The Wrangell High School class of 2022 waits to receive their diplomas at the graduation ceremony last Friday.
Graduates Rowen Wiederspohn, left, and James Shilts share smiles as they hold up their diplomas before exiting the stage.
Liana Carney and Emma Martinsen walk from the stage during graduation as they are showered with confetti.
Josh Gadd waits to receive his diploma at the May 20 graduation Ceremony at Wrangell High School.
James Shilts receives a hug after giving a flower as a sign of appreciation.
Valedictorian Liana Carney delivers her speech.
A family member takes a photo of the graduating seniors.
From left: Jimmy Baggen, Ryan Rooney and Tyson Messmer walk through the audience to get to the stage.
By 8 p.m. last Friday, the Wrangell High School class of 2022 had graduated and each member was embarking on the next chapter of their life.
The evening honored the 15 graduates in front of a full auditorium of friends, family and educators with heartfelt speeches and videos showing how far they've come.
"This is the first open and normal graduation we've had in ... (three) years," said Kendra Meissner in her salutatorian speech. "(Instead) of watching us take the next steps into our future over a screen, you all can be here watching in person."
Meissner touched on many points in a short speech, one of which was the uniqueness of graduating with the same people she's known since before starting school, something not too often found outside of small-town life. Though she'll miss her town and classmates in the next part of life, "one thing I won't miss is the parking at this high school."
Earlier in the day, the class gathered at Evergreen Elementary in their cap and gowns to walk through the halls. At the end of the walk, the seniors answered questions asked by the fifth grade class. Seniors talked about the classes they had to take if they were going to college or what their grades had to be if they played sports. They stressed the importance of getting homework done and being organized, but they also stressed having fun and being respectful.
"The last four years have not been easy, but here we are, ready to graduate," valedictorian Liana Carney said in her speech. "Over the years, we worked hard to get to this point, but we didn't get here by ourselves."
Carney thanked all the parents, teachers, coaches and advisers for keeping them on track and steering the seniors toward graduation.
"Thank you for making school mean more than just work to us," she said.
A video showing pictures of the graduates as children played at the graduation, followed by a video of well wishes from those who raised each student and saw them through their school years. In turn, the seniors took flowers into the audience to give to their loved ones as a sign of appreciation.
Seniors then walked across the stage to accept their diplomas one by one, exiting the other side as a high school graduate.
"Don't waste a bit (of time) living somebody else's life, make your life count for something," Carney said. "Follow your passions."
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