Thoughts and more on graduation day

Graduation is one of my favorite events of the year. It pulls at my heartstrings. I enjoy the student speeches, the parent appreciation (NRHEG graduates leave the stage and present a flower to their parents during the ceremony), and the video montage. Graduation Sunday goes quickly for those of us in the audience, and even faster for the graduates (at least for me when I graduated). As someone with a job to do while I am there, it still goes lightning fast for me. I arrived at about 1:15 p.m. Sunday afternoon for the 2 p.m. start. 

 

I found a spot to reserve for myself in the front row. (Really two spots.) This year the Stork family had part of the front row taken and Dan, the district activities director, arranged for me to sit next to him. I have known Dan since kindergarten/preschool. He was my gym teacher and athletic director at NRHEG my entire life. It brings me joy whenever I see him. During my academic years, I would stop and visit him in his office every so often during study hall. Despite his being very busy, he never, ever asked me to leave his office. Instead he would entertain my many questions about his life and job. (I think most of my teachers experienced the many questions I would ask.) From time to time, he put me to work helping with various tasks: stocking concessions for basketball games, folding programs, etc. I am grateful for the excellent relations I had with teachers at NRHEG. I imagine at a larger school, it would not be tolerated for a student to stop and visit the athletic director for no good reason during a study hall. Dan also had a small basketball hoop in his office that I would shoot at until one day it broke and was repaired in a way (tape) that it was “just for looks.” 

 

Thank you Dan, for the kind memories. 

 

So there I was, two seats reserved. One in the front row and another on the end, so that I could photograph the graduates as they processed in. 

 

With my seats claimed, I headed to another former teacher’s room, Ms. Hatton, to find the graduates and take their photos. I went with the soon-to-be graduates to the commons area where I photographed a wide assortment of groups, including the entire class, honor students, military bound, and valedictorian and salutatorian. Oh, and boy scout. I asked if there were any other photos that should be taken and Wyatt Larson asked if I could take that one. “Of course,” was my answer. 

 

This year’s valedictorian and salutatorian were Chloe Stork and Wyatt Larson. Stork is Dan and Stacy’s youngest daughter. Wyatt is the son of Shawn and Jody. Shawn was my sixth grade teacher and in some parts, my baseball coach from about seventh grade through my senior year. He is one of my favorite teachers and coaches of all time--at least partly because his class taught us cribbage, poker, and fantasy football. I have many fond memories from that year. The “trash can battle” Larson had with Aaron Seath; the glitter stain I caused on his floor during Christmas festivities; defeating Larson in chess (My record against him was 4-3-2. I believe I was the first student who had defeated him.); and how could I forget Larson scolding me for reading fiction books during his math class. One final thanks for Larson: he encouraged reading and gave me many books to read that year. I am an avid reader to this day. It was really cool to see Chloe and Wyatt earn these prestigious awards, and to see the happy, proud faces of their parents. 

 

After I had taken the photos I needed in the commons, I returned to the gym. There, I chatted briefly with Principal Grant Berg and Superintendent Michael Meihak. I mentioned to Berg that, if he had a speech, I would like to have the text of it so I could use some quotes in my article. 

 

“Eli, you should know by now,” Berg said. “It’s about the kids. I don’t have a speech.

 

“All I have to say today is, 'It’s about the kids.' ” 

 

After I sat down in my seat, I chatted with Dan as he gave me updates on all his offspring. I enjoyed hearing the updates. As I sat there, I hoped I wasn’t detracting his attention from the day, the moment, his last daughter's graduation. Oh, and I got to meet his grandson, Anna and Matt Jensen’s first child. I played baseball with Matt for a few years. Watching him play baseball, I thought home runs were more common in high school sports in our area than they really are. He was an excellent player and even better teammate. 

 

These thoughts and many others went through my mind as graduation started. 

 

I snapped many photos during the ceremony and worried about the graduates I didn't have as many photos of as others. The speeches were good. We print them in the paper because I, as a former graduate, would love to go back and read the speeches from my graduation 10 years ago. Looking back, that day went by very quickly. The same can be said of Sunday, as before I knew it the graduates were walking outside as they closed this chapter of their lives. 

 

I truly intended to write about the best baseball game of my life, which I witnessed Saturday when the Panthers held on to win 5-4 over Adams. But I may have to save it for next week. 

Thank you to everyone who helped in the lives of the graduates from the class of 2026. Sometimes it might be hard to remember how much impact you may have on the life of a young person. I hope my many memories serve as a reminder of how powerful and lasting those small acts of kindness become. 

 

"Behind my graduation cap lies an invaluable team of supporters. To my team, thank you for making this possible." - unknown.