SHS grads race toward a bright future

SANDPOINT — Life can be viewed as a game.

And, like games, there may be challenges and obstacles which have to be overcome, Sandpoint High School valedictorian Madeline Suppiger told her fellow graduates at Saturday’s commencement.

As a freshman, high school seemed to be a distance race, much like the 3200. Instead, it sped by with the speed and excitement of the 100-meter dash. The real world is much the same, she told them and encouraged them to cherish every moment.

“In the high jump, you keep raising the bar to reach a new personal record,” she said. “In life, this bar represents  the expectations and goals that must be overcome in order to succeed. So raise the bar, arch your back, leap headfirst over whatever expectations are set before you.”

Sports lessons carry over into real life, Suppiger told her fellow graduates.

“Just like there are multiple events in a track meet, there are multiple races beyond the finish line of high school,” she added. “So I challenge you to go out of the blocks, in whatever direction you are headed and run with your life ahead and a solid start behind you. You’re truly prepared for whatever challenges are thrown your way and just enjoy the game.”

In going through life, co-salutatorian Tim Redford told classmates that it might be helpful to recall the “bathroom door phenomenon.” The theory is best described as the discrepancy of time between the different sides of the bathroom door.

However, the phenomenon is just one example of how time can be more than just the ticking of the clock.

“Time is a currency,” Redford said. “We spend it and we save it. In fact, some people may go so far as to say that time is the only true currency because as we spend time with people, we show them we care, much more than if we’d spent money and, as we commence the rest of our lives, time might be the only currency that we do have.”

He encouraged his fellow graduates to celebrate time, all aspects of it, from Mondays that crawl like molasses to weekends that speed by.

“We celebrate it all because we’re done and there’s nothing better to do with it than to celebrate,” he added. “I think most of us will agree, done is good but today is also a celebration of time to come and we have our whole lives ahead of us.”

While she began her speech with a nod to Shakespeare’s Mark Antony, co-salutatorian Nicolette Jessen said Saturday’s graduation was a tribute to the class of 2013’s hard work and it was now time to close the book that marked high school and open up a new one.

Along the way, they have been touched by amazing friends, inspirational teachers and “people who are just downright awesome.” And, in the years of high school, Jessen said she learned a few things she wanted to pass on.

“I encourage everyone to pursue what makes you happy, be unique,” she added. “Nothing was ever accomplished by doing everything exactly the same way as everyone else. Search for things you are passionate about and don’t let that fear stop you. You’re only given one life, so you need to take control of it.”

Joking he found his speech on sparknotes, faculty-nominated student speaker Hunter Price told fellow graduates they’d all donned really weird hats and robes that may or may not have come straight out of Harry Potter. And, in the end, they’d made it.

His favorite author, John Green, once wrote “I go to see the great perhaps” and that is what each of them is doing, Hunter said.

“We don’t quite know what lies around the next bend, the choices you make from now on are ultimately yours,” he added. “They will shape your path, add twists and turns, throwing crossroads at you but I’m sure each and every one of us will chose the right direction so we might as well enjoy the ride.”

Class president Anna Andrazuk encouraged the graduates, their families and friend to stop a moment and take a mental picture and to treasure the moment.

“A second, the blink of the eye, the speed of light — 11 words describing the last four years of high school,” she said. “It may seem like a long time yet it’s as if we were freshmen yesterday.”

Eighteen years of memories, bonds and life all come together in one day — graduation.

She encouraged them to celebrate their newness and laugh at their errors, to not be afraid to ask for help, or look lost or confused. She told them to “be here now,” to not get so caught up in looking forward to the something new coming their way that they forget to enjoy what they are doing at that moment.

She told them to listen to their gut, that it was OK to make the wrong choice, that it was merely a decision gone wrong that they could learn from.

“And, last but not least, don’t be afraid to say the words, ‘I don’t know,’ “ Andrazuk said. “As the great Woody Aunun once said, ‘Quick, simple answers have little to do with reality and they’re not worthy of your interest. Your brain deserves and wants much more to do. Reward it with your best effort. When you don’t know, you don’t know. It leaves you open to the possibilities of learning more, seeing more and discovering a whole new world.”

In welcoming the graduates friends and family, principal Dr. Becky Meyer praised them for their hard work and for everything they had accomplished, from helping make Sandpoint High School a five-star school to earning nods as a silver medal school on a national level.

In closing, Meyer said because the class was so incredible, she had to hyphenate two words into one in order to meet her traditional one-word description of the class. This year, she said, the word is “respectfully-resourceful.”

“I won’t go into a lot of detail but let me just say that they’re very resourceful,” she added. “Every single one who was enrolled yesterday is graduating and walking today which is unheard of.”