The collective and sometimes unbridled energy of her fellow classmates may turn out to be what Hannah Snow remembers the most.
And with that spirit in mind, Snow, valedictorian of the Friday Harbor High School Class of 2010, bid her fellow graduates to keep that energy well-preserved, well-channeled and, above all else, well-nourished.
On Saturday, 78 young adults left an indelible mark on the collective mind of the community as they paced across the risers at Turnbull Gym, took hold of a hard-earned diploma, and then hustled off to begin a new chapter of life.
They’re an ambitious lot.
About 83 percent will be enrolled in a four-year college or junior college, or taking courses at a vocational school, come this fall. Thirty-two will will attend a school in Washington state, while 18 others are bound for an institution of higher learning located elsewhere in the nation. Three members of the Class of 2010 joined the military, two with the Navy and one with the Marines.
Whatever may lie ahead, class salutatorian Trevor Younquist encouraged his classmates to embrace the future with enough mental flexibility that they’ll find silver-linings in situations as absurd as being trapped in a deluge while camping somewhere as epic as, say … the Grand Canyon.
As it has in the past, Friday Harbor High School’s Commencement ceremony, the 98th in school history, drew a standing-room-only crowd of family, friends and well-wishers. The 2010 graduating class, as those before it have, also drew a strong show of community support. As a whole, the Class of 2010 received roughly $125,000 in collective scholarships and financial awards which an assortment of organizations, individuals, civic groups and memorial scholarship funds generously provided.
On Sunday, another seven young adults joined San Juan Island School District’s graduating class. More then 100 family members and friends crowded into the Middle School Commons as Griffin Bay Learning Center celebrated its seven graduates. The ceremony also featured a fond farewell for Kim Norton, who, after a 32-year career in education, the past six at the district’s alternative high school, will retire at the end of the school year.
