The Cook County High School Class of 2012 is a close-knit group, as is evident in the music selected for the June 2, 2012 commencement exercises. These young men—Jordan Lack, David Bergstrom, Gunnar Anderson and Mike Sjogren—sang the Bill Withers classic tale of friendship— Lean on Me.
Commencement exercises for the Cook County High School Class of 2012 began and ended with tears and hugs on Saturday, June 2 in the high school gym.
As the 27 graduates entered solemnly to Pomp and Circumstance by the CCHS band, many graduates held hands. Three friends broke tradition a little bit—Lauren Murray, Annika Stone, and Michaela Buchheit—entered together, arms linked.
CCHS Junior Sarah Larsen led the audience in the National Anthem and Principal Gwen Carman welcomed the crowd to graduation. Principal Carman added thanks—to the CCHS faculty and support staff, to the parents and to the community— for helping the graduates through the years.
The CCHS band played—with the seniors playing with them for the very last time—an arrangement of The Incredibles. As they returned to their seats, there were a few tears for the band members, and hugs as they sat back down.
Class of 2012 Salutatorian Cecelia Olson (left) and Valedictorian Ashley Ross gave heartfelt messages of thanks to the community and well-wishes to classmates.
Valedictorian Ashley Ross shared a brief look back. She noted that students came together from different elementary schools—Grand Portage, Birch Grove and Sawtooth Elementary, but all the schools offered interesting adventures, including the exciting fifth-grade trip to Wolf Ridge. Then it was on to middle school “with all its drama,” she said, “when slow dancing with someone became the talk of the school the next day.”
All of that prepared the Class of 2012 for high school, said Ashley, with its freedom and friendships.
Through the years, Ashley said, the class had become family. And on behalf of the class, she thanked all of their families for helping them get to this day.
She finished with the words of the children’s book that they read to kindergartners the last week of school. Each year seniors go “full-circle” and spend some time in the classroom where they started school. Ashley held up the book I Knew You Could to read to the graduates, teasing, “You even get to see the pictures.”
The 27 members of the graduating class of 2012 stand for recognition at commencement exercises on Saturday, June 2 in the CCHS gymnasium. There were a few tears during the graduation ceremony, but laughter too.
She read the final verse, “Stay true to yourself and travel your track—with no second guessing and no turning back.”
Next, Salutatorian Cecelia Olson thanked everyone for coming to graduation. She then spoke to the class, making them laugh when she said, “As many of you guys know, I’ve been stressing about my speech—but that’s nothing new. As my friends know, I break out in hives when I get nervous. They don’t even listen to me speak anymore; they just watch for my neck to turn red. Thanks to this robe, you have to listen to what I have to say.”
CeCe then made her classmates cry as she fought back tears and talked about how close the class has been through the years. “I know it sounds cheesy, but I love you guys. You are my family,” she said.
Ashley Deschampe (left) and Bekah Laky sang a medley of touching songs—Don’t Forget to Remember Me and I Will Remember You.
After using the tissue she had stashed at the podium to dry her eyes, she made them laugh as she said, “We’ve always been a class of ‘huggers.’”
CeCe recalled that her grandmother once dropped off a few of her friends after a play date. “At each stop we had to hug to say goodbye. My grandma asked, ‘Is this normal for you kids?’”
CeCe was all smiles as she shrugged and said, “Well, yeah!”
She sat back down and received reassuring hugs from her classmates.
Four senior boys—Jordan Lack, David Bergstrom, Gunnar Anderson, and Mike Sjogren— shared the meaningful Bill Withers song Lean on Me. The audience joined in and clapped along. Near the end of the song, the friends drew close—they didn’t hug—but they stood shoulder-to-shoulder as they sang the final “Just call on me brother, when you need a hand…”
Mitch Dorr, social studies teacher and coach at CCHS, was asked to be the commencement speaker. Like the valedictorian and salutatorian, he had to pause to compose himself a couple of times during his address to this special class.
Senior Class President Molly Zafft introduced the commencement guest speaker, Social Studies Teacher and Coach Mitch Dorr. Molly said the class picked Coach Dorr to be the speaker because he attended CCHS and he understands what it is like to grow up in a small school. She said the class has appreciated his help, whether it was life lessons or explaining supply and demand curves.
Dorr said it was a great honor to be the commencement speaker. He then asked the audience to answer a few questions before he began.
“How many of you remember your high school graduation?” he asked as many hands went up in the audience.
“Okay, how many of you remember the graduation speaker?” he asked and many hands went down.
A few people held their hands high until he asked. “How many of you were so moved by that graduation speech that it changed your life in some way?”
As the audience laughed, Dorr said, “Look around you, ,graduates. The odds are against me. But you gotta love a challenge.”
He said he would try to give the Class of 2012 “one last lesson.” But, he said, he wasn’t sure what it should be, since the previous speakers had done a good job. He joked that he could just talk about supply and demand curves and diminishing returns on investments.
Instead he spoke of the importance of being an authentic person, despite life’s adversities.
He shared the tale of a man who fell a the hole and called out for help. A doctor passed by and heard the cries—and tossed a prescription down the hole. A minister passed by and heard the cries—and tossed down a piece of paper with a prayer on it. Finally, the man’s friend passed by and heard his shouts. The friend jumped into the hole.
The first man said, “Great, now we’re both stuck in this hole” to which his friend replied, “Yes, but we’re together. And I’ve been here before…I know the way out.”
Dorr said, “Graduates, whether you know the way out of the hole or not, jump in! Follow your heart. I can’t think of a better way to live an authentic life.”
And his final advice? “If you ever fall in a hole, use your cell phone and call me,” he said.
There was more music then, a beautiful offering by Bekah Laky and Ashley Deschampe who sang Don’t Forget to Remember Me and I Will Remember You. There were tears and more hugs as the girls finished and took their seats.
And then laughs as the class scrambled to find a seat on the floor to watch the Senior Slide Show prepared by CeCe and Clara Olson—or mostly by Clara, according to her sister CeCe.
Then diplomas were presented by Superintendent of Schools Beth Schwarz, School Board Member Jeanne Anderson, Grand Portage Tribal Council Representative April McCormick, and faculty members Ivy Church, Mitch Dorr and Kathryn Ramberg.
Diplomas in hand, Principal Carman introduced the Class of 2012 and it was hats in the air and more hugs as graduates left the gymnasium to Where Eagles Soar by the CCHS band.
Ready to soar—but not before a few more hugs. Is that normal for graduation?
For the Class of 2012? Well, yeah!
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