Jackson Hole Community School seniors toss their mortarboards upon graduating during commencement ceremonies Friday at the Center for the Arts.
Jackson Hole Community School seniors give flowers to David Heinemann, the school’s director of college counseling, after graduation ceremonies Friday at the Center for the Arts. Heinemann delivered the recognition speeches for each graduate during the commencement. He is leaving Jackson Hole for a similar position in Vail, Colorado.
Sen. John Barrasso speaks at the Jackson Hole Classical Academy’s 2022 commencement ceremony.
Leonardo Luna Valencia’s tassel sways as he walks into the spotlight Thursday night. Summit Innovations School celebrated its 16 graduates at the Center for the Arts. Teachers at the school gave personalized speeches to honor each student.
Isabelle Weisman tosses it up as she accepts her diploma Thursday night and her large showing of friends cheers her on. Summit Innovations School celebrated its 16 graduates at the Center for the Arts.
Sarah Tallerico exits the tent where commencement ceremonies were held Friday at Jackson Hole Classical Academy. Tallerico is the school’s lone 2022 graduate and will attend West Point this fall.
Drew Overholser makes a heartfelt address to his students on June 1. Overholser, who helped found the Journeys School in 2001 and is one one of the longest-serving faculty members, is leaving the school to pursue wildlife guiding full time.
Skylar White races to catch up with her classmates after Mountain Academy commencement ceremonies June 1. White, who attended the Mountain Academy since kindergarten, graduated with eight other classmates.
Jackson Hole Community School seniors toss their mortarboards upon graduating during commencement ceremonies Friday at the Center for the Arts.
Jackson Hole Community School seniors give flowers to David Heinemann, the school’s director of college counseling, after graduation ceremonies Friday at the Center for the Arts. Heinemann delivered the recognition speeches for each graduate during the commencement. He is leaving Jackson Hole for a similar position in Vail, Colorado.
Sen. John Barrasso speaks at the Jackson Hole Classical Academy’s 2022 commencement ceremony.
Leonardo Luna Valencia’s tassel sways as he walks into the spotlight Thursday night. Summit Innovations School celebrated its 16 graduates at the Center for the Arts. Teachers at the school gave personalized speeches to honor each student.
Isabelle Weisman tosses it up as she accepts her diploma Thursday night and her large showing of friends cheers her on. Summit Innovations School celebrated its 16 graduates at the Center for the Arts.
Sarah Tallerico exits the tent where commencement ceremonies were held Friday at Jackson Hole Classical Academy. Tallerico is the school’s lone 2022 graduate and will attend West Point this fall.
Drew Overholser makes a heartfelt address to his students on June 1. Overholser, who helped found the Journeys School in 2001 and is one one of the longest-serving faculty members, is leaving the school to pursue wildlife guiding full time.
Skylar White races to catch up with her classmates after Mountain Academy commencement ceremonies June 1. White, who attended the Mountain Academy since kindergarten, graduated with eight other classmates.
Before Jackson Hole High School got its graduation kicks (see page 10), the valley’s smaller institutions showed off their graduates at a series of personalized ceremonies.
Some schools presented each graduate with a short speech, read by a teacher or advisor, while others let the students do the talking. One ceremony even welcomed a U.S. senator.
While the celebrations each had a distinct flair, mirroring the unique experiences of their graduates, they also shared common themes of perseverance, triumph and fun.
Speakers like Shawn Kelly, CEO of Teton Science Schools, reminded the students of their potential in all the possibilities that lie ahead.
“The world needs you,” he said. “It needs each of you. Stay true to who you are, and embrace the idea that each one of you has the power to have a positive impact, one decision at a time.”
Corbin LaMoine Johnson could hardly contain his energy as he danced across the Center for the Arts main stage.
“Corbin, when you’re in the right mood, you are one of the most animated individuals that I have ever known,” said science teacher Brian Hager, carrying on the cherished Summit tradition of introducing each graduate with a personal speech.
The accounts only hinted at each students’ trials and triumphs, but they were enough to move their presenters to tears.
“Henry, you are incredibly unique in mind, body and spirit and are respectfully revered for your bravery to go against the grain,” counselor Pam Coleman said of Henry Quinn.
Miguel Perez Badillo will probably be remembered most for the senior slideshow photo of him riding the world’s largest jackalope in Dubois, but John Stevens, a care professional at Summit, did his best to offer more nuance.
“In addition to being a dependable student and friend, you’re incredibly loyal towards those around you,” Stevens said. “We have watched as you persevered through struggles and came out a better man.”
English teacher Heidi Crabtree praised Monica Almanza Sedano for her compassionate wit.
“If you’ve ever been on the opposite end of a Monica joke, you know it signifies love,” she said.
Even short descriptions like “Nathan, you are kind, polite and humble,” gave a portal into each student’s personality at this poignant juncture. The educators’ praise served as a reminder that everyone has strengths worth celebrating.
“You are capable of doing hard things,” Principal Pier Trudelle told the Class of 2022, earning a robust “Yes!” from the crowd.
A day later, Community School grads took to the same stage for their own ceremony.
