Houston High School Hawks take flight

The next generation of leaders took flight this week as the Houston High School Class of 2026 celebrated its commencement ceremony on May 20.

Standing before a packed crowd of cheering families, dedicated educators, and community members, the graduating seniors officially marked the conclusion of their high school journeys and the beginning of their next chapters.

Principal Chad Martin noted that for Houston High School, the expression “it takes a village” has exceptional resonance, as the students succeeded because families, teachers, mentors, and friends consistently showed up to support them every step of the way. “In small towns, in Alaska communities, people notice when you grow, when you struggle, and when you succeed, and tonight, we celebrate all of it,” he said.

Salutatorian Dakota Johansen took the podium, capturing the spirit of the historic moment. In a deeply reflective speech, Johansen recounted the obstacles they faced well beyond homework assignments and report cards. “Even in those moments, we kept going.”

She urged her fellow graduates to embrace the paths their futures will take them on and relish those moments, both good and bad, easy and hard because it’s about the journey, not the destination. “The people who grow the most aren’t the ones who avoid their failure. They’re the ones who learn from it.”

For Valedictorian Isabella Duncan, the opportunity to speak was the culmination of her hard work and a dream she pursued for years, working on her speech beginning as a freshman, believing it would come to fruition. “I have always liked knowing how things will end.”

She shared how she’s moved away from demanding neat, happy endings, learning instead to embrace the uncomfortable, bittersweet ones, understanding that life is often meant to be felt and reflected on later. As she noted, “You rarely recognize the importance of a moment while you’re living it. Sometimes you only understand it later, when it becomes a memory.”

For their keynote address, the seniors invited Dr. MaryCatherine Harmon back, having taught most of them as sophomores. “And yet, here you are, graduating, becoming, stepping into something bigger.”

“You don’t have to have it all figured out to take the next step,” she said. “And if there’s one thing I know about this class, it’s this: you didn’t wait until everything was perfect. You just kept going. You showed up. On easy days and especially on the days that weren’t.”

Dr. Harmon reminded them that setbacks are inevitable, but the true value lies in how they respond. By getting back up, laughing off the failure, and trying again, they not only grow as people but create a great story. "If you’re going to have a story," she noted, "it might as well be one where you tried, laughed about it, and then, most importantly, you went back and got it right.”

Stepping into a world that reflects their actions, she encouraged them to bring their best to it.

“Be the encouragement, be the kindness, be the courage. Because this world, it doesn’t need more successful people. It needs more good people.”