Probasco addresses final class as principal

WASILLA — Addressing the last class to graduate during his tenure as principal, Dwight Probasco shared with the senior class a little bit of what their teachers thought of them Thursday.

“They are all different. There is no flavor to this class,” Probasco said, quoting Gary Howell, who teaches language arts. “How they can be defined is ‘tolerant.’”

The school held its ceremony at the Menard Sports Center and yet the seating was still standing-room-only. Fully 252 seniors received their diplomas.

Another WHS educator quoted in Probasco’s speech, social studies teacher Linda Holler, said that students in this class taught her a valuable lesson about teaching.

“Never give up on them. You never know when the appreciation for learning will kick in,” Probasco said, quoting Holler.

Probasco said a handful of the seniors would be leaving from the ceremony that night to board a plane to compete in a track tournament in Fairbanks. He didn’t doubt that they would do well.

Lina Shadrach, one of the school’s three valedictorians, all of whom spoke, shared a string of inside jokes forged in the halls of Wasilla High.

“These little memories that we share form a unique bond between us,” she said.

And while science and language arts are important, Shadrach said, high school is about more than that.

“The most important learning that we do in high school is about ourselves,” she said. “All of you have taught me not to take everything so seriously.”

Her parting words were a quote from television actor Neil Patrick Harris.

“When I’m sad I stop being sad and be awesome instead.”

The ceremony featured a choir performance of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, which drew multiple rounds of raucous applause despite controversy surrounding whether it would be sung at all.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.