Class of 2008

PALMER — Jane Mastre and Beverly Harris don’t shy away from calling each other BFFs, or “best friends forever.” For them, high school helped nourish a life-lasting friendship that took them through the good times and bad.

Wearing candied necklaces and flowers around their necks, dressed in the standard blue and white robes, the two graduates stood outside Palmer High School’s gymnasium at Tuesday night’s graduation ceremony, laughing and prepping each other for the ceremony.

Although both will be going to the same college in the fall, life after high school is becoming a sudden reality.

“I’m probably going to have to work. Maybe I’ll try out for American Idol,” Mastre laughed.

The two Palmer teens said they’ve worked rigorously all year, not just on their grades, but at building lasting friendships with each other and their classmates.

“I became more social this year,” Mastre said. “Getting involved in extracurricular activities was important, too.”

“It seems people got a lot closer this year,” Harris added. “Palmer High is pretty tight-knit.”

As families poured into PHS’s gymnasium Tuesday night, exotic flowers were presented by students to the mothers. Inside the crowded gym, jazz music reverberated from the loud speakers, reminding those present that Palmer High isn’t your run-of-the-mill institution.

Shannon Sawyer, 18, said he has fond memories of past football seasons as a Palmer Moose player. It was a comeback year for him, his team, and for the fans who supported him.

“This place has a lot of school spirit,” Sawyer said, receiving pats on the back from a fellow student. “These guys brought it out in full force all year.”

Sawyer said he spent most of his senior year playing ball and planning for college, finally choosing the University of Dayton in Ohio to study pre-law.

“I’ve spent most of my life here,” he said. “Dayton is a big town. I’m sure I’ll be a little overwhelmed with all the buses and people.”

One hundred seventy-nine Palmer High seniors took their diplomas Tuesday night as they sang and read their final farewells to the music played by the Palmer High School band.

For some families of Tuesday’s graduates, memories of Palmer High run deep.

Tom DePriest, a 1982 PHS grad, glanced around the gymnasium floor for his son Thorton, a 2008 graduate.

“He’s my oldest,” DePriest said. “I’m glad he got the opportunities I got here. My dad graduated from Palmer High too. It’s a good school; not much has changed over the years.”

DePriest said some of the school traditions are still intact at PHS, like the class song.

“We’re a family of Moose pride,” he laughed.

Principal Wolfgang Winter said the Class of 2008 has left its mark in every department this year, especially in the arts.

“It’s fun to watch them grow up right before my eyes,” Winter said. “There is lots of talent that will be greatly missed. Musically, we’ve had one of the strongest groups this year. I get the opportunity to say with this class again that, ‘Gee, I knew them when ... ’”

For another year, PHS faculty chose not to pick a valedictorian to represent the graduating seniors, rather selecting student speakers who have excelled in sports, academia and achievements to make the final farewell speeches at the ceremony.

From the spot-lit podium Sawyer encouraged his friends and colleagues to look at all of their choices in life before making a decision. As a football player, he said, he knows about the upsets and wins. Sometimes, it’s best to learn from them and move on.

“Don’t judge life by one difficult season,” Sawyer said to the students below, busy knocking beach balls around.

Afterward, students slipped into their day wear, ready to take off with their friends to continue the evening of celebration. Parents looked on with pride, soaking in the moment.

Principal Winter said although PHS’s graduation is a ceremony honoring the students, it is really for the families who stood by in support through their education experience.

“Year in and year out, students are under the mistaken idea that this is about them,” he said. “The ceremony is for their parents and families. Two minutes after the ceremony they usually forget what happened. Parents don’t.”

Contact J.J. Harrier at valleylife@frontiersman.com, or 352-2269.