Congratulations graduates! Between Wayne, Piute and Garfield counties, over 120 seniors graduated from high school at the end of May.
Panguitch High School held their graduation at 7:00 p.m. on May 24. Three more of the high schools, Wayne, Piute and Bryce Valley, held their graduations on May 25, at 6:00, 7:00, and 8:00 p.m. respectively. And finally Escalante High School held their graduation at 8:00 p.m. on May 26.
The Byway has been able to work closely with many of these graduates as we wrote together, reported on their accomplishments, and published their work. We are sad to see them go, but we wish them the best of luck in the next chapter of their lives.
Bryce Valley High School’s Graduates
I was lucky enough to be able to attend Bryce Valley’s graduation. Graduations, as many things are in our small towns, are a special affair for the whole community. The smaller the senior class, the more time for memories, tears, and fun at their graduation.
Bryce Valley’s graduation was no different.
Two speakers, Samie Ott and April LeFevre, each taught this group back when the kids were in elementary school. They had some great memories to share.
April LeFevre remembered being impressed with the group’s ingenuity and ability to work as a team when she was a physical education teacher. She was impressed, if not a little annoyed, when the class decided they wouldn’t have to run the whole mile if they did it as a relay.
In memory of this idea, she had the graduates pass a baton from one graduate to another showing how much they had worked together to get to this point.
Having a Happy Life
Perhaps even more touching was guest speaker Samie Ott’s memory of teaching this class in 3rd grade. Mrs. Ott had read a story and encouraged a discussion about what the kids wanted more than anything else in the world. She was touched when one of her students responded that what they really wanted was to “have a happy life.”
Mrs. Ott ran with this idea, as many of the graduates would be asking themselves in the next few years what it meant to have a happy life. She helped the graduates to understand that a happy life after graduation was one that they could choose. What makes us happy for a lifetime, she shared in a quote, was to “give someone a hug,” as well as enjoy the little things.
Bryce Valley’s graduates were then presented for graduation, to move forward on college, jobs, missions, or other big decisions in their lives. We wish all the graduates the best in everything and truly, alongside Mrs. Ott, wish them a happy life.
– by Abbie Call
Feature image caption: The Bryce Valley graduating class sings “Five More Minutes” (by Scotty McCreery) under the direction of Nathan Platt at their graduation on Thursday, May 25, 2023.
Abbie Call – Cannonville/Kirksville, Missouri
Abbie Call is a journalist and editor at The Byway. She graduated in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in editing and publishing from Brigham Young University. Her favorite topics to write about include anything local, Utah’s megadrought, and mental health and meaning in life. In her free time, she enjoys reading, hanging out with family, quilting and hiking.
Find Abbie on Threads @abbieb.call or contact her at [email protected].