The Star Spangled Banner” by the senior choir students, and a surprise performance of Tom Petty’s “Learning to Fly” by Superintendent Michael Hynes as he sang and strummed his guitar for the crowd. Hynes’ song was an homage to the graduating seniors’ resiliency as they embark on a new, challenging future.

The school’s valedictorians included Lucas Milgrim, Rigel Mummers and Reed Paltrow.

Milgrim was awarded with the Bogart Scholarship, granted to a student in the top 5% of the graduating class who demonstrates academic excellence, leadership and community service.

Board of Education President Adam Smith shared congratulations to the Class of 2023 as they approach a fork in the road and start down a new path in their lives.

“Whatever path you choose, we are confident that you, as Schreiber High School graduates, are more than prepared,” Smith said.

He offered some advice to the graduating seniors: Always choose your own path, whatever that may be.

“There’s no such thing as the wrong path as long as it’s the path that you choose for yourself,” Smith said.

Assistant principal Kristen Anisis applauded the class of 2023 for their ability to endure the challenging times faced their four years of high school, assuring them they are equipped to take on the challenges ahead of them.

“You are all resilient, you are all resourceful, you are all tenacious, and despite all the challenges and roadblocks you’ve faced, you have united together as the class of 2023,” Anisis said. “Not even a global pandemic stood in the way of the bonds that you formed with each other and your Schreiber family.”

She shared hope for the graduating students as they end one chapter of their life to begin the next.

“Now you are standing at the precipice of your future, and your future is vast and limitless,” Anisis said.