Valley’s 2017 graduates take center stage

Editor’s note: Following is a combined story on the Colony, Mat-Su Central and Palmer graduations, each with a list of the graduates. The schools are in alphabetical order. Also, the Houston High School graduate list is at the end of this article.

Staff speaker steals the show at Colony High graduation

By Matt Hickman

WASILLA — Keynote speakers at graduations tend to be people who’ve achieved some degree of fame, or are alums who’ve found considerable success in the outside world.

But in choosing their guest speaker for Wednesday night’s commencement ceremony at the Menard Center, the senior class of Colony High need look no further than their own hallways for inspiration.

Custodian Mary Heideman was an easy choice for Knight seniors, in part because of her wisdom and kindness, and in part because all year long, the future of her job was in doubt as the Mat-Su Borough school board weighed the possibility of outsourcing all custodial positions.

Heideman was greeted with a standing ovation after being introduced by emcees Terrel Watson and Naomi Winders, and after her short speech and peace sign departure, the Menard Center erupted in cheers.

“I want to send you off into this big, wide, beautiful world with three superpowers I know you all hold inside you,” Heideman said. “Common sense — if it seems too good to be true, question it. Good manners — it can take you places you’d never believe, and finally, love — it makes the world go round. Peace out, class of 2017 and give it your best shot.”

Principal Brendad McMahon certified the class of 2017’s credentials and school board clerk Debbie Retherford accepted them to begin presentation of diplomas to 176 graduating Knights, among them valedictorian Braden Bowker, who in his earlier speech challenged his classmates to dream big.

“What if, instead of getting by, we focus on dreaming big? Mediocrity can’t be the goal,” he said, before asking by show of hands, anyone who’d want a mediocre surgeon, spouse, or adventure. “We don’t want those things, so why do so many days go by where we don’t dream about greatness? We need to stop our beige, generic musing. I believe it’s wise counsel to pursue the things we’re passionate about.”

Bowker told they’ll know they’re striving for greatness because the path will get difficult.

“We don’t give up when it gets hard; we persevere,” he said. “The world needs welders, but don’t be an average one — be the best you can be… When you dream big you will have adversity when you chase it. If it doesn’t, shame on you. You didn’t dream big enough.”

Colony High School Class of 2017

DaltonAndersonAnissaBaggettAlannaBaileyCalebBaileyHopeBakerIsaacBaklanovJudahBangTimothyBassShaelynnBellAutymBensonLilyBirchDylanBlohmShiannBontragerBradenBowkerElisabethBowkerJohnBrahaneyAbigailBredingCodyBryanCarmenBulovskyPadenBurgessKobyBurnsCorbinCameronBenjaminCannonColtonChapmanIsaiahChristySarahClarkPaigeClaryDayneColeKayleeColeAnnaCondioBreannaCookAndrewCooleyMarcusCosbySamuelCurlinDominicDannerDaelDexterJosephDiltzConnorDowlingKlanceyDoyleAllisonDupreTimothyDurbinChayseEbyLeahEmeryTaiaFagerstromKayleyFarwellTesaFinleyDavidFitchDanielFonovCamrynFredricksonElizabethFreemanNikolasFreminMasonGeorgeColeenGeraghtyCameronGossettRoryGrantMailenaGrasmickBradleyGroverRobertHaanCadeHavelHalieHoffmanSydneyHolmanKaitlynHoukStephenHunterDevlynHuskaSamuelInukaiJarekJaschekAngelaJenkinsJanaJenkinsAlyssaJensenAlyssaJohnsonLukeJohnsonNiamhJohnsonTylerJohnsonBrittneyJonesBrittneyJordanDorothyKameroffAnnieKesslerJaniceKimEmmaKirkJacobKirschAlexandraKlineIsaiahKolendoZacharyKolstadMarleeLakeCarlyLankfordJeffreyLautrupKaitlynLaWalterElizabethLessardKyleLindbergEmilyMarkeeAlyxzandriahMarquezMadelynMatternMadisonMcGuireKaylaMcKennaDominicMcKnightLiemMinderLarsMobleyTrevorMoraAmberMrakDawsonNashIsaiahNeunerBrandonNicholsonDominicNinoNatalieNordlandMadelynNovakChristianOldhamEmilyOlsonLuniaOriolLilyanOverlandBricePavlicekCalebPeckShaniaPerryNathanPougherNathanPowerCathelynePowersTrentonPuttDaytonRabellizsaJessicaRentzCaedRigdonBenjaminRindlisbacherJulianaRiveraAlexisRobbinsBenj JiemelRoblesNoahSamuelsonCooperSantTuckerSawyerE'VionScottDallasSmart-SearsJulianaSmitGabrielleSmithSamanthaSmithIsabelSnellCarmenSotoClaireSteinerJessicaStephensRileySwansonArielTackettKristinaTennesenPeterThaoAnthonyTorresJacobTowerHattieTweedAustinUkenaJessicaVicunaAthenaWadeShaylaWashingtonMorganWatsonTerrelWatsonAidenWhiteAndreWhittingtonBrittneyWillefordSandraWilliamsShawnWilsonNaomiWindersJacobWoodKeeanaWoodSkylerWoodJosephWyzykowskiReneYzaguirreAnthonyBrouhardLeandraCrattyAngelaDicusAlexisDishneauAlexisHanksDawsonHornung BlissEmmaJohnsonRiverMaketaKaleaSponslerLaurenTompkinsHeatherWhittecarAllieWilliamsonPennyWojtachaTristanYoungbergAnitaBurlachenkoAdriannaMcCoyAlexisOieAriaWells

