by Hali Blanchard
What do you say to the peers that you’ve grown up with, knowing that you won’t see most of them ever again? Some of you might be thinking “I really hope I never see any of these people again.” Others are sleeping right now waiting for their name to be called. Some of us are gonna miss this place and try to keep in contact. And unfortunately some will disappear and never contact anyone here again; leaving without a word. But for now, we are all gathered together as a class for the last time.
After today, we will no longer introduce each other saying “she goes to my school” or “he’s in my English class” but instead we will say “we went to high school together.” I hope that when those moments of introduction come that instead of thinking of the bad memories we think of the good. I hope that we all let bygones be bygones and think fondly of each other from this moment on. When we see each other’s successes on instagram I hope that we smile and leave a comment congratulating them. And when we see our peer’s hard times and trials, we put a prayer in our hearts for them.
We were blessed to grow up and live in a small town whose whole world revolves around its high school. When we stepped out onto the field, the court, the mat, the arena, the course, or the track our hometown was there to support us and make sure the refs played fair. Look at how many people are here in this gym to support us! Not only in here either but also in the auditorium and around the country watching through Alex’s broadcast. We are blessed to go to a small school where it doesn’t take over an hour for every senior to walk across the stage and receive their diploma. The people on this stage behind me know who you are and love you. You’re not just a name in alphabetical order but a student that they’ve watched grow up. We have a principal who knows us all by name and laughs with us. We have teachers that listen and notice when something is bothering us.
For those of us who moved from a big school, we can feel the difference here. Every small school has a special feel, but especially WHS. There is immense pride in being a Wolverine. Not only is there pride in being a current Wolverine but also being an alumni Wolverine like we are all about to become. This fall many of
us will take on different mascots, some will stay a Wolverine but with different colors. Others will become Broncos, Cougars, Devils, Vandals, and many more. Luckily under each new mascot will lie the foundation of a Wolverine.
Since day one of our Weiser Education we’ve all been taught the Wolverine Way. The Wolverine Way outlines how a Weiser Wolverine should present himself or herself and how we should treat others. It used to be annoying always hearing the phrase from teachers and staff, but looking back now I appreciate the reminders to represent my school well.
Each time we have graduated to a new school building we’ve been excited about the unknown and thrilled to be big kids. This time we are graduating out of this building to different buildings across the map. This time we aren’t leaving to become big kids but adults. On Wednesday we paraded through the halls of all these past school buildings and high-fived all the kids, and like Dickerson said we were their heros. Just like we looked up to past graduates they looked up to us. As we walked through the halls that have watched us grow up, I found myself wishing that they could talk. I wished they could show me their memories of our childhoods and awkward teen years. I wish that tonight at our senior party we could watch those memories like reality TV together. But all we have is our own memories.
Memories like scream singing at our elementary Christmas concerts every year, playing tetherball at park school, when a lot of us started dating in middle school but it wasn’t actually cool to talk to your boyfriend or girlfriend. Memories of Mr. Alder teasing us and letting us get away with some CRAZY stuff. Other teachers telling us “that won’t fly in high school!” Well guess what? It totally did! As long as you were in Shrolec’s class that is. Memories of winning Mrs. Gonzales’s Apple pie. Competing at state in our sports, and the super cool send off that we got too. We made a lot of memories together this year, a lot of lasts. Our last Homecoming, last Tip-Off, last Girls League, last Prom, last test, last day, and now last time together.
Before my senior year a friend that has already graduated told me that during senior year the whole grade suddenly realizes that we actually like each other and we all start hanging out having fun altogether instead of in our cliques. I waved it
off thinking we already interacted pretty well, but I was wrong. This past year I have become friends with people I honestly thought weren’t even my grade. When we all got together for different senior events, no one could wipe the smiles off our faces. We all partied together as a class instead of individual friend groups!
Throughout the past four years we have met and come to love all of the staff here at WHS. I already mentioned Mrs. Gonzales and Mr. Shrolec, but we also came to care for Mrs. Rux and her Christlike kindness, Bowe for making any class thrilling, Mr. Parsons for giving us balloons on our birthdays, Miss Wooton for letting us dissect cool stuff and for laughing with us, Profe Arvin for trying to teach us Spanish, and every other staff member who has helped us along the way. To every member of the Weiser School District Staff I thank you on behalf of my class. I know we were a bit rowdy at times, so thank you for never giving up on us.
Over the last 13 years of school, some kids have moved into town and joined us as classmates, while others have moved away. Sadly, one classmate who should be with us today is not. Grace Goodwin passed away unexpectedly in December of our Sophomore year due to pneumonia. Grace was a good friend to many. It’s hard to graduate knowing that someone else should also be preparing to embark on this new adventure. I offer my deepest condolences to all her family and friends.
To my fellow graduates, thank you for choosing me to speak at our graduation. It has been an honor. Thank you for all of the good times that I will hold close to my heart for the rest of my life. I wish you all the best in your adult lives and may God bless you in all your endeavors. Today is a great day to be a Wolverine!
