8A | JUNE 17, 2021 |
AKHS
COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL
from A1
you enough because that in
itself is the reason why I’m
standing here today.”
Dove also praised teach-
ers who inspired her to
continue learning and to
persevere through hard-
ship.
“You’re all amazing and
you’re all part of the reason
this is the best school I’ve
ever attended,” she said.
Ketcher then introduced
Owen Dragt, who she
praised for using the school
as a turning point in her
life.
“Th e progress that I have
seen her make over the past
two years deserves to be
celebrated,” said Ketcher.
Dragt refl ected on her
time in a conventional high
school, which she said she
had diffi culty connecting
with, and lauded Al Ken-
nedy High School’s alterna-
tive approach.
“Th ey can apply diff er-
ent teaching methods to
individual students, which
is something that you can’t
really get at a bigger school,”
she said. “I am so proud for
this to be my school.”
Graduate Joshua Cox
took the podium next
and led the audience on
a light-hearted refl ection
of society’s relationship to
time.
Quoting the movie
“Kung Fu Panda,” he re-
layed the wisdom of a con-
templative character: “Yes-
terday is history. Tomorrow
over the school year.
“Th ese chairs represent
the loved ones that, al-
though lost, have not been
forgotten,” she said. “I
imagine people sitting in
these chairs being part of
this important ceremony
and this important stage of
the students’ lives.”
Following a moment of
silence, AKHS graduates
took the podium to refl ect
on their lessons learned
during their time at the
school.
Ketcher fi rst introduced
Isabella Dove, who Ketch-
er said had been a positive
role model for her peers
and a dedicated participant
in the school’s conservation
program.
Dove spoke of her admi-
ration for Al Kennedy High
School and its teachers,
praising the deep relation-
ships and personal moti-
vators a small school can
provide.
“I went to three diff erent
high schools and Al Ken-
nedy is by far the best,” she
said. “I got more credits
here in two trimesters than
I did in my prior two years
of high school.”
Practical life skills were a
part of her curriculum, too.
“Th ey even taught me
my rights in case I ever
get arrested,” she said to
laughs. “You guys let me be
myself and I cannot thank
is a mystery. But today – to-
day is a gift and that is why
it is called the ‘present.’”
Th e perspective should
fi nd relevance with stu-
dents of AKHS, many of
whom have had to over-
come steep obstacles in
their past.
“Not many of us were
cut out for the mainstream
school experience,” said
Cox. “And if it weren’t for
Al Kennedy, we probably
wouldn’t have made it.”
Cox cautioned that
brooding on the past must
be tempered by extracting
lessons from it. He encour-
aged the audience to take
command of their present
to build agency for their
own futures. One way to do
this: appreciation.
Cox listed his own rea-
sons to be thankful for
his environment and the
teachers who guided him.
“As for the future, I don’t
think it’s quite happened
yet. And I don’t think it
ever really will because
every time we get there, it
just becomes the present
again,” he quipped. “But
with a group of young men
and women like this, I’m
sure it’ll be as unique as our
pasts and as treasurable as
our present.”
Ketcher again addressed
the audience and noted
how diffi cult the past year
of distance learning was for
students who couldn’t take
full advantage of Al Kenne-
dy High School’s opportu-
nities. A typical year would
see around 40 to 50 gradu-
ates, she said.
“Graduates, no matter
what diffi culties you may
have faced to get here to-
day, you should be fi lled
with a great sense of happi-
ness and accomplishment,”
Ketcher said. “You have all
put in so much eff ort to be
able to sit here today and
know that you’ve earned
the right to sit here.”
Like the students, Ketch-
er praised the opportuni-
ties the school has provid-
ed despite a harrowing last
year, including its GED
program which helped sev-
en students this year and
“sustainability
cohorts”
which helped another sev-
en students earn a high
school diploma.
Teachers then took turns
to share their appreciation
for each of the graduates in
attendance, complimenting
them one by one on their
individual
accomplish-
ments.
Many were praised for
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their persistence and deter-
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Others were given encour-
agement to follow through
with their particular goals
or applauded for various
accomplishments while at-
tending AKHS.
“Remember everything
that Al Kennedy means to
each of you,” said Ketcher.
“Because all of us at Kenne-
dy will never forget any of
you.”
Th e ceremony ended
with a recessional song re-
corded by high school staff .
As each of the 12 attending
graduates walked one by
one from the ceremony,
personalized verses were
sung to commemorate
their achievements and
highlight their personali-
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