It was a breezy graduation ceremony on Spartan Field on Saturday afternoon …but the rain held off. As gold balloons bobbed in the wind the class of 2021, parents, friends, family, FHS staff, and administration celebrated a unique year and ceremony.

Each grad was issued four tickets for the ceremony. Others in the community watched on YouTube. At one point around 90 people were watching. The annual slide show of the class was to be shown on a screen on the field but the wind prohibited that plan. So everyone looked to their phone to watch the presentation.

Salutatorian Savanah Meyer provided the Star Spangled Banner and in her speech thanked her community. She shared a lesson learned during COVID was time management.

Valedictorian Natalie Lausche described the day as bittersweet. A year without a Senior prom and Senior trip was a challenging one.

In Cheryl Archibald’s speech, she offered that she was going to cry, as after 31 years of teaching she knew each and every one of those graduating. She told them, “You are loved so much.”

At the end of the ceremony, caps flew and graduates were urged to release the “bio-degradable” balloons and away they went with the wind.

Staff Speaker Cheryl Archibald.

Valedictorian Address by Natalie Lausche.

Quileute Tribal members honored the graduates with a song. More photos on page 10.

Salutatorian Savanna Meyer sings the “Star Spangled Banner”.