Superior students celebrate ‘unique’ graduation

A recurring theme of the Superior High School graduation ceremony on May 24 was the notion of a unique ceremony for an equally unique class.

It was a bittersweet day for these 14 seniors who closed a major chapter in their lives while also reflecting back on their time in school, most poignantly their last year.

Valedictorian of the class of 2020, Skylar Simpson shared, “We will be remembered at Superior High School as the strange class that always came together to help one another.”

Simpson who aspires to become a chemist and attend Montana State University said, “The teachers here taught me patience, and that by waiting there would be an opportunity for things to get better.”

Waiting is what this remarkable group of young adults did over their last quarter of high school. Wait for the school year to come to an end, while educating from home, waiting to see friends, waiting for the quarantine to cease as last sports seasons were sorely missed. These students sacrificed much in their final months as pupils before embarking on new journeys in exceptionally uncertain times.

This was especially recognized by Principal Chris Clairmont.

“The thing I’ll remember most about this class is their ability to persevere and mature in a short amount of time,” Clairmont said. “They had many experiences taken away that seniors before and after will have, and yet, when I talked to them, they were almost always smiling and had positive things to say in the midst of all of the adversities.”

Such was the case for Salutatorian Jacob Lapinski, his focus is on the future.

He expressed, “I’m more concerned with how we spend our time here. We all have a choice of how we want to live our lives. Whether that’s a career in construction, nursing, teaching, or in my case firefighting.”

Challenging his classmates and those in attendance he asked, “Are you the kind of person that says they’ll start doing better tomorrow, or the person who begins to better themselves and the lives of those around them today?”

English teacher Angie Armour was chosen by the senior to be their keynote speaker. In her speech Armour stated, “In all honesty I was humbled when I was asked to speak at this unique graduation ceremony. Of course, this class of 2020 has been anything if not unique.”

She went on to share how impressed she has been by the senior’s fortitude. She explained, “Every single one of you has shown me that you can be more than your heartbreaks, more than your failures, and to be more than just small accomplishments. You have all shown me your individual meanings of strength, even in this challenging time and for that I truly thank you.”

As a writer, Armour herself reflected back on her thoughts and experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. She stated, “It is so important to understand the scale of such an event, as this time we are living in will be what students of the future learn and reflect on in their own history class. What they will be studying is us, they’ll be studying how we treated one another, how we took care of ourselves, how we grieved, how we showed joy, how we connected, and most importantly they’ll be studying what we accomplished.”

The graduates listened to Armour’s commencement address from their chairs spread six feet apart on the football field. She added, “to be sitting outside here and of course this class is breaking tradition. To be living in the middle of a worldwide event. Not many people can say they’ve experienced anything like this, even to be graduating in it.”

Planning for this distinctive graduation ceremony took many weeks. Clairmont stated, “If I were to guess, there was between 20 to 30 hours of planning involved, with many drafts based on ever-changing phases and rules.”

Ideas were taken from numerous sources, including social media, fellow administration teams in the area and across the country, and community members.

The faculty and staff at Superior High School, Scott Kinney, Logan Labbe, Clairmont, Barb Jasper, and the County Health Department started initial preparation back in March.

Numerous plans were developed for both indoor and outdoor events, all of which included a fully-virtual ceremony, a student’s-only ceremony, and allowance of three guests per graduate ceremony, ultimately ending with the plan that was submitted and accepted by the County Health Department.

The most difficult aspect of the event Clairmont noted, “It was knowing that the seniors were limited in the contact they could have with each other. This class has leaned on each other through tough times, especially in this time, and to not have the opportunity to share hugs and physical support that classes before and after will have.”

Over the course of the school closure and graduation organizing, the community rallied around the seniors. Gifts were showered upon them through the Adopt-A-Senior project. Senior photo banners hung on the town’s light poles. Darlow’s provided individual gift baskets to each of the graduates. Clairmont concluded, “The ceremony itself still had its challenges, but everyone who attended was amazing with their understanding and patience as we worked out the kinks. A huge thank you to everyone who attended!”

The Superior High School graduating class of 2020 as listed: Wesley Buchanan, Vanessa Clark, Hewston Coon, Howard Edison, Kyler Francis, Trey Green, Gracie Griffith, Emma Hopwood, Isaiah Kovalsky, Jacob Lapinski, Colton Ovitt, Skylar Simpson, Tate Trudeau, Danielle Vanderploeg.

Several graduates plan on attending college at Montana Tech, Montana State University Bozeman, and the University of Montana. Others are pursuing careers in trade work, and joining the National Guard.

In scholarships, Jacob Lapinski was awarded with over $2,750. Emma Hopwood raked in $2,400. Isaiah Kovalsky earned $26,900 toward his schooling, and Trey Green tacked on $200.