MOOSEHEART, IL, June 6 -- It was a moment many in Mooseheart’s graduating high school Class of 2011 had been anticipating for a long time - the chance to walk across the stage in the school’s Fieldhouse and receive a high school diploma.

Three of this year’s graduating class - Cayana Samuelson, Levi Chavez and Dawn Thomas - had been at Mooseheart for more than 13 years, a shared life of school and home life that stretched back to toddlerhood.

But that trio and the entire 26-member class was now ready to walk proudly across the stage on Saturday, June 4 and to not only move beyond Mooseheart's classrooms--but also, in most cases, to leave their home.

So when Class Valedictorian Aaron Palmer, who lived at Mooseheart just under five years before Commencement Day, stepped to the lectern just before the graduates were officially graduated, he wanted to try to recap as much as he could.

“We’ve welcomed new members to our class and he (Levi Chavez) was there to greet each one of us, and we’ve said ‘good-bye’ to others along the path,” Palmer said. “We’ve had good times together and walked through tough times together and learned many life lessons along the way together.”

Palmer reminded the audience of roughly 2,500, made of families, friends and Moose members from all over the U.S. and Canada, that life before Mooseheart was often not idyllic for the Class of 2011.

“We were fortunate enough to come here, to grow here and to thrive here,” Palmer said. “We learned the skills to meet any challenge.”

As college, work life or military service beckon for Mooseheart’s graduates, Palmer offered some words of direction.

“Together, we have made Mooseheart a better place,” Palmer said. “Now the challenge is to make the world a better place.”

Those same sentiments were offered by Mooseheart Executive Director Scott Hart, who welcomed the audience and discussed the twin phrases that adorn the planters at the entrance to the campus with the graduates. One says “Enter to Learn”--and Hart said the Class of 2011 had that one pretty well figured out.

But then he discussed the other inscription: “Leave to Serve”--and just what those words mean, not only to the graduates but to the audience as well.

“The times in my life when my focus is on myself and my needs, those are the times when I am my most miserable and I do my worst job,” Hart said. “But when my focus is on my fellow man, my brother and sister, that’s when life is worth living. When you leave this stage and go onto that life of independence that you’ve been waiting for, that time will come for you to serve other people.”

Hart’s second point was to have faith.

“When I think about faith, I think about the men and women of the Moose who have never been to Mooseheart,” Hart said. “They have faith that the funds that they send are going to something that has a tremendous purpose--and that’s the care of our children here at Mooseheart and our seniors at Moosehaven.”

Hart added that the families of the graduates also had faith in Mooseheart to bring them to graduation day. And he said that the 26 graduates should leave Mooseheart with a feeling of faith as well.

“Have faith in God above who loves you, have faith in your fellow man and your brother,” Hart said. Surround yourself with quality people and do one good thing every day for someone.”

Samuelson was at Mooseheart 13 days beyond her 14th anniversary of admission, and so held the honor of most time-in-residence prior to graduation by a mere eight days over Levi Chavez. Samuelson was also the class Salutatorian, and so she delivered what started as a tongue-in-cheek welcoming address.

“Growing up here at Mooseheart these last 14 years has had its ups and downs,” Samuelson said. “But every life, wherever you live, has its ups and downs. At Mooseheart, you always have someone to talk to, even if it’s after lights-out. At Mooseheart, you always have something to eat, even if you sneak it up to your room. But here at Mooseheart, you always have someone who cares about you, even if you don’t realize it until you actually walk across that (graduation) stage.”

William B. Airey, Director General of Moose International, reminded the graduates what an accomplishment it was for them to receive their high school diplomas, and the warm feelings the students’ families carried with them as they crossed the stage to receive not only those diplomas but their vocational certificates as well.

“Perhaps there was doubt as to whether or not it would ever take place,” Airey said. “It is a time when both school and Family Teachers take pride in this accomplishment, because they were witness to the effort put forth. It is also the time when over 1 million men and women of the Moose pause to recognize that 1. They are proud to recognize their kids and 2. That they made it all possible.”

A moment eagerly anticipated came when Supreme Governor G.W. McCulllough III stepped forward to address the graduates. Known for his enthusiastic and fiery speeches that can go beyond approved time deadlines, McCullough, an ordained Protestant minister, stepped to the lectern and pledged that he would stay on-task and on-time.

