‘Right road' found at Valley Pathways

May 20, 2007

By Russell Stigall

Frontiersman

PALMER - Hats off to the graduating class of 2007. Valley Pathways High School seniors tossed their caps into the cavernous dome of the Wasilla Multi-Use Sports Complex on Friday night. With just 35 students graduating from Pathways, the setting, though grand, was intimate.

During his speech, guest speaker Peter Burchell asked the audience to stand, little by little, by category, until every teacher, parent, grandparent, employer and friend of the graduating class stood.

&#8220This is what makes alternative schools what they are, a community that supports its students,” said Burchell, a longtime educator and alternative school advocate.

Burchell described the role of alternative schools like Pathways.

&#8220Finding the right road that young people can travel, so that evenings like this can happen,” Burchell said.

The University of Alaska gives scholarships to the top 10 percent of students in each graduating class. Pathways had six recipients of the $11,000-per-year scholarships. The prize came with an extra trip to the stage for Tara Deel, Kateryna Duzhenko, Steven Hughes, Lydia Nelson, Megan Robinson and Tabitha Tucker to pick up their awards.

The close-knit community and the small class of graduates allowed for intimate words for each of the seniors. Advisers brought up small groups of their students and related stories about each.

Pathways teacher Misti Michael said she would miss her graduating students.

&#8220This was a hard one for me. I'm a little teary-eyed,” Michael said.

After all the caps were collected off the floor, Pathways graduates spread out into the crowd for hugs and handshakes from families and friends.

Duzhenko said she couldn't believe her high school experience was over.

&#8220It goes by so fast,” she said &#8220I still remember first grade.”

Proud parents snapped pictures and patted the backs of their graduating sons and daughters. Jene Hodges, mother of graduate Rebecah Hodges, said she was proud of her daughter's achievements.

Rebecah said she passed through most of her career at Pathways without incident.

&#8220Except last semester, when they switched back to credits,” Hodges said. &#8220Then I had a little more to do.”

Out in the sports center parking lot, a friend of graduate Gabe Kitter carried out a graduation tradition. Phil Vance wrapped 400 yards of pink ribbon around the door-handles, mirrors and four-wheeler parked in the bed of Kitter's truck.

An anonymous source at the site said Kitter had done the same to a friend the year before. To add insult, Vance emptied half a can of Silly String on Kitter's head.

The Valley Pathways High School graduation had help from Kenna Lobis and Ashley Fenton, who put in extra time to design a PowerPoint show for the graduating class.

Contact Russell Stigall at 352-2267 or russell.stigall@frontiersman.com.

Valley Pathways, class of 2007

Nichole L. Bolinder, Zachary E. Bonser, Michael Anthony Buirge, Corey Michael Coleman, John Collins, Tara Joyce Deel, Jeremy Roy Derflinger, Kateryna Alekandrovna Duzhenko, Wayne M. Eller, Gina Lynne Felts, Garrett Lorin Gilman, Hershey Rose Haney, James Darnell Hatter, Rebecca Lynn Hodges, Steven Daniel Hughes, Gabriel Todd Kitter, Rachel Ann Lewis, Jenifer M. Mackie, Kara Beth Massman, Sara Ann Melin, Travis Lynn Mickleson, Lydia Anne Nelson, Jeffrey Thomas Palm, Riley Ivan Patrick, Anthony Carl Pratte, Justin Webster Ratcliff, Megan Dawn Robinson, James Daniel Russell III, Brandon J. Scholberg, Michael Leonard Sisson Jr., Corbin N. Thurneau, Sereena A. Tucker, Tabbitha Jean Tucker, Whitney Brooke Wheeler, Zachary D. Zimmerman