A ndalusia High School graduates were challenged to go forward and make a difference in the world, but to always remember and preserve the place and the traditions from which they came.

One hundred and four students lifted their hands to move their tassels in commencement exercises Friday night..

Valedictorian Alex Evans challenged his classmates to “open yourself up to the possibility of awakening your minds.”

“Minds are limitless,” Evans said. “But our possibilities are limitless, also.”

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Evans told his classmates each can make a difference in someone else’s life, small or large.

“Someone made a difference in my life by becoming an organ donor,” he said. “ Not only is my mom with us today, but I am alive because of an organ donor.”

Evans said he didn’t know much about organ donation as a youngster, but once he learned about it, his perspective changed.

“I am an organ donor,” he said.

“Thoughts are just things,” he said. “If we all change our minds, we can change our lives. Whether it is a small thing such as a bad habit, or a global problem, you can change your mind and open yourself up to new possibilities.”

The Class of 2013 is a class of achievers, he said.

“Open yourself up to all you can be.”

Salutatorian Candace Cravey reminded classmates that as they left the driveway, they would choose to turn left, right, or go straight ahead.

“Before we go through the stop sign, we can look in the rearview mirror and see Andalusia High School,” she said.

“Our alma mater will always be in the rearview mirror, reminding us who we are and where we came from,” she said.

Superintendent Ted Watson reminded students to “Never take your education that you have received from the hallowed halls of AHS for granted.”

“Our future, our tradition, our ways of life are just one generation from being lost,” he said. “You need to preserve them by speaking of us often.

“Then come back and visit us and tell us the tales of the four corners of the earth,” he said

AHS principal Dr. Daniel Shakespeare told graduates to “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams, and live the life you have always imagined.

“We pray this night will be the start of lives that are productive and satisfying,” he said. “Always use knowledge you have gained for betterment of lives.”

Class president Anna Beth Bowden announced that the class was presenting the school a portrait of the Old Main, to be hung in a location of the administration’s choosing.