Saturday morning, 424 Newtown High School seniors will cross the stage at WestConn's Westside Campus O'Neill Center to receive their high school diplomas, taking their final steps as students of this school system and stepping off the stage as young people of the world.

Some will be looking toward a college career, some will be headed to military lives and others will take a different path to discovering where they want to be in this world. All of them will be leaving the high school with the gift of knowledge imparted by a dedicated staff of teachers and administrators.

They will also carry with them the gift of community support. Whether families with children currently or formerly in the school system, or residents who have shown their support through attendance at sports, music and drama events - or even supporting an education-heavy budget - every graduate should know that their success is not only a personal success, but a hometown success, as well.

Long before resiliency became a catch word in Newtown, for reasons we would not wish on any other town, it was a lesson taught throughout our schools and community. With every word of encouragement, with every model of how to handle disappointments, and with every person who urged a child to stretch beyond his or her perceived capabilities, a body of young people who embraced challenge and bounced back from difficulties was created.

Giving young people an awareness of the world around them helps them to accept differences, many of which they will encounter in the world at large. Showing them that there is no gain by doing nothing, and no thing that will not give them gain when attempted, results in people who are excited by the challenges they confront.

Just as the 13 years of schooling has had ups and downs for each of them, there will be ups and downs in the years that stretch far beyond the halls of the Newtown schools. They will be strong enough to overcome obstacles, knowing that mistakes can be corrected and that opportunities are there for the taking.

Wherever the future takes them, these young people can be assured that the pride each resident has for them on their graduation day is one that will be a part of this town forever.

As these 2016 Newtown High School graduates stride across the stage on June 11, they should know that they are well prepared for the exciting, horrible, thrilling, terrifying and wonderful wide world.

We wish them the very best.