LPOHS fetes graduating class

SANDPOINT — The standing-room-only crowd at the Sandpoint Events Center was buzzing as the seniors lined up in the hallway in their purple and black caps and gowns. 

The sound dampered down as the first smiling student entered the auditorium, paused at the end of the aisle, and then proceeded past friends, family and teachers to take her seat on stage. Thus commenced the ceremony for the largest graduating class Lake Pend Oreille Alternative High School has ever known.

Principal Jeff Penrose addressed the class of 2016 once all 35 seniors were seated.

“We can probably let you in on a little secret. Here it is — you maybe, may not use everything you learned in high school," he said, and a quiet chord of laughter resonated throughout the crowd.

"The point was to learn how to learn for the rest of your lives, to keep your word to your friends and your loved ones," the principal said. "You have all, as a group, overcome naysayers ... to make it here tonight. You should be as proud of yourselves as all of us are proud of you."

Before feting the seniors, Penrose acknowledged the three graduates who were not at the ceremony: Lacey Twitchell, Madison Hawks, and Mitchell Wallace. He also called up four staff members who were leaving the high school this year — Lisa Barth, Nichole Thiel, Steve Miller and Tom Bass — thanking them for their work and presenting them each with a bouquet of roses.

The first speaker of the evening was senior Quentin Standish, an LPOHS student since seventh grade.

"I am proud to have all my friends up here with me. We have been through a lot ... there won't be a time when I don't think back to these days, grateful for everything our teachers have given us ... Everyone at this school is amazing from our teachers to our students," Standish said.

Penrose introduced the second student speaker, Cody Higgins, as "everything we could hope of a person carrying the LPO flag into the adult world."

Higgins said that, although he had at LPO for awhile before it became clear to him, "I realized we're more than just a school, we're a family. Granted, we're a disfunctional one ... but we come together and help each other. That's what families do."

Next on the agenda were the staff tributes, a feature that makes this school's graduation unique. Each teacher celebrated up to three students with stories and praise. The teachers also presented small, personalized gifts to the students they spoke about. Often, these gifts pertained to the student's future plans. For example, one teacher gave a student headed to an electrician apprenticeship a tool belt while another gave a pair of mud boots, autographed by all the teachers, to a student who would be moving to North Dakota.

Many of the teachers' comments to the seniors provided a window into the caring relationships they form over the years.

"Ryan is my light," said school counselor Sara Gosling of student Ryan Weber. "I like having him around. He makes me happy."

"They're two of the most generous and kind-hearted students I have every had," said math instructor Sue Lyman of seniors Cat Lafayette and Bailey Nabors. "Each of you inspires me on a daily basis," she told them.

Luke Childers, graduation coach at LPOHS, told student Makayla Inman, "You are my sunshine. Every morning in our advisory, you come in, you play music and you say nice things to everyone."

Lake Pend Oreille School Board trustees Joan Fish and Barbara Oler were on hand to help Penrose pass out diplomas. The graduates filed out of the auditorium to a song by The Who and the flash of parents' cameras.

One teacher's comment about one student that night could apply equally to all of them. Each had struggled against significant odds to earn a diploma. 

"She's (he's) like the little engine that could."

Lake Pend Oreille High School class of 2016:

Brent Barnes, Devin Beauchene, Danae Christy, Daniel Clark, Ash Conwell, Justin Coop, Erika Cox, Aunna Emerald, Shawna Emerald, Jade Gors, Britney Hanson, Aaron Harvey, Madison Hawks, Sterling Healy, Cody Higgins, Mikayla Inman, Emily Kettner, Josh Kirby, Catherine Lafayette, Macee LaPlante, Baily Nabors, Baylie Nitz, Jacob Porter, Nathan Porter, Kelsey Riggs, Catalina Rivera, Lonnie Scheffelmaier, Dalania Smith-Daniels, Quentin Standish, Sierra Sundgren, Spencer Sutter, Amanda Thoreson, Lacey Twitchell, Eric Ulbredtch, Damian Ves, Mitchell Wallace, Ryan Weber, Ashley Young.