Graduation season is upon us, and I always pause at this time of year to reflect on this year’s graduates as they transition into adulthood, otherwise known as “real life.” The class of 2022, all 340 of them, will head off post June 3 to face the world on a diverse number of fronts. Some students, boasting high academic achievements and lofty post-secondary goals, will head to Ivy League schools, prominent private colleges, Montana universities, and Flathead Valley Community College to pursue higher education.
Others are on the road to high-paying jobs in construction and trades, having received a taste of this career path while still in high school. Our robust agriculture education center, house construction class, and BUILD Montana heavy equipment internships, to name a few, provide students with high school credit and transformational learning opportunities. These students are confident, capable, and ready for good paying jobs right here in our community.
A select few graduates of the Flathead class of 2022, seven to be exact, are excited to join the military upon graduation. These young men and women see the importance of serving their country while learning skills, both soft skills and ones that apply to their future careers.
There are always the graduates who, diploma in hand, are proud of their accomplishments but uncertain of their future. These are students currently working, helping their families, and navigating life. No less important than any of the others, they will head off into the world competent and ready.
A public education, from kindergarten to 12th grade, packs in a lot. The basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic, certainly, but also many other things. Science, technology, fine arts, athletics, and activities, vocational, health and fitness combine to provide high school students with a well-rounded education. Other, less tangible components, are important, too. Being a productive member of society, acting civil and kind, and knowing the importance of showing up every day are all taught in public schools.
The class of 2022 experienced their four years of high school in a unique way. A typical freshman year was followed by a disrupted 2019-20 pandemic year. As juniors these students wore masks to school every day, lost out on many of the social components of school, and then headed into their senior year hopeful and positive. A teen suicide cluster along with other tragedies then added an indescribable sadness to their senior year.
My takeaway as their principal for four years, though, is one of extreme pride and gratitude. In spite of all they’ve endured, our class of 2022 emerges with resilience, hope, and the ability to face challenges. I’ve seen them crying with each other, celebrating together, grieving with each other, and supporting each other. These graduates know that despite the challenges, they can succeed. That just might be the most important accomplishment of all.
Michele Paine is the principal of Flathead High School.