‘I am proud to be a homeschooler’

Emotional sendoff for graduates of Mat-Su Central

By Chris Ford

WASILLA — Mat-Su Central High School principal John Brown opened Thursday afternoon's Class of 2017 commencement ceremony at the Menard Sports Complex. Brown noted there were family and friends attending from as far away as Florida and Hawaii to see their loved ones cross the stage, accept their diploma and move on to the next stage in their young lives. The program also took on a Polynesian feel as Karlena and Karis Cotton sang the senior song while Jasmine Emosi and Rose Fono wowed the crowd with a traditional Samoan dance.

The school's 99 graduates were comprised of mostly home-schooled students. There were no valedictory or salutatory addresses rather co-senior addresses. Retiring teacher Matt Welk provided a faculty address.

Graduate Danielle Green took the podium first. She said she was scared and nervous coming to Mat-Su Central but that quickly faded as she quickly felt welcome. Green said Mat-Su Central staff, administration and students are second to none.

"Now I have a plan, a purpose in my life," she said about her plans to become a videographer. Green said Mat-Su Central allowed her "...to really bond with the people you're taking classes with. You become more of a team. MSCS is a homeschooling program. Public schoolers tease us...If it means warm, new friendly faces in a new environment, trying new things you never thought you'd never do, I am proud to be a homeschooler.”

“I don't want to go, I want to stay longer and I want to help you all more. I don't want to grow up," Green continued, fighting back tears. "But, you know, I rethought all that while stepping onto the stage... I'm determined to make you all proud, to fulfill my dreams. I'm determined to make a difference."

Fellow senior speaker Hannah Houser began by reflecting on a writing program purchased by her mom which stated every story had already been written.

"It felt like a warning to me...to live my own life," Houser said. She said it was after that that she learned to make the most of herself.

Houser reflected on how the school allowed her to work five different jobs during her years at Central. She said at each, she didn't have bosses or co-workers; she had friends, some of the most encouraging people she ever met.

The incredible people I met here at Mat-Su Central did a great thing for me. They let me explore everything I even had the slightest interest in," said Houser. "I have no idea what I'm going to do with my life as far as a career goes. I do know this; school never ends...we may not have teachers, or classmates but we never stop learning or growing among others.”

Houser encouraged her classmates to go out and make their mark.

"We, the graduating class of 2017, can be a positive influence in the world," she said. "Always remember laughter is timeless, imagination has no age, and dreams are forever."

"After teaching 28 years, I'm going to retire. Through my tenure, I've given thousands of tests," said Welk as he took the podium. "It only seems fitting graduates that I have one last one for you. Don't let the simplicity fool you. Are you ready for the test?"

Welk asked the students if they were ‘happy.’

“In this moment, many of you are. Why are you happy? What brought about this feeling? How can you sustain and recreate that happiness?...The pursuit of happiness is your job...to go out and found it. You want others to be happy? Practice compassion. If you want to be happy, Practice compassion," Welk reiterated. "The point that I'm making the first thing you need to do to move on in life is to discover what makes you happy."

Welk said to avoid a lifetime of misery and mistakes, he encouraged the senior class to take a few a moments and discover what makes them happy.

"When you find that and only after you find that, You'll really have the life you want to live," Welk concluded.

