Farewell
Hello everybody. My name is Chase
Tolonen, Class of 2017 Valedictorian.
And I am Megan Rice, the Salutatorian.
C:The only reason we are standing in front
of you today is because we got good grades.
And trust me, if we had known that getting
good grades meant speaking in front of
hundreds of people, we might’ve done a few
things differently.
M: But here we are, giving a speech we
definitely did NOT write last night. And
at the grand age of 18, just moments away
from receiving our high school diplomas.
It seems like the years have just flown by.
Parents you’re probably wondering where
all that time has gone. These past 13 years
have been a blur.
C: I think I can speak on behalf of all my
fellow graduates when I say that this
time couldn’t have gone by any faster.
But I wouldn’t change a thing about my
experiences here in Vernonia.
M: Chase and I are among the 21 seniors
who have been attending school here in
Vernonia since kindergarden. We’ve grown
close together over the past 13 years, and
it’s hard to think that we all have to go our
separate ways.
C: This doesn’t have to be a sad thing. When
we walk out those doors we will be walking
into the next chapter of our lives. Some
of us will go to college, some will join the
military, others may join the workforce or
some may live with their parents forever.
I’m not judging! But we all will have one
thing in common. We will all have the
honor of being a graduate from Vernonia
High School.
M: Not only that, we also have the honor
of being the 100th class to graduate. A lot
has changed in the past 100 years, the class
of 1917 had a total of 2 graduates and high
school was only one year instead of four.
C: The world is also a much different place
now, back then things were much less
expensive. Gasoline was only 15 cents a
gallon, a brand new car was $2,000, and
a house was about $5,000. Things have
changed dramatically.
M: This leads us to wonder how things will
be in another 100 years. Will there be flying
cars? Will someone have found the cure
to cancer? Will they still be making Fast
and Furious movies? These are things that
our future generations have the potential
to witness. What will the class of 2017
accomplish? The possibilities are endless.
As a whole this class is so diverse, talented,
and passionate. If any one of us wants
something, there is no doubt in
my mind that we have the drive
to accomplish whatever we set
our sights on.
C: There is a quote from Pat
Riley, owner of the Miami
Heat that says, “Excellence is
the gradual result of always
striving to do better,” and this
class is the embodiment of
that quote. No matter what,
we always want more out
of ourselves, we always do
whatever it takes and then
some. This class IS excellent.
M: We all have the ability to be whatever
we want to be. When people tell you not to
believe in your dreams, and they say “why?”
say “why not?”
C: Class of 2017, I just want to remind you
that anything is possible, like the Chicago
Cubs winning the World Series again after
108 years, Google developed a self-driving
car, and the New England Patriots even
overcame a so called impossible deficit, and
beat the Atlanta Falcons in overtime to win
Super Bowl 51. But I mean, who likes the
Falcons anyways?
M: Just remember to follow your dreams,
believe in yourself, and never give up
because like Chase said, anything is
possible.
C:It’s a great day to be a Logger!
Congratulations to the Class of 2017!
Chase Tolonen
Megan Rice
Honor Graduates
Class Officers
Chase Tolonen
Megan Rice
Payton Wolf
Jackhenry Masog
Jessika Goodman
Autumn Sorenson, President
Megan Ely, Vice President
McKenzie Willard, Secretary/Treasurer
Tristan Adams & Autumn Sorenson Javier Arenas Oliver & Kathrin Will
Blake Clark
Lauren Glass
Grace Coleman
Justin Fletcher
Nathan Colot
Lene Jacobsen
Serhiy Bauer
Pearl Cook
August Johnson & Kameron Olsen
Theresa Bomke
Jacob Butcher
Brett Elliott
Megan Ely
Brett Jones
Melissa Kish
Vivianna Bustamante
Hayden Cieloha
Cheyenne Farr-Smith & Kaitlyn Eyrrick
Pongwiwat Kookitwattana
& Pauline Sandweg