College counselor David Heinemann came dressed for the occasion in custom Nike kicks emblazoned with the private school’s signature blue and yellow. The purple socks were an homage to Morgan Kilman, who rocked magenta hair in her senior portrait.
Introduced as “fearless” by class president and master of ceremonies Javier Huta, Heinemann had the difficult task of single-handedly recognizing all 20 graduates. He rose to the occasion.
As he bounced behind the podium, exuding celebratory zeal, Heinemann praised Will Aepli for his sharp debating skills, Kate Brigham for being one of the best athletes in the country and Hunter Dewell for grabbing everyone’s attention during a presentation on plastic straws.
“I thought, ‘Hmm, interesting. Who is this kid wanting to save the planet?’” Heineman said. “And then of course, who could forget your love of narwhal whales?”
He celebrated Elsie Hall, who is visually impaired, for not letting her disability define her. He woefully tried to recite Shakespeare for Dillon Hanna, a budding thespian destined for Brown University. For Kai McClennen, headed to MIT with the highest GPA in Community School history, Heinemann told everyone about the math whiz’s desire to stay overnight at the school to carry out a senior prank.
After more than a decade at the Community School, Heinemann is leaving for a similar position in Vail next year. Each graduate gave him a floral farewell at the end of the ceremony.
Teton Science Schools ditched the pomp and circumstance for a casual celebration at its Jackson campus.
Younger students from the K-12 private school lounged in the grass on custom Teton Science Schools seat cushions, and the eight graduating seniors, still glowing from their recent trip to Costa Rica, basked in the morning sunshine as they took their seats.
Two students, Skylar White and Sebastian Ortega, wore white sashes above their azure gowns as a sign of their lifetime studies at Teton Science Schools. Ortega joined in preschool and White in kindergarten.
David Porter, head of Mountain Academy’s upper school, said the Class of 2022 has showcased “tremendous growth.”
He also described the graduating seniors as the “funnest class.”
“And I don’t extol when it’s not been earned,” he said.
There was clear pride in Porter’s voice to celebrate the graduates of what still feels like a new school — and an uncertain venture.
Drew Overholser, a favorite educator among the students, was the keynote speaker. He is leaving the school next year to become a wildlife guide.
Overholser said he was surprised and honored to be the school’s chosen speaker. “Then I remembered the airport was closed,” he said to a round of laughter.
The history teacher celebrated members of this year’s class for their unique talents as leather workers, artists, and radio producers, but he also reminded them to remember the people who supported those skills and built their privilege.
He urged students to hold fast to their values and also to know their limitations.
“As much as I wanted to play centerfield for the Cincinnati Reds, it was just not in my cards,” he said.
Then he turned to Mary Sanchez, the school’s graduating exchange student from Mexico.
“Mary, you will not marry a billionaire from Miami Beach, Florida,” he said. “It’s not in your cards.”
Overholser also used a postscript to get the last word in with Charlotte Holding, saying “the Oxford comma is dead.” (Someone from the audience yelled “No!” in defiance.)
As another teacher thanked Overholser for his “immeasurable impact” on the upper school community, students and families rose to give him a standing ovation. Then it was the students’ turn to speak.
Holding — determined to fill her speech with unnecessary punctuation — said her original life plan was to attend Skyline High School like her five older siblings, then marry “a man named Brad” in California. Obviously, that plan took a bit of a twist.
Initially daunted by the small class sizes and new setting, Holding came to appreciate the Mountain Academy for its eccentricities.
“It is these little funny moments that create a memorable experience,” she said.
Holding is planning to attend Santa Clara University in the fall and is still holding out hope that she’ll find her Brad.
Skylar White, on the other hand, is hoping to find something in herself. She began her speech by telling everyone “my dress is kind of itchy, and my tan is fake,” practicing the kind of authenticity she hopes will make the world a more loving place.
Augustus Moeller told younger students to stay curious. Miles Goodell urged them to find their own motivation. Alexis Reyes began with a tribute to his mother, Carmen, who told the News&Guide shortly before the ceremony she wasn’t quite ready for him to move on.
Under a white tent framed by the Tetons and surrounded by the Classical Academy’s 80 acres south of town, a crowd of about 200 came to see off “class of one,” Sarah Tallerico.
Teachers and mentors acknowledged Tall but had no problem filling the hour with praises for the graduate and God.
The night before, the track athlete delivered a 30-minute thesis on changing local zoning laws to increase housing density to ease Jackson’s “most pressing problem.”
With a perfect ACT score, high school honors and a congressional letter of recommendation from U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, Tallerico was admitted to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
In his keynote speech Barrasso encouraged Tallerico’s goal to become an orthopedic surgeon, like her father and like Barrasso himself.
“Well, veni vidi vici, you came, you saw and you conquered. No question about it,” Barrasso said.
“Cowboys never complained. And neither will you or the United States military.”
Contact Evan Robinson-Johnson at 732-5901 or ERJ@jhnewsandguide.com.
Evan Robinson-Johnson covers issues residents face on a daily basis, from smoky skies to housing insecurity. Originally from New England, he has settled in east Jackson and avoids crowds by rollerblading through the alleyways.
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