Sean C. Morgan
No, no.
After 51 years of high school graduations, Spanish teacher Eileen McHill was not finally the valedictorian.
“I misunderstood the assignment,” McHill joked Friday night at the podium at Sweet Home High School’s graduation ceremonies. “Can I get extra credit for this speech?”
After an appropriate period of laughter, the keynote speaker at the commencement ceremony moved on to her real assignment, dispensing sage advice to 135 members of the Class of 2017 inside the school’s Main Gym Friday evening, June 9.
“My best memory is when I chose to work at Sweet Home because I knew instantly I would be happy,” McHill said. “It is like being home working here, makes me very happy. Where else in the world could I drive in beautiful mountains, have a job that makes me laugh every day for 35 years? Yes, I did have other job offers.”
When she was a student teacher, she said, her supervising teacher gave her three pieces of advice.
“Always look before you sit,” McHill said. “Don’t teach Spanish because you love Spanish. Teach because you love the kids. They will kill the language every day.”
“And, sorry, guys, you do.
“Choose a job that makes you happy – not necessarily that pays the most. So I took her advice and have been happy for 35 years.”
When she was sick last year, McHill learned what it was like to work in the right place with the right people, she said. “I was showered with hope and love and life. My husband and children, staff and students lifted me up, and I came back to the job I loved. You as students helped me to remember how good life can be. I have hair! I choose every day to be happy. I get to stand at my door and greet you. I ask you to do that too – not stand at my door but look for chances to laugh.”
McHill said she always forces her Spanish 4 students to read “Camina Siempre Adelante” (Walk Ever Forward), by Alberto Cortez.
“We talk about how the parent must say goodbye to their child and how hard that is,” she said, drawing from the poem. “But they know it is what must be but also how you should walk forward in life, be a good person and choose happiness. It is a choice you can make. In your lifetimes, look for happiness, find a job that makes you happy – yeah, the money is a perq, but it will not always make you happy.
“Find a partner that matches you and makes you laugh. Be patient with people and smile. It will cause wrinkles, I know. Enjoy your children, play with them, laugh with them. Talk to them. Put down your phones – or devil machines – unless you are taking their pictures, and before you know it, you will be at their graduation, wondering where the time went.”
She told the graduates to look back and remember the happy times with their friends, the championships, assembly wins, laughing and happiness.
“In your lives, be a good happy people, and life will reward you,” McHill said. “It did me.
“Camina siempre adelante. Choose happiness.”
Six valedictorians and one salutatorian addressed the class.
Kristen Adams and Sean Wolthuis urged their classmates to serve their communities.
“We’ve all heard the same spiel over the years,” Adams said. “‘Go out and do community service. It’ll look good on your resume.”
That does have truth, she said. “But should that be the only reason we do it? Ghandi once said that service which is rendered without joy helps neither the servant nor the served, so while Sean challenges you to go out and serve, I challenge you to do that but find an opportunity that appeals to your heart. Go and make a difference in a way that is meaningful to others but also meaningful to you.”
Talking about the “math of service,” Wolthuis said, “Let me define it by simply stating that it is any act of selflessness – simply putting someone else’s needs above your own. I propose that this great principle of selfless service is one of the greatest sources of fulfillment in our lives.
“Doing service is one of the best ways to lift yourself and those you serve out of grief, pain, low self-esteem or laziness. It has the power to heal relationships and foster a united community. Yet how is it that by sacrificing our time, money, comfort and energy on the input end, we gain so much on the output end?
“Back to the math bit, ladies and gentlemen. In the words of a dear friend and mentor of mine, the math of service does not add up by arithmetic so many learn in schools around the world.”
Service leads to a transcendent joy that is long-lasting and wholesome, he said, unlike “the flittering, fleeting, false joys brought by immoral, dishonest and unwholesome activities.
“For some, you recognize the truth of what I am saying, and I applaud you in your daily efforts. For all others though, only by experiencing it yourself can you become an acolyte of the great principle of service.”
Valedictorian Michelle Isabell put some of McHill’s advice to use – though it was before she gave it.
“I’d like to personally apologize to any teacher who was offended by us sleeping in class,” she said. “It wasn’t you. We could sleep through anything anywhere.
“Over my life, I have learned never to give advice or take advice because it never quite works out. So here’s some advice: If you don’t know how to spell a word, change the entire sentence to avoid using that word. Work smarter, not harder, so always have a SparkNotes bookmarked. Guys, ‘fine’ is a word girls use to end an argument when they are right.
“Shower if you don’t think you need to. Please shower. Hydrate. Don’t procrastinate. I’m sure most of you are just dying for this cere-mony to get over – so congratulations Class of 2017. Thank you.”
