Valley Pathways seniors prepare for virtual graduation

PALMER — Valley Pathways will graduate 57 students during their virtual graduation ceremony at 1 p.m., on May 13.

As students around MSBSD and around the United States are deprived of the physical gratification of walking across a stage to receive their diploma due to the COVID-19 pandemic mandating social distancing and travel restrictions, MSBSD has worked to provide a unique virtual graduation experience for each of the approximately 1,200 graduates district-wide.

Pathways grads Isabelle Fuller and Victoria Cerimele filmed their portion of the graduation ceremony weeks prior to their scheduled event at the Menard Center that will not take place. Both Fuller and Cerimele found a home at Pathways and hope to see the school continue to receive funding necessary to continue allowing students an alternative option to the traditional high school experience.

“They have helped me a lot with my education,” said Fuller.

Fuller struggled to regain credits after moving back and forth to Juneau, but completed her required course offerings at an accelerated pace at Pathways. Currently, Fuller is searching for an employment as she is set to enter the world as a high school graduate this week. While her speaking portion of the graduation ceremony has been complete for weeks, she still feels that her high school experience is incomplete without the physical celebration of seeing her classmates one final time and receiving her diploma in person.

“This year has been insane,” said Fuller. “Twelve years of this going to school, like it was my main goal to like walk across the stage and I can’t do that. I have to record it and it’s weird because I have to go home and then watch myself a month later saying the same speech.”

Fuller said that Pathways principal Jim Wanser and the staff helped her to feel like a family member in the hallways. Fuller appreciated that none of the staff members passed judgement on students of their reasons for being at the alternative high school, only attempting to help their students receive the best education they could. Despite her readiness to be done with her high school experience, Fuller had hoped to decorate her graduation cap for the ceremony that will not take place.

“I’m also really grateful that Pathways doesn’t give up on their students,” said Fuller.

Cerimele struggled at traditional high schools and admitted that she shed tears during the interview process when applying for classes at Pathways. As a student at Palmer Junior Middle School, Cerimele became fond of Maryann Regan who was a PJMS teacher at the time. Cerimele thanked Regan as one of the educators who helped her complete her courses in time to graduate prior to the shutdown of schools during spring break. Cerimele walked prior to spring break as one of the few students who did not miss out on the physical graduation ceremony, but still filmed her speaking portion for the virtual graduation with her 56 other graduating Pathways classmates.

“It’s not as like, real as it would be in person,” said Cerimele. “It was kind of expected to be able to see them one last time before you left and then all of a sudden you can’t so that’s kind of weird.”

Cerimele praised the work done by staff in educating students at Pathways and hoped to see additional education funds directed toward the school to keep providing an alternative education opportunity for students.

“To me, Pathways is full of perks. You get more classes done in a year, it’s less stressful because you only have four classes a day, you get really close with all your teachers because there’s so few students you get more one on one time,” said Cerimele.

After struggling early on in her high school career, Cerimele was drawn to Pathways at the suggestion of one of her former teachers and excited to see that Regan had accepted a job at Pathways. After travel restrictions are lifted, Cerimele hopes to attend college in Florida to study business or begin work on a law degree.

“I had never felt so comfortable in a school before,” said Cerimele. “It was like just being at home.”