Sisters graduates head into the future

Great speeches, fond farewells, and a touching memorial highlighted the evening at Sisters High School's sixty-third commencement, held Friday, June 3 in the campus gymnasium.

Before 124 graduates crossed the stage, much had to be completed; and from the beginning, the voice and handprint of the class of 2011 was evident.

Principal Bob Macauley, who is leaving Sisters to become the principal at Glencoe High School in Hillsboro, spoke to the class about being the sort of people who will "stand in the gap" for the well-being of others, and reminded the class just one more time that "it is a great day to be an Outlaw."

He then handed over the microphone to class member Tia Berg, who spoke to the audience about the giving spirit of her class and explained the gift they left to the school.

"We wanted to leave our mark and help out during the hard economic time, so we painted the hallways in the school," she said. "We wanted to give back to the place that has given us so much."

Thus began a series of speeches with a similar theme of thanksgiving and gratitude.

Salutatorian Ben Fullhart reflected on the growth of class since their middle school years and expressed his thanks.

"I want to thank God, our families, our teachers and school staff, our incredible community and you, my fellow classmates for making this journey and, at the same time, just plain fun," he said.

Becca Pelham took the audience on a journey up the North Sister and out onto the lower Deschutes in her speech, expressing the value of experiential learning exemplified in programs like Interdisciplinary Environmental Expedition (IEE).

"This is Sisters High School at its best; students learning by getting outside, seeing things with their own eyes, and having hands-on experiences," she said. "We've ditched the classrooms, the bells, the highlighters and said 'so long' to the whiteboards and PowerPoints. We climb mountains and we raft rivers - we live our lesson plans."

A trip to the bathroom at an away soccer game as a freshman gave Jordan Rudinsky the perspective that he came to appreciate about Sisters High School for the rest of his high school days. The school he was visiting had no doors on the bathroom stalls, so he asked a member of the school why, discovering that the reason was vandalism and drug use in the bathroom.

"If I should consider myself fortunate just to have privacy in my own school bathroom, what else am I taking for granted?" he asked.

He went on to expound on the many positive aspects of the Sisters High School culture, including the extraordinary helpfulness of the staff.

Joey Schlatter, the final salutatorian, kept things short and sweet, using a mountain analogy to illustrate the journey through high school.

"So we will follow our passions into our next phase of life, and climb more mountains; let's remember that we do have the capabilities to achieve what others may believe to be impossible," he said.

Jordan Richerson started off the valedictory addresses with a quote on success by John Wooden, and then gave a scholarly rundown of the three critical factors of success based on Malcolm Gladwell's book "Outliers," which include hard work, opportunity, and support.

Kelsey May took things in a different direction in her speech, cleverly mixing some satire with some honesty about fearing an uncertain future.

"The world four years from now, when we graduate from college, will be incredibly different again," she said. "I'm scared of that...which I think is why we coat speeches in clichés, we make jokes, we preach, we struggle to say something inspiring, beautiful or funny."

Speeches wrapped up with Seth Flanders' heartfelt speech, including a thank you to his mother for advice about never compromising who you are to succeed.

"Mom, I will always carry that piece of advice through my whole life," he said.

Before exiting the stage, Flanders turned the tables on principal Macauley by leading an "Atta-way" cheer in Macauley's honor.

In a very touching moment in the ceremony, Blake Henderson presented gifts to the parents of Stephen Connolly - who passed away in 2009 following an ATV accident just after his sophomore year - to commemorate his membership in the class of 2011. Nancy and Kevin Connolly each received a class ring with Stephen's birthstone.

The traditional class video, featuring the contrast of baby pictures with senior portraits, left audience members feeling nostalgic, but within moments the time had come to pass out the well-earned diplomas.

In addition to sending off 124 graduates, the high school also said farewell to retirees, Jeff Barton, a teacher of 30 years in the Sisters School District, and Sally Benton, who has worked as a school nurse for the past 14 years.

Under the banner of its motto - "To achieve all that is impossible we must attempt the impossible; to be as much as we can we must dream of being more" - the class of 2011 tossed mortarboards, cheered loudly, and skipped out of the gym to the strains of the Outlaw Fight

Song.

It was another day that it was good to be an Outlaw.