Crystal Lake South Graduates 'Class of 2013'

The weather was chilly and the sky was covered by an ominous layer of clouds.

And few sprinkles fell here and there.

Despite all that, the bleachers on Saturday morning at Ken Bruhn Field at Crystal Lake South High School, 1200 S. McHenry Ave., were packed with spectators honoring the Gators Class of 2013.

The crowd was so big, in fact, many attendees were forced to stand in front of the viewing stands.

Crystal Lake South staff members led the 457 graduating students onto the field and eventually formed two lines for the seniors to walk through. The teachers clapped as the graduates passed before them - boys dressed in green and girls wearing yellow.

It was a sentimental ceremony for many: Principal Marsha Potthoff, who is moving into a district administration role next year after 10 years as South's leader, was honored by the students, staff and Board of Education.

Salutatorian Andrew Koltun, whose father died this past year, shared a message of gratitude and perseverance with this classmates.

Valedictorian Irene Feng - following in the footsteps of her older sister, Carol, (valedictorian for South's Class of 2012), encouraged her fellow students to draw on their memories at South to move forward with their dreams in the future.