By Mackenzie Dysinger 

This past week the Copper River Basin hummed with excitement as graduation rapidly approached. Looked upon with eager anticipation, graduation day for most students marks the start of a new beginning and holds the promise of an exciting adventure. Three schools from the Copper River School District: Upstream Learning, Kenny Lake and Glennallen High School all celebrated the joyous occasion with their students this week. These three separate graduations enabled each community to commemorate their students' achievement in a unique and individualized way. 

 This year Upstream Learning students chose to celebrate their graduation amongst the communities that helped raise them. On Tuesday, Keegen St. Amand crossed the stage with friends and family in attendance at the Glennallen Chapel. Josephine Beauchamp and Casey Boutté held their graduation on Friday at the Slana School. Each student was commended individually by keynote speakers, family and friends who also took time to encourage the graduates in their separate pursuits of life. Thanks was given by graduates and parents to those who helped create the atmospheres in which these students could thrive. Mark Proch, the teacher at Upstream Learning, reminded those in attendance that a community can be judged by the students it produces. The students, now graduates of Upstream Learning, are a testament to the phenomenal and supportive community that has surrounded each one of them. 

There was no doubting the sense of community and camaraderie in the Kenny Lake gymnasium on Wednesday night as students prepared to cross the stage. The senior class quote from J.R.R Tolkien stretched across the front of the gym, “I think I’m quite ready for another adventure,” while the theme music from Lord of The Rings played softly in the background. As memories were shared from students and speakers, it became quite evident that the group had already had a few adventures of their own. Before they could embark on their next one, the speaker Cheralea Purcell gave encouragement and advice to each individual student. There was a constant reminder given to both the students and the crowd that the little things in life truly do matter. The Kenny Lake class of 2021 boasted a variety of future career paths. Some students, such as the valedictorian Kelsie Friendshuh, plan to continue their education through a university setting, while others like Taylor Dolge, hope to pursue vocational or technical training. Alongside one wall of the gymnasium each graduate had a table to display their own experiences of high school. Above half the tables sat moose antlers, while nearly every table was covered with the students’ favorite books, medals and trophies along with photos of their favorite memories. As the students walked offstage, diplomas in hands, the air in the gymnasium was permeated with excitement and anticipation about the adventures yet to come.

Glennallen High School closed this year's graduation week with plenty of excitement of their own. Students arrived to their outdoor graduation in style after a short parade through town. The outdoor graduation, a seemingly newfound tradition started last year due to COVID-19 regulations, allowed the parking lot of the school to be packed. People watched  from lawn chairs near the entrance of the school and others chose to listen from their car radios. Valedictorian and salutatorian, Kael Gerlach and David Scott, both reminded their classmates that while it is important to be thankful for success, it is more important to be aware of personal failures and mistakes. Both students remarked on the opportunities failures can give when approached with the proper attitude. The commencement address given by Jared Dale, a teacher at Glennallen High School, rang true with similar sentiments. Encouraging each of the graduates individually, Dale also prompted the students to ask themselves Ben Franklin’s most noble question when looking at the world, “What good can I do in it?”.  As the perfect end to the Copper River School Districts’ graduation week, the Glennallen High School graduates joyfully threw their caps in the air before dispersing to celebrate with family and friends. 

Certainly graduation week is a time to recognize and commemorate the accomplishments of students as they close this chapter of their life; but it is also a time to acknowledge the influence and importance of community. Behind every graduate stands a body of friends, family and teachers who stayed up late studying for last minute quizzes, helped put together science projects and practiced math equations for weeks on end before final exams. Standing on the shoulders of those who helped raise them, each graduate owes their success largely to the community that helped make it possible. 

We celebrate the class of 2021 this week. We celebrate the hard work, dedication and grit that have enabled them to reach such an achievement, but we also celebrate the sacrifice and commitment of those who have helped this class thrive. Congratulations to the class of 2021 and congratulations to the Copper River Basin community that has helped make this graduation possible.

Catch up on what past area graduates are up to with:

Cantwell Kid Researching Airborne Disease