Mat-Su Central Class of 2017

JustusAiken SydneeAnderson DaceApplehans HowardAsbury BenjaminBashor BryceBaskett DanielBass DannialBeaty EdwardBelyavskiy AlysaBlakeman JordanBrouillet NoahButcher SusanaCabrera-Cepero WalterCampbell LoganColen KalenaCotton JuliaCrossett SelenaDaugherty CaseyDietz ValaryDietz MckennaDinkel CeilDunleavy JasmineEmosi CherishEngebretsen GageFaulkner DestinyFiltenborg TabithaFisher DustieFlanders JakeForstner LaurenGilbert AlecGrandel DanielleGreen RebekahGrothe MagdalenaGuajardo JoshuaHall AlexHanna JayceeHarvey RobertHickle DakotaHoadley NicholasHolden HayleyHooks EsmeImgrund EthanImm MakaylaJackson DebraKane IrinaKhomyakova DavidKitagawa NanKoutchak AlinaKozar SayerKrueger TimothyKudryn AlecKuleck BriannaKurtzweil SpiritLahti SarahLatta PamelaLee EthanLentes AlexLewis HunterLinden DylanLing EmmaLogan HannahLucero KendraManson DanielMiller JustinMills AlexMinturn WyattMonear AlyssaMosier EkaterinaMozalevskaya AngelicaOlson AveryParker KristofferPehrson LexiPepperd LukePhillips ChristopherPierce BlakePoorbaugh TiffanyPowers KenediRadford RuthRasputkov Alexa-AnnRoehl NerissaRonne KendallRummelhart KaseyRyan KimberlyScheibl MariyaShabak ShayneShannon CourtaneySimmons EllaSinchuk GurpreetSingh CharitySisco AlesiaSkobeleva ZacherySmart BrandonSmith MicheralynSmith ErikaSpencer AmandaStahl LiliyaTereshchenko MikaylaValdez RebekahWatkins JacobWellborn ZahideWieconek ArielWilliams CablinWilson CameronWoodward GenevieveWorden JosephYork DakotaYoung ZackeryYoung

The Moose are loose

Palmer seniors lauded for their vision and selflessness

By Matt Hickman

PALMER — A packed Palmer High School gymnasium Tuesday night cheered and said goodbye to a Class of 2017 that left a quite tangible mark for future classes to enjoy. Among these achievements were lobbying for 90 new lockers on campus and the installation of a new sound system in the gym.

Former Alaska Governor Sean Parnell, now an attorney in Palmer, pointed to these visionary and selfless acts in his keynote speech.

“You’ve taken care of future Palmer High students,” Parnell said. “You’re looking out for people behind you you don’t really know… The Palmer High class of ’17 clearly has a spirit of thankfulness.”

Senior Grace Ivey sang the national anthem to kick off the festivities and performed in the first of two songs with the Senior Ensemble, the last being ‘Seasons of Love’ from the musical ‘Rent’.

Sandenna McMaster and Madeline Ko were the two class speakers, and McMaster spoke about a summer she spent in Africa where she met a man who said he would rather live poor in Ghana than rich in America because in Ghana, everyone is your friend, while in America, everyone is a stranger.

“My response was, ‘yeah, cool, me, too’, though that didn’t represent my true thoughts,” McMaster said. “But let me tell you, at Palmer High, I promise you, no one here is a stranger.”

Standout athlete Madeline Ko felt like a stranger when she arrived at PHS, her third school in four years back in the fall, but it didn’t take her long to feel at home.

“After all the moving and indecisiveness, it tells you something you all already know — Palmer is special,” Ko said.

Ko challenged a common theme of graduation speeches that suggest the ‘real world’ is only encountered after commencement.

“There’s this very real world; one where you pay taxes and compete with the neighbors for having the best lawn, but I don’t buy this. I think we’ve been living in the ‘real world’ all this time,” Ko said. “What else can we call all the things we’ve done, the choices we’ve made and the memories and hard work of the past few years?”

Parnell held true to his promise to keep his address brief, and departed with a few pearls of advice.

“First, hold fast to truth. Don’t let the expediency of the moment ever keep you from being truthful — in other words, be courageous,” said Parnell. “Know the difference between being and doing. This is a hard one for me. If you’re as performance-driven as I can be, you’ve heard lies in your head that you can’t do enough; you’ll never get this right… If who you are is built solely on what you’re doing, it can be taken away.”

