A class with 'undeniable grit'
Jun. 12—After a school year disrupted by a global pandemic, 164 Moscow High School graduates received their diplomas Friday evening, celebrating success in the face of uncertain and shifting school schedules and instructional methods, among other challenges.
Ahead of the ceremony, graduate Ashlin Havelin, who was born and raised in Moscow and plans to attend the University of Idaho in the fall, said the whole affair was "overwhelming, but in a good way."
"I'm super excited. I feel like I'll be very emotional just saying goodbye to people I've gone to school with for forever but — new beginnings, so that's really exciting," Havelin said.
Other graduates said while it was a relief to finish high school, they're grateful for the experience they received at MHS and for the dedication shown by their teachers, particularly in the last year.
In a joint speech, Lane Hanson, Laurel Hicke and Ava Jakich-Kunze, who were selected by their peers to speak for the class, reminisced and joked about elementary rivalries, and academic and athletic achievements of their class.
Even after the gut punch of pandemic-related shutdowns and restrictions to their senior year, Hanson said he's proud of his classmates' resolve in response to a historic global health crisis.
"Our class has an undeniable grit and determination — we're the class that doesn't make excuses, we just get it done," Hanson said during the ceremony at the Kibbie Dome. "We demonstrated this as seniors when we were devastated by the brief loss of our fall sports and activities. We came back and charged our way to state competitions among all athletic teams, we adjusted and thrived in a hybrid education system."
In their joint commencement address, Principal Erik Perryman and teacher Sam Hoogsteen echoed these words, lauding the graduates' perseverance, academic triumphs and community involvement.
Hoogsteen said he would remember these seniors most for how they overcame obstacles presented by the pandemic and were still able to host safe school events like homecoming, music concerts and drama productions, among others. He said he was particularly impressed with how students helped lead in supporting their community during the crisis — like when they redefined the school's annual "Senior Sneak" to spend about $9,000 supporting local businesses struck hard by the pandemic.
When his turn came to talk, Perryman said for him, the Class of 2021 can be defined by one word — "persistence." Perryman said the list of shifting rules and conditions endured by students this year, from masks and distancing to shifting the majority of classwork online, is a long one, but he said he was impressed and proud of how the year's graduating class rose to the challenge.
"Despite all those things, you are here. You did it. You adapted and you overcame. Sure, you got some help from your families, your friends and your teachers, but you — you guys did the work; you are the ones graduating," Perryman said. "I hope this serves you well as you go out into the world. You will come up against obstacles, you will have very difficult times, but you can say, 'I was the Class of 2021, I got this.' I am incredibly proud of each and every one of you."
Jackson can be reached at (208) 883-4636, or by email to sjackson@dnews.com.
