SHS grads set to make mark on the world
Graduation was a slam dunk for Sandpoint High School graduates on Friday as Spencer Smith, the school resource officer, attempts to block a shot by graduate T.J. Davis, while Robbie Johnson holds the basketball hoop during the SHS commencement ceremony at War Memorial Field. (Photo by MARY MALONE)
(Photo by MARY MALONE) Sandpoint High School graduate Calli Laybourne celebrates after receiving her diploma during the SHS commencement ceremony on Friday at War Memorial Field.
(Photo by MARY MALONE) Sandpoint High School graduates celebrated their success Friday during the commencement ceremony at War Memorial Field.
(Photo by MARY MALONE) Sandpoint High School graduates, from left, Abby Johnson, McCalee Cain and Emma Reed, locked arms and walked toward their future as they prepared to receive their diplomas Friday at War Memorial Field.
(Photo by MARY MALONE) Sandpoint High School graduate Ron Korn gives the thumbs up as he prepared to receive his diploma Friday night at War Memorial Field.
(Photo by MARY MALONE) A Sandpoint High School graduate waves at family and friends after receiving her diploma during the SHS commencement ceremony on Friday at War Memorial Field.
SANDPOINT — The Sandpoint High School class of 2018 is the “record-breaking class,” said SHS Principal Tom Albertson.
After all, the class took a record number of advanced placement tests, as well as broke a record for the number of high honors in one class with 50 students ending their high school career with a weighted GPA of 4.0 or higher. SHS athletes set records in the pool and on the track, Albertson said.
The students have been honored with national awards, prestigious scholarships, have enlisted to serve the country and given back to the community with “countless” community service hours, he said.
“Through trials and tribulations, talent and perseverance, the class of 2018 has achieved some very great feats,” Albertson said.
The class achieved so much, in fact, that four students were chosen to represent the graduates with co-valedictorian and co-salutatorian honors for Friday’s commencement ceremony.
As senior class president as well as co-salutatorian, Cienna Roget led the speeches with the A-Z of all the things she learned throughout her years in school. For A, she said, “AP classes are totally worth it.” She went through each letter of the alphabet, since that is one of the first things students learn in early education.
In the middle of the alphabet, she garnered some laughter as she told the teens to be nice to their parents, as they will miss having food “magically” appear in the fridge when they get to college. Along the same lines, for the letter J, “Joel’s runs are necessary for high school survival.”
“Thanks to my parents, all my friends, all my teachers — everyone who has made these four years so great,” Roget said after she finished the alphabet.
Co-salutatorian Abby Johnson said her senioritis reached an “all time high” when she finished her all of her homework and finals and realized she still had to write a speech. As summing up four years into a speech was intimidating, she said, she did what “any good teenager would do” — she Googled “How to write a graduation speech.”
While some of recommendations she found on Yahoo Answers didn’t pan out so well, but nevertheless gave her a good place to start. She spoke about the “immense gratitude” she has for the Sandpoint community before addressing her class directly.
“There are so many friends in this crowd tonight that I am going to miss,” Johnson said. “… I am going to miss losing my voice at Battle for the Paddle, because no way Lakeland is about to win. I am going to miss the cheesy jokes on the announcements every morning that start my day off with a chuckle … This class is full of an immense amount of passion for a variety of fields, and I am truly proud to stand with you all tonight … I know many of us are excited to move on to our next chapters in life, but tonight, for the last time, it’s a ‘go dog’ day.”
Catherine Brenner and Katherine Kaul shared the valedictorian honors for Friday’s ceremony, with Brenner leading the address.
Brenner said she conferred with an 11-year-old on what he would say in a graduation speech, and while he answered simply with the food he enjoys most — mac ‘n’ cheese — it is a reminder of some “important things.”
“Gratitude and curiosity,” she said. “Throughout our lives, we must fight so we never lose our childlike curiosity and genuine deep-seeded interest … I hope that we all dive into life and throw ourselves into life’s adventures, challenges and lessons … most importantly, I hope we never stop seeking answers to fulfill our curiosity and continue humanity’s age-long search for truth.”
Kaul began her address with a quote by Albert Einstein to, “Learn from yesterday, live for today, and hope for tomorrow.
She then spoke in detail about those three components of the past, present and future. She recognized parents, teachers and others who helped the graduates in the past to get where they are today. In the present, she implored her classmates to “take in this moment” of graduation as it would be one of their last moments together as a class.
Looking to the future, she gave her classmates four steps to follow — set goals, work hard, find joy and give back.
“As we depart on our new adventures, I wish you all the best of luck,” Kaul said. “Congratulations class of 2018.”
One by one, nearly 250 students then shook hands with school and district officials, receiving their diplomas as they set out on the next chapter of their lives.
“To the class of 2018, you have spent the last 13 years learning, preparing yourselves to be the leaders of tomorrow,” Albertson told the graduates. “You will face many challenges ahead of you, but you are prepared and you are ready.”
Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.