BCLUW class of 2020 marks graduation milestone

CONRAD- Members of the BCLUW Class of 2020 finally received their diplomas on Sunday evening and celebrated a senior year cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic during a commencement ceremony held in the high school gym.

“There surely have been difficult moments, from academics, athletics, activities, or most recently, missing out on key events in your senior year, and at those times you may have felt like not trying or even stopping,” High School Principal Kristyn Kell said. “But by giving up, what are you able to really do? Rather, it is in that moment of challenge or difficulty where you truly are able to go all in, keep doing the right thing and moving forward.”

As with other local commencement ceremonies, graduates were seated six feet apart from each other, and guests were limited in hopes of mitigating the spread of COVID-19. Kell and the four senior speakers—Abby Feldpausch, Kierstin Kruse, Payton Pekarek and Grace Stufflebeam—reflected on the unique challenges of the 2019-2020 year and the memories that the relatively small class of 34 made during its time together as Comets.

Feldpausch noted that the class wasn’t always a close-knit unit, but their bond has grown stronger over time, especially in the aftermath of the school closure in March.

“Each individual in this class is different from the person sitting next to them. In middle school, being different and unique isn’t considered cool, so naturally, this created a lot of conflict among us,” she said. “As we’ve grown and matured in the years since then, we’ve learned to love and accept each other because of how diverse we are. Maybe that makes us weird, but I think that what makes us special.”

Kruse took a more lighthearted turn in introducing her speech.

“Do you guys remember prom and the last day of school?” she asked. “Yeah, me neither.”

She went on to reflect on how much she had come to appreciate her time at BCLUW and remembered a quote from legendary softball coach Dave Lee about the little things leading to the big things.

Pekarek shared several humorous anecdotes from the 13 years the class had together and noted that COVID-19 could never take away the memories made. She also praised all of those who made a positive impact on the class.

“To our parents and family members, we thank you for being there for us. We thank you for not only believing in us, but for giving us the much needed support over the years, especially over the last couple of months not knowing what the future held or if we would walk across this stage,” she said. “To the teachers and staff members who have made an impact on us, we thank you… We thank you for your patience and commitment during the difficult months of online learning leading up to the end of the year. You not only taught us academic lessons, but you also taught us life lessons and skills we will use for the rest of our lives.”

Stufflebeam defined the word “live” and how she felt that the class had already lived a life full of experiences in 13 short years together, spelling out each letter—L for laughter, I for individual, V for Vision and E for Enjoy.

“Life is short. Time is fast. There’s no replays and no rewinds, so enjoy every moment as it comes,” she said.

Before school board members presented diplomas, honor graduates were recognized, and the band under the direction of Mr. David Bartling played special pieces of music.