The cloudy weather threatened Saturday morning but ultimately cooperated as the senior class of Watonga High School marked the completion of its years of grade school.
The commencement ceremony was held at Eagle Stadium before a crowd of family and friends.
The seniors made their way into the north bleachers during the processional. Watonga’s 2021 salutatorians and valedictorians all participated in the ceremony Saturday, with salutatorian Jaryn Lehman leading the crowed in a moment of reflection and prayer, and fellow salutatorian Kaylee Barnes leading the Pledge of Allegiance.
Valedictorian Tucker Estep offered a welcome address before Riley Coleman, Caitin Parker and Jocelyn Turney – the class’s three “valedictorians of distinction” – each gave remarks.
The addresses were given through prerecorded speeches played over the loudspeakers while the presenting student stood in the bleachers.
The students then individually received their diplomas and made their way to the track in front of the bleachers, where they finally turned their tassels and then threw their caps in the air to celebrate graduation.
It’s been a senior year that none of the students could have predicted when they began their high school careers. As many recounted in their speeches, the coronavirus pandemic reached America in spring 2020 and resulted in the “longest spring break ever,” with the rest of the 2020 spring semester effectively canceled.
The students spent a large portion of their senior year learning virtually. The situation finally grew more normal in spring 2021, but students still had to wear masks and quarantine after possible exposure to COVID-19.
Though students and families were distanced for Saturday’s ceremony, the largely maskless crowd and large attendance signaled a hope for greater normalcy moving forward as the pandemic eases across the country and vaccination rates rise.
In addition to the valedictorian and salutatorian speakers, the Watonga 2021 graduates included: Breanna Bay, Laci Beavers, Abby Boeckman, Brianna Brown, Kyle Brown, Dakota Butler, Lillie Carpenter, Junior Clay, Brendan Cole, Kiyla Cooper, Caton Cope, Caitlyn Cronister, Braeden Cuykendall, Karson Daugherty, Kerby Easter, Madison Greer, Deacon Grubbs, Tatum Hays, Kitzya Rodriguez, Carlie Johnson, Kannon Kearney, Brayden Laird, Janed Maldonado, Morgan Marriott, Luis Mata, Nicolas Mata, Montana Miller, Roberto Acosta, Audriana Morales-Perez, Brooklyn Osterhout, Corbin Parker, Aaron Perez, Dalton Reyburn, Joseph Rinehart, Annalise Ross, Stefan Walker, Cy Walters, Wyatt Wear, Marie Whitebird and Dominic Woldridge.