Alpena students turn tassels
News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Members of the Alpena High School graduation class assemble on the baseball diamond before being escorted into the football stadium for commencements on Sunday.
News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Alpena Public Schools administrators, staff, and board of education members enter Sunday’s graduation ceremony at Wildlife Stadium.
News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Damon Adams gave a stirring speech about how his graduating class overcame the many challenges associated with COVID-19, and explained how it has prepared them to go into the changed world and make a difference.
News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Alpena High School senior Haley Monti sang the Star Spangled Banner to kick off graduation on Sunday.
News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Jade Gray addressed her classmates during graduation on Sunday. Gray urged her fellow graduates not to look too far into the future right now, but to look around themselves and see the special things they have.
News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Hundreds of people filled the bleachers at Wildcat Stadium in Alpena Sunday to celebrate the class of 2021 during graduation.
News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Members of the Alpena High School graduation class assemble on the baseball diamond before being escorted into the football stadium for commencements on Sunday.
News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Alpena Public Schools administrators, staff, and board of education members enter Sunday’s graduation ceremony at Wildlife Stadium.
News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Damon Adams gave a stirring speech about how his graduating class overcame the many challenges associated with COVID-19, and explained how it has prepared them to go into the changed world and make a difference.
News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Alpena High School senior Haley Monti sang the Star Spangled Banner to kick off graduation on Sunday.
News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Jade Gray addressed her classmates during graduation on Sunday. Gray urged her fellow graduates not to look too far into the future right now, but to look around themselves and see the special things they have.
News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Hundreds of people filled the bleachers at Wildcat Stadium in Alpena Sunday to celebrate the class of 2021 during graduation.
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ALPENA -- The weather on graduation day for the Alpena High School senior class of 2021, was much like its four years of high school.
It had its low points, but ended on a high-note.
It was kind of dark, cloudy, and gloomy, but brightened up near the end of the ceremony at Wildcat Stadium when the sun came out.
Like the weather on Sunday, the seniors capped off their time in high school on a high-note. By being together, and sharing laughs and smiles, which is something they haven't been able to do as a large group, since early in the pandemic.
The class had its shares of ups and downs and unusual twists and turns during its four years at AHS. The COVID-19 pandemic often threw a monkey-wrench in schedules and events, but through all of the chaos and unknown, the graduates may be more prepared to tackle the post-pandemic world they now enter.
Alpena High School Principal Tom Berriman addressed his graduates and reminded them of some of the odd highlights from their four years at the school. He reminisced about the graduates freshman year when on Halloween, power at the school suddenly went out and wasn't restored until the school day was over.
Berriman said all of the students were jammed into the auditorium and the gym and everyone just hung out until the busses showed up. Things got even weirder as the school year continued, Berriman said.
"We had to lock the school down because there was a manhunt in downtown Alpena," he said. "Then we got 32 inches of snow in April. It can't get any weirder right? Wrong."
The graduate's sophomore year was also one for the record books. Berriman reminded them about how on the first day of their second year of high school, they were kept out of B-House because of Asbestos, and about the bad winter, and the 22 snow days there were.
Berriman said their junior year appeared to be normal, until spring when the pandemic forced the school to close. In person learning has started and stopped several times since then. Berriman said, through it all, the students fought through the disruption and came out the other side strong and united.
You finished," he said. "Yes, you lost a lot of things. You didn't deserve this. None of you deserved this year. You lost pep rallies, homecoming and dances, yet you persevered."
Student speaker Damon Adams said over the last four years, the class had gone through unprecedented trials and tribulations, but are stronger because of it and now, ready to make its mark.
"We are soon to be explorers of this new world that we now find ourselves in today," Adams said. "We have a great task ahead of us. We must venture out on our own, and do our best to navigate the rocky terrain. That is the destiny of our class."