Parnell, who was governor from 2009-2014 before losing the seat to current governor Bill Walker, said that defeat taught him much about the difference between doing and being.

“What you’ve got to learn when you suffer disappointment is that it’s easy to see how you can get wrapped up in what you’re doing. If you’re wrapped up in your title, salary, achievement — all those can be taken away,” he said. “Instead, and here’s my quote for you: I wish a future for you to come to understand better who you are, how greatly you’re loved and how valuable you are to the creator who made you, and how precious you are to your family and friends.”

Principal Paul Reid, joined by Parnell and state senator Shelley Hughes, then congratulated the class of 2017 as they came across the stage to receive their diplomas.

Palmer High School Class of 2017

MesaBurgstahlerEliHeindelBrittanyLapkaMeganMcPheeColbyAbbottMitchellAlvertsNoahAtkinsLindseyBeamesMackenzieBelantZacharyBergen Jr.JoshuaBongersPhilipBoothMalloryBradfordBrysonBranhamAshlenBrueschKennedyBryanJohnBurtonNathanCarboneConradCarrLandonCarverLoganChapmanDevonClarkCharlesCox WalkerMaryCrowleyJakeCunninghamNicholasDebachDestinyDeWallKeeganDossettJohnathanDotyNaomiDuncanBryanDyerConnerEdmisonDonovanEimanTracyEldredSidneyFeigeZachariahFitzgeraldTaylorFosterNichlausGeffkenKennedyGieseJacobyGlennCurtisGranquistKatelynGreenCodyGroganColynHalbertKianaHamptonHaleyHansonJarettHardyThomasHarlowVictoriaHayes-DeemerHaleyHershmanDominiqueHindsOrenHoytJasmyneHumphreysSavanahHutchensJulieIrvineGraceIveyRhealeeJohnsonAudreyJohnsonNicholasJohnsonColtonJonesBrittanyJunkertChristopherKingeryKyndleKirbyMadelineKoAshleyLampleyJamesLarsonTianaLeeAbagailLorentzMaxLukinMaddisenLukinTaylorMarshPaytonMartinKimberlyMcDowellSandennaMcMasterDawsonMillerCharlesMillerBrandonMooreD'ArtagnanMutiniJamesNarsavichVictoriaNelsonEdwinNelsonAustinNerupRaelynnNipperKatherineOwensBrycePaxtonQuancyPeckPaigePetersJordanRalstonAnaReynaIsabelleRiceDanielRichardsEmilyRobertsChristianSchenkerDylanSilvaSavannaSimmermanDelRayeStarichaSamanthaSternerSaraStiversLorna-leiSua'avaBentleySurdyk IIAmberSweetEthanTatumAnaheleneTaylorAlexanderTerryTylerThiesingEmmaUschmannJosephWalkerMarleaWeaverDanielWhiteMeganWhitesellKyleWildmanLynnWirtanenDavidWiseRobertWitz IIIRubyWoodings

Houston High School Class of 2017

MeganAdairMalakiBarrettNoahBirchardBenjaminBitlerRyanBohlGeoffreyBrownCherylColebankKoleDenevanJoshuaEdgrenAlexisFisherJuanGastelum-OrdunoChristopherGerickeKaylaGolbeckBryanGreenBrandonHanifenAadenHendrickDevinHollieLacyHolmesCoreyHolsclawHunterHoyerMarkHullMackenzieHurdConlanJenkinsJosephJohansenAerilynnJohnsonCassandraKapuniaiAzaleaKatzenbergerJensKnutsonJakeKoehlerDeniKroeze-RichardsLoganLelleCodyLengenbergJaceyLewisAmandaLorenzoPaulMata'uJennaMccurleyDanaMcdonaldCharlesMckinnonEricaMillerJoshuaMillerAustinMobleyMakaylaMooreJenniferMorinTauilevanuMoseWyattMulhaneyPamelaNelsonMaxNewellDannyNolandDylanPalmerSonnyParkerWyattPayneBenPelesasaDonaldPendergrassEmilyPossGarrettRauCalebRobersonShayleeRusherKendellRutaAspenRuthKiaraSealJoshuaSeidlBritnyShaw-GravesTannerSickendickIsaacSmoldonJonathanStaperaMikyleSumstadKadeTaylorKolbyTaylorMichaelTaylorShouaVangDevenWertsConnerWestlandJaiseeWhiteMackenzieWooden