EVERETT – “Welcome to the rest of our lives.”

That’s what one of the valedictorians at Marysville Getchell High School said in concluding his speech Wednesday night during graduation of 377 seniors at Xfinity Arena.

“We’ll always be a Charger at heart,” William Cozart had said earlier.

Mallory Ford was selected by the students to speak. She talked about the graduates working to achieve their goals.

“That’s what MG taught us. MG is where dreams became reality,” she said.

Three senior class officers gave speeches on the various levels of education.

In grade school, “Recess was the best,” Jadyn Noriega said. “Elementary school taught us values, like right and wrong.”

In middle school, “We were taught to be yourself. Find out who we are,” Danielle Daguisan said, adding it set the foundation for high school.

Lester Flores talked about high school, which he said is a test of where you will end up in life. “Keep moving forward. What will be your next move?” he said.

Principal Shawn Stevenson told the graduates, “Your commitment to learning will serve you well on your next journey.”

Micah Adriano sang the National Anthem and also entertained the crowd with her rendition of “The Climb.” Elizabeth Price sang “Rivers and Roads” and the MG band performed both the processional and recessional. The program says the International School of Communications had 110 graduates, followed by BioMed Academy with 102, School for the Entrepreneur with 96, and the Academy of Construction and Engineering with 69.