Farewell
Good afternoon Vernonia community,
Vernonia staff, my fellow classmates, friends
and family. My name is Brook Naron and I am
Valedictorian of the Class of 2018. First, I’d like
to take a moment to acknowledge a student
who should be here today. Her name is Ariel
Masog, and she would have been Valedictorian.
She took her life in the summer of 2016. Even
though she’s not here physically, I’m sure she’s
watching over us. Ariel, we miss you and for
every milestone we think of you, especially
today.
David Niven once said, “You are not here
just to fill space or to be a background character
in someone else’s movie. Consider this: nothing
would be the same if you did not exist. Every
place you have ever been and everyone you
have ever spoken to would be different without
you. We are all connected, and we are all
affected by the decisions and even the existence
of those around us.” It’s vital for everyone in this
room to know that you are important and that
the decisions you make will affect those around
you.
Life takes you on very unexpected
paths, weaving through obstacles and crossing
the paths of others. Sometimes the paths
stay together and never separate. Sometimes
people’s paths go their separate ways and
don’t cross again. While winding and trying to
get through the obstacles, you forget to stop
and smell the flowers. Occasionally you get
turned around and have to go back to square
one. Though every twist and turn shapes
our character in ways we may not currently
understand, they are imperative in how we
make life decisions. All of us have been sent
on our own paths with our destinations still
unknown. But wherever your journey may lead
you, know that you are never alone and you’ll
always find your way.
Throughout high school you meet people
who will stay with you forever, while others
teach you what you don’t want in life. During
these four years there have been teachers
around every corner lending a listening ear and
a helpful hand to guide us through our troubles,
whether it was wise advice or helpful nagging.
Senior year is full of college applications,
scholarships, job applications, enlisting in
the military, and so much more. But there are
no set rules that tell you how to make these
important decisions, and no one else seems
to really know. (Except Mrs. Hyde, she knows
everything.) Senior year is more of a learn-as-
you-go type of year. You are learning how to
take more responsibility and how to adapt to an
adult world. You’re in this transitional phase in
which life can only move forward. With all our
experiences and the advice from those who care
about us, we will soon be off on our own.
Some of the things that we have
survived going through high school are: an
Ebola outbreak, a few E.Coli outbreaks, Laurel
or Yanny, and The Dress-is it gold and white
or blue and black? We’ve survived Smarter
Balance, SATs, Mrs. Riley’s biology project and
stinky lab, and made it through the screaming
in Mr. Ware’s class. We went to state in every
sport and won state for boys basketball.
Vernonia’s first girl wrestling team was
introduced and we saw the return
of Vernonia’s choir. Our sports
have gone to districts many times
along with our coaches winning
many Coach of the Year awards.
As a class we’ve won
Airjams our Sophomore year
and should have won Junior
year but lost by one point. We’ve
participated in blanket protests
and definitely pushed our luck
Class Officers
Courtney Barklow
Kyran Coleman, Byravi Nagulendran,
Justine Massengo
Alix Haney
Brook Naron
Rebekah Barnes
Lily Buchanan
Haley Lindsay
Storm Henson
Rebekah Barnes
Nick Bennett
Seth Cutright
Bo Harmier, Vanessa Wollny, Jia-You Yu
Brook Naron ~ Valedictorian
Honor Graduates
Rebekah Barnes, President
Bethany Stockwell, Vice President
Jaidyn Dennis, Secretary/Treasurer
Isabelle Admire
more than we should have. Mr. Underwood,
sorry, not sorry. Our class is one of the most
determined (with the right incentive) and
opinionated classes out there. But, if one thing’s
for sure, we all have dreams. We all want to be
someone and build the foundation for wonderful
lives.
That being said, there are some thank
yous that are long overdue. Thank you Mrs.
Hyde for advice on how to make college and
scholarship committees visualize us as good
candidates. Thank you Ms. Safier for being
our advisor and working your hardest for this
class, even when we might not have deserved
it. The one thing I’m going to miss about your
class is when you say, “Alright, story time,” even
though it may not be on topic with what we
are learning, it’s always educational. Thank you
Miss Willard for being a teacher that we could
talk to and for caring about this class so deeply.
Some personal thank yous I’d like to
give are to my best friend, Lizzie, my family,
and my art teacher, Kerri Boutwell. Lizzie, we do
everything together and you have always been
with me, supporting me in everything that I do.
Thank you for your friendship. I want to thank
my family for pushing me to do my best and
keeping me on track. Kerri isn’t here today, but
she showed me how to look at the world with a
different mindset. Kerri showed me how to make
my art better and to not expect greatness on the
first try. You have to work hard to build your
skills and become great with
time.
Before I end, I would like
to thank everyone who made it
here today and for being a part
in all of our lives. I’d also like to
congratulate every one of my
classmates for graduating and
starting the next chapter of our
lives. Thank you.
Ty Brown
Gaven Everett
Morgan Harral
Gabe Hart-Roberts
Alura Byler
Ben Fleck
Emma Campos
Sara Ghisianzoni
Casey Hathcoat,
MacKenzie Fassold
Adele Cousseau
Adam Hahn, Jaidyn Dennis
Storm Henson
Jacob Hylton