And yet, when McCullough began to describe how he earned a penalty when serving as guest coach last fall for the Ramblers football team, Hart blew a whistle, threw a penalty flag and Superintendent of Education Gary Urwiler, who is also the school’s football coach, stepped forward with a sign that carried McCullough’s signature “Amen” on it.

“Improper speech etiquette,” Hart said. “That’s a 15-minute time penalty. Your time has expired. Please sit down.”

McCullough, however, finished his brief address, and reminded the graduates of the support they have had from members of the fraternity throughout their educational careers.

“Like those here today, they have believe in you, prayed for you and supported all the endeavors and accomplishments of the Child City of Mooseheart,” McCullough said.

Mooseheart High School 2011 Commencement Class,
and sponsoring Moose Lodge

Deng Aguoc, Mooseheart, IL Lodge 2655
Colton Bullock, Lake Worth, FL Lodge 994
Amber Chandler, Greenfield, MA Lodge 997
Levi Chavez, Frankfort, IN Lodge 7
Maria Dillon, Berwyn, IL Lodge 424
Brendan Douglas, Brandon, FL Lodge 1880
Akeem Edmonds, Chicago Southwest, Lodge 44
Patricia Estes, Bellwood, IL Lodge 777
Henrietta Princess Gbane, Iowa City, IA 1096
Jordan Holler, Longmont, CO Lodge 1548
Laurence Lech, Freeport, IL Lodge 162
Ashley Molina, Berwyn, IL Lodge 424
Armauni Nash, Mooseheart, IL Lodge 2655
Jernon Owens, Jr., Berwyn, IL Lodge 424
Aaron Palmer, Princeton, IL Lodge 1339
Airet Paramo, Bellwood, IL 777
Lashionette Reed, Bellwood, IL Lodge 777
Cayana Samuelson, Batavia, IL Lodge 682
Santanna Sanchez, Green Bay, WI Lodge 801
Afolain Sanni, Elgin, IL Lodge 799
Jasmyn Singleton, St. Charles, MO Lodge 1513
Katie Stryker, Daytona Beach, FL Lodge 1263
Norma Tejeda, Berwyn, IL Lodge 424
Dawn Thomas, Woodstock, ON Canada Lodge 1141
Linda Whitton, Michigan City, IN Lodge 980
Sidney Whorton, Paris, TN Lodge 1915

Since its founding, Mooseheart has operated a complete, accredited kindergarten-through-high-school academic program, plus art, music, vocational training and interscholastic sports. It is an extremely nurturing and student-tailored program, with an average student-teacher ratio of 12-1.

Mooseheart students who complete their studies with a 3.0 GPA or better (4.0=A) are eligible for up to five years of annually renewable scholarship funding, covering tuition, room and board in an amount comparable to that required for an in-state student at an Illinois public university.

Mooseheart is currently home to roughly 230 students, ranging in age from preschoolers to high school seniors. Applications for admission to Mooseheart are considered from any family whose children are, for whatever reason, lacking a stable home environment. Mooseheart boasts its own U.S. Post Office and a fully functioning branch of Fifth Third Bank.

In addition to Mooseheart, Moose International also supports Moosehaven, a 70-acre retirement community near Jacksonville, FL founded in 1922; and conducts more than $70 million worth of community service programs annually.

MOOSEHEART, IL, Jan. 7 -- Anguished faces and nervous smiles combined with the inevitable sound of cracking balsawood -- these were the images Friday afternoon at the 25th annual Mooseheart Bridge Breaking competition.

Those sights and sounds have been a part of the contest since Mooseheart Physics teacher Curt Schlinkman began the competition a quarter-century ago. Every year during the first week after Christmas Break, the school’s Physics students gather to see which bridge holds the most weight before breaking.

This year, that bridge belonged to senior Cayana Samuelson, whose construction withstood 15.2 pounds placed in a bucket suspended from a block-and-tackle attached to the balsa-and-glue construction -- before it, like all the other bridges, broke.

“I never thought I could build a bridge, so I’m pretty proud of that,” Samuelson said. “I was really nervous, sweating and shaking, with everyone’s eyes on me.”

