CRESWELL – Families, friends, loved ones, school staff, and, of course – seniors – don’t usually sit under the direct rays of the sun for two hours, with sweat collecting on the backs of their necks, backs, underarms, and pretty much everywhere else, for no good reason.
Seniors at Creswell High School graduated last Friday in over 80-degree weather.
The 6:30 p.m. ceremony kicked off with an opening welcome from outgoing CHS Principal Jenny Collins. A trio of salutatorians joined the stage. Caitlin Richardson, Addison Green, and Alexa Palomec delivered an opening speech to a crowd of a few hundred people.
“They tell you when you start school that the next four years will be the fastest of your life, and you’ll look back and wonder where all the time went because you had sworn that just yesterday you were a scared kid when you didn’t know a soul and couldn’t even point to the library,” said Palomec, 18, with a few voice cracks and a quiver in her tone.
“Now, all of a sudden your name is on a neatly folded cap and gown waiting to be picked up. And you do, in fact, wonder ‘Where did all the time go?’
“But, what they don’t tell you is that time isn’t the only thing that slips away, the scared kid does too,” she said as tears slid down her cheeks.
Palomec is attending Oregon State University in the fall.
Palomec is not the only CHS senior going to OSU. Kylee Perez, 18, will also be attending. Several seniors will be staying closer to home, attending the University of Oregon in Eugene, rather than going to Corvallis. Nola Graf, 17, is going to the University of Oregon this fall.
Other students plan to start their college journey at Lane Community College and ultimately transfer to a university, like Timber Cady, 18, who said she wants to go to LCC for two years to study psychology, then transfer to UO.
Brenna O’Brien has a similar path planned out but with a career in ornithology – a type of zoologist who studies birds – starting at LCC and then transferring to the Ducks’ campus.
O’Brien said her favorite part about high school was P.E.A.C.E. Club with Miss Wanner, where she learned about social justice, equality, and community. One of Cady’s favorite memories was the senior prank. “We put hotdogs everywhere,” Cady said while laughing.
Not every student has a four-year university in mind for their post-high school life. Jessenia Morris, 18, is going to LCC for graphic design, and Jaidene Torgison, 18, is going to beauty school to become an esthetician.
Students at multiple schools in our area completed graduation ceremonies. The Chronicle was present to capture stories and photos of graduates and families.
Look for more coverage next in the Class Acts: Graduation Edition magazine which will feature more stories and photos.
This reporting is supported by the Catalyst Journalism Project at the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication.
