CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The school year might be over, but for the class of 2023, their young adult lives have just begun.
The four Laramie County School District 1 high schools held graduation ceremonies on May 25 and May 26 at both Storey Gym and Frontier Park. More than 600 graduates marched across the stage to receive their diploma while being cheered on by their peers, friends and family members.
A recap of the graduations can be found below.
Triumph High School
Triumph High School held its graduation ceremony at Storey Gym on May 25. The 33 graduates were praised by principal Troy Lake and student speaker Riley-Jayne Balderaz for their ability to adapt to a challenging learning environment brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Today we celebrate our triumph over adversity,” Balderaz said during the ceremony. “We stand here with our caps and gowns looking back at the obstacles we have overcome, the challenges we have faced and the doubts we have conquered. We’re not just high school graduates; we’re survivors of our struggles and we have emerged stronger and wiser and more resilient than ever before.”
East High School
East High School held its graduation ceremony at Frontier Park on the morning of May 26. Student speakers Kooper Taylor, Patrick Coggin and Danielle Schulz assured their peers that making mistakes is a part of life, and encouraged them to learn from failures.
“Let’s be honest with ourselves, we have no idea what we are doing with our lives,” Coggin said during the ceremony. “While we might be focusing on our very last moments in high school, and although we don’t always like to admit it, it will always be through our failures and missteps that brought us here and will continue to learn and grow.”
Central High School
Central High School held its graduation ceremony in the afternoon at Frontier Park on May 26. Distinguished staff speaker Col. Thomas Johnson reminded the graduates to live with integrity. Student speaker Kira Newcomer reminisced on the class of 2023’s Central High experience.
“We were lucky enough to not only share the halls of Central with each other, but also this stage,” Newscomer said during the ceremony. “I might not have known every person whose name is called today, nor will I have had significant interactions with every one of you, but we are each a patchwork quilt of every person whose has gotten to this point.”
South High School
South High School held its graduation ceremony at Frontier Park in the evening on May 26. Rain and thunder kicked off the beginning of South High’s graduation, but that didn’t deter the graduates from attending. South High Language Arts and LCSD1 Teacher of the Year Paul Weatherford reminded the class that they have faced far more difficult times than sitting in the rain throughout their high school careers.
“Making it through high school to this grand day is no easy task, even in normal times,” Weatherford said during the ceremony. “Y’all have barely known normal since day one at South High School, from an epically long spring break in 2020 to a school of masks and spray bottles. Amid wars in the world seems nothing but bad news on the networks. Y’all have still made your way. You are the good news that we celebrate.”