Samuelson said she spent a couple of days actually constructing the bridge, then had to allow the glue to dry. Every year, glue has been a variable - and this year, Schlinkman allowed students to use whatever glue they wanted to hold together the lighter balsawood. When she got her bridge completed, Samuelson said she wasn’t sure how effective it would be.

“I thought the legs were really wobbly and uneven,” Samuelson said. “I thought it would hold more than the bucket. But I didn’t think it would hold as much as it did. I thought maybe it would hold 6 pounds.”

The bridge-breaking comes as part of an overall unit on how bridges are constructed and what principles of physics are involved. Samuelson said she learned plenty through the classroom as well as in building her bridge.

“There is engineering and hypothesizing involved in trying to determine how much a bridge is going to hold,” Mooseheart Superintendent of Education said. “There are a multitude of things that are involved. So it’s great to see what the kids are learning. Sometimes you can’t judge a bridge by what it looks like. There’s a lot that goes into the construction of them.”

In the past, Mooseheart’s bridges were constructed from basswood. This year, the switch to balsa wood left everyone wondering how much weight each bridge might hold.

“It was really flimsy,” Samuelson said. “You could push it together just with your fingers.”

The bridge-breaking contest is an event that attracts most of the high school population. This year, eight bridges took center stage, with classmates cheering and laughing as the bridges creaked and eventually broke.

“The tradition of this is probably the neatest thing,” Urwiler said. “Obviously the learning is the most beneficial thing. But when you have a room full of your fellow students and younger students (watching), it's great. You never know what might be going through their heads. But to them, these students might be their mentors or their idols or someone they might want to be like. To see them academically putting forward their creativity and initiative can be inspirational.”

Schlinkman keeps records of the top-performing bridges through the years, though different woods and different glues make comparisons difficult. Still, Adrianna Tezanos-Pinto’s 2007 bridge, which held 71 pounds (adhered with CrazyGlue), is the all-time champion. Lathe Helms’ 1999 bridge held 49 pounds before breaking.

The designs are the students’ own. This year, Akeem Edmonds’ bridge held 12.3 pounds and finished second. Katie Stryker’s entry held 9.4 pounds and placed third.

“I enjoy seeing the creativity, the different kind of styles they come up with,” Schlinkman said. “At times, they have to make some last-minute adjustments because it doesn’t quite meet the specifications, but they all work hard at this.”

And the contest, for all its public excitement, is another teaching moment for Schlinkman and his students.

“A couple of the students said ‘if I built another bridge, I’d do this differently or I’d do that,’” Schlinkman said. “From building it and watching it, they’ve learned a lot about bridge design.”

Founded in 1913, Mooseheart is supported completely through private donations - the great majority of which come from the 1.1 million men and women of the Moose fraternal organization, in more than 1,700 Lodges and 1,600 Chapters located throughout the U.S., Canada, Great Britain and Bermuda. Moose International headquarters is located on the Mooseheart campus.

Since its founding, Mooseheart has operated a complete, accredited kindergarten-through-high-school academic program, plus art, music, vocational training and interscholastic sports. It is an extremely nurturing and student-tailored program, with an average student-teacher ratio of 12-1.

Mooseheart students who complete their studies with a 3.0 GPA or better (4.0=A) are eligible for up to five years of annually renewable scholarship funding, covering tuition, room and board in an amount comparable to that required for an in-state student at an Illinois public university.

Mooseheart is currently home to roughly 230 students, ranging in age from preschoolers to high school seniors. Applications for admission to Mooseheart are considered from any family whose children are, for whatever reason, lacking a stable home environment. Mooseheart boasts its own U.S. Post Office and a fully functioning branch of Fifth Third Bank.

In addition to Mooseheart, Moose International also supports Moosehaven, a 70-acre retirement community near Jacksonville, FL founded in 1922; and conducts more than $70 million worth of community service programs annually.

Loyal Order of Moose for men, founded in 1888 in Louisville, Kentucky; re-organized in 1906 under the leadership of future U.S. Sen. James J. Davis.

Women of the Moose, founded in 1913 as an auxiliary organization, now considered an integral unit of the Order.

Nonsectarian and nonpolitical

Roughly 2,000 lodges in the United States, Canada, Bermuda and Great Britain, and total membership of nearly 1 million.

Women of the Moose membership exceeds 500,000 in more than 1,600 chapters.

International headquarters at Mooseheart, Illinois, USA.