Valedictorian McKenzie Yoder thanked God “for every gift and blessing.”
“I know without him, I would not be standing up here today, nor would I be heading as confidently toward the future. If I have learned anything about life it is that through joy and sorrows, the Lord will always be there helping us overcome the trials and tribulations that life has thrown as obstacles in our paths. He refines us, placing people into our lives that work as His instruments to better us. Although there are hardships, it isn’t His doing, but He can turn those troubles into lessons that mold us into the people we are meant to be.”
Looking back on all of the people they have encountered, she told her classmates, “we can cate-gorize them in two ways: someone that helped us out of kindness and those who were lessons. Although it can be difficult to display grace and humility, especially in times of suffering, wouldn’t you rather be remembered as the person who lifted someone’s confidence, brightened their day or comforted them in times of need?”
Valedictorian Elea Hewitt called graduation “a bittersweet occasion.”
“The jubilation in lieu of our accomplishment is laced with a touch of sadness for the closing of a chapter in our lives that has been our reality for the past 18 years,” she said.
“In light of this momentous occasion, I would like to take the time to highlight something that has deeply impacted me on this journey. Service is without a doubt one of the most fulfilling activities I have been privileged to participate in. Every time I serve, I encounter this feeling of peace and belonging. I have never felt so complete as when I am giving back.
“And so I would advise you, if you ever feel inadequate, reach out to those around you. Help them in any small way you can, and I promise you, you will never feel more valuable. You will never feel more necessary. You will never feel more at peace with yourself and the world around you.”
Valedictorian Gracie Olson took some issue with characterizations of Millennials as “spoiled, entitled and lazy.”
“There may be some truth in that statement, but what I see in this group is a lot of potential to make a positive difference in the world. All it would take is a small change in each of us to make ‘millennial’ a label we can be proud of.
“We’ve been called entitled time after time because of how often we place blame on others. As you place more blame on others for the things that happen to you, you take less responsibility for the direction your life is going, leaving you powerless in the pursuit of happiness. The only way you can control where you go in life is by accepting responsibility for your own decisions. Placing blame only holds you back in life.”
She urged her classmates to take responsibility for their own happiness, recognizing that not every change in life will be in their favor.
“I challenge you all, not just the graduates, to stop blaming other for the things that happen to you and instead take on adversity with a positive attitude,” Olson said.
“I am proud to say that I am the only salutatorian,” said Nathan Hager. “My first and last B came from an English class during my freshman year. The teacher, who no longer works at this school, felt that I deserved a B because my views did not coincide with hers.”
He refused to rewrite his paper to please her, Hager said. “I decided that I would rather receive a B than conform to someone else’s views.’
He knew it would be a constant struggle to raise his GPA and that he would never have a 4.0, Hager said. “It was an awakening moment. What I came to realize is that you have to stand up for what you believe in whether or not the rest of the world agrees with you. If you can’t stand up for yourself, then you will never be able to stand up for anything.”
He urged his classmates to fight for what they believe in and not to allow anyone to influence them toward a path that is not theirs to follow.
“You will most likely encounter individuals who will try to mold you into the person that they believe you should be,” Hager said. “Know the person you want to be. Life can be challenging, but your beliefs will guide you. Occasional setbacks will happen, but if you persevere, things will turn out all right in the end.”
During the graduation ceremony, the Sweet Home Alumni Foundation and the High-Q alumni committee selected two alumni for the High-Q Award of Merit: Fred Krogh, Class of 1956; and Tyler Cowger, Class of 2013.
Krogh, who currently lives in California, was unable to attend the commencement ceremony. He was recognized for his contributions to mathematics.
He developed a numerical integration algorithm used to track and navigate NASA interplanetary spacecraft and to calculate the positions of various astronomical objects and artificial satellites. An asteroid, Krogh 5927, was named in his honor last year.
“Although he didn’t really plan to be a research mathematician, he followed his passion, which led him in the direction to a successful career and earned him recognition in his industry,” said SHHS math teacher Steve Thorpe.
“His message to this year’s graduates is, ‘Even if you think you can’t do great things, maybe you can.’”
Cowger has established himself as one of the most decorated wrestlers both athletically and academically in Southern Oregon University wrestling, Thorpe said. Cowger has been hired as an assitant wrestler at SOU.
He told how he turned down Division I schools to accept an opportunity to wrestle at SOU. (See accompanying story on page 9.)
“My advice to you is to do what makes you happy and follow your path,” he told the graduates. “For those of you heading to college, know that it goes by fast, and you can’t get it back. Take advantage of the opportunity you have been given.
“For those graduates who choose not to go that route and instead join the workforce after graduation, go at your job with energy and passion. As Colin Powell said, ‘A dream doesn’t become reality through magic. It takes sweat, determination and hard work.’
“You’re now armed with one of the most important tools needed to forge your path ahead. It’s not the diploma itself that counts. It’s about what you’ve learned along the way and what you do with the education you’ve received. Your future is in your hands – no one else’s. I hope what I said tonight will show you that the future is yours, and remember, one day, you can be giving this speech to another class of Sweet Home graduates.”
Graduating Friday evening were Gracie Noelle Olson, Nathan Lawrence Hager, Kenzi Madeline Adams, Janel Louise Aiello, Keanu Kawehi Aiona, Crystal Leanne Ashby, Jozie Balcom, Victoria Marie Clark, Kristen Anne Adams, Lee Charles Baltezore II, Sidney Jane Barron, Shania Baxter, Tyler Jeremy Becker, Lisa Marie Belcher, Kali Suzanne Bertolet, Michelle Raelynn Isabell, McKenzie Nikole Yoder, Codie Duane Brown, Sophia Rose Brown, Kiana Renee Burks, Justin Tyler Carpenter, Alexi Jean Chase, Sydny LeeAnn Chase, Chanikarn Chawengchote, Jackie Marie Cheshire, Marika Chiba, Ria Suzuka Chiba, Soriah Grace Curtis, Adrionna Jolene Davis,
Bryson Dean Denver, James Quinn Dinsfriend, Devon Darin Dixon, Jonathan Casey Elder, Natasha Ellison, Levi Ferebee, Ally Rhea Fern, Hunter Barr Ficken, Tyler Wade Fincher, Caleb Bryant Funk,
Eleanor Sophia Hewitt, Dana Lee Hiett, Gabe Tyler Glynn, Tristan Bradley Graham, Meagan Alice Grajeda, Ty Allen Gruwell, Dawson John Guzman, Brendon Hanna, Kailey Ann Harrington, Ilima Po’omaika’imekealohalehualani Kaauwai-Walker, Natasha Alexis Rasmussen, Craig Lee Hansen, Lacey Marie Hanson, Carlos Adrian Ibarra, Alexis Renee Hasenyager, Servando Oscar Hernandez, Rayanna Marie Hill, Chance Daniel Holley, Logan Howett, Robert Ramon Humphreys, Tanner James Jewell, Hannah Marie Jewell, Jasmine Marie Johnston,
Kylie Elise Johnson, Shane Alison Kersy, Eva Geli Kinker, Katarina Ingrid Kinker, Korianna Tristan Dee Klein, Cody Arthur Kokesch, Eric Ray Kopp, Kaylee Lynn Lewis, Anakin Rees Leyba, Jacob Lawrence Lundeen, Jessica Marie Coats, Sean Anthony Wolthuis,
Reuger James Lyon, Brendan Michael Patrick Matthews, Nicholas Brady McIntyre, Kailey Jade Mengore, Justin Emil Miller, Samuel Alan Murray, Martin David Naimian, Chloe Ryanne Newport, Chelsea Renee Nicholson, Kobe Allen Olson, Tristan Gene Ormsby, Taylor Andrew Parker,
Wesley Robert Parker, Nickolas Roland Parton, Jenna Latrice Peden-Higgins, Yaqui-Alonso Monzalvo Perez, Kaden Duane Peterson, Nicolas Larry Pichardo, Jacob Robert Porter, Cade Oden Randall, Joshua Douglas Rice, Kristin Lynn Richards, Nicholas Dean Rietz, Andrew Wayne Roark, Kaitlyn Cheyenne Poteet, Vance Jacob Ross, Mary Dawn Rouse, Devin Lee Saito-Hendrix, Corbitt Robert Sanders, Victoria Diamond Santich, Ashley Irene Search, John Shaver, Hunter Riley Rooney, Vladislav Alekseevich Singree, Madisen Michelle Barringer, Erin Renee Bauer,
Jared David Smith, Kearstin Genevieve Sorenson, Kera Marie Sorenson, Jaysen Raymond St. Onge, Devin Wade Stafford, Haylee Justine Stockman, Dillon Keith Stutzman, Sunny Cole Sullivan, Tyler John Swanson, Raymond Michael Szubart, Austin Taylor, Christopher James Lewis,
Nicholas Allen Tolman, Makayla Rae Towry, Jenna Christina Underwood, Alana Kaylynn Van Eck, Brandon Louis Vasfaret, Daniel Johnathan Virtue, Ivy Christine Weidner, Cara Nicole Wilson, Caleb William Winn, Jace Gabriel Winnier-Aleck and Sarita Gabrielle Zanona.