{"id":19666,"date":"2023-06-14T01:35:31","date_gmt":"2023-06-14T01:35:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/?p=19666"},"modified":"2023-06-13T19:50:29","modified_gmt":"2023-06-13T19:50:29","slug":"showing-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/2023\/06\/14\/showing-up\/","title":{"rendered":"Showing Up"},"content":{"rendered":"

BY Tristan Head<\/em><\/p>\n

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Back Row: Tristan Head, Luis Gomez Carranza, Rabbit Buxton, Daniel Servin, Ethan Hansen, Mando Valerio Jr., Brian Madrigal, Cristian Pina. Middle Row: Kacie Flolo, Tenney Barrow, Piper Kolb, Jamie Jordan. Front Row: Grendel Sprong, Yarelis Murillo Chacon, Hannah Clark, Daniela Romero Valencia. Photo credit: Tristan Head<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Showing up pays dividends. Far too many individuals don\u2019t show up when it comes down to it, yet Wood River High School\u2019s class of 2023 shows up.<\/p>\n

COVID arrived with a ring from Blaine County School District declaring spring break would be extended by two weeks. The pandemic expanded into the 2020-21 school year, providing a hybrid schedule allowing for a two-day school week. Instead of removing the remainder of obligations to play, a hefty percentage took the mature path to support their family. They showed up to who matters, when it matters.<\/p>\n

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Alex Vallejo-Lopez performs \u201cThe Star-Spangled Banner\u201d on electric guitar. Photo credit: Tristan Head<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Principal Julia Grafft opened graduation night emphasizing the tremendous achievements the class represents: 44% of the class will be the first generation to obtain education beyond high school; 44% of the graduating class had a 3.5 GPA or higher; over $200,000 was awarded in local scholarships; 55 individuals graduated with the seal of biliteracy (52 in Spanish and, for the first time ever, three in French), 35 graduated from the Dual Immersion program; mountain bike, women\u2019s hockey, and tennis won state championships; men\u2019s hockey won the Chipotle 1A Youth Tier 2 18U National Championship; Colla Voce received the highest rating at the WorldStrides Heritage Music Festival; with dozens of other recipients in state performances for drama and independent activities. Anay Gil-Salinas conveyed that these results require \u201ccompanionship found in clubs, classes, and sports\u201d that began as \u201csmall moments that you\u2019ll remember.\u201d This group of seniors showed up to support and encourage one another while finding success in whatever path they chose.<\/p>\n

While Doug Stouffer, staff speaker, admitted this group of students received a \u201cstamp of approval in his own head\u2026 because they provided a 180-degree turn,\u201d rejuvenating his passion for teaching, he still felt they needed a challenge. He requested the class of \u201923 \u201c\u2026make a positive contribution\u201d to the community they raise a family in. While individuals like Brandon Corona can be seen changing your oil at Ford or maybe Hannah Clark made you a fresh cup of joe at The Coffee House or it was Mando Valerio who made your coffee while you grocery shopped at Albertsons, with Oscar Cisneros or Christian Hernandez serving you at the deli, or maybe Kim Benjamin or Anay Gil-Salinas baked the cake for your child\u2019s birthday, or maybe it was a brief, late-night encounter with Omar Perez Garcia and Brian Madrigal stocking the shelves before checking out with Zack Nordstrom. Wherever you go, they are present. Through small or wide-ranging conversations, brief or extensive interactions, this group leaves an impact on the individuals they encounter. Now, they will take their impressions elsewhere.<\/p>\n

They will continue to be present while they journey into apprenticeships as electricians, plumbers, or pursue culinary and cosmetology \u2014 shoutout to \u201cGetting\u2019 Faded with Eric Chavez Villa and Rolando Diaz Chavez.\u201d Others may take longer to receive their advanced degrees in education, Rabbit Buxton, Alexia Reyes, and Jamie Jordan, who will educate youth; hopefully for the community they return to this Valley. Brooke Black may expand the family construction business with a degree in architecture, expanding the foundation of our beloved Valley.<\/p>\n

Each individual participates in the construction of their future. Hopefully several members of this graduating class will find themselves returning to the Valley to strengthen its identity. Ms. Grafft emphasized the group\u2019s ability to \u201cadvocate for marginalized communities,\u201d whether local, domestic, or international, because they choose to include everyone in the conversations dictating the future rather than electing to exclude individuals. Thankfully, Melanie Gonzalez-Meza\u2019s inspiration can be found within the conflict conveyed through recent bills. She seeks to create a sanctuary for people searching for opportunity by defending them as an immigration lawyer.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, Adan and Bryan Hernandez and Oscar Cisneros possess the bravery required to join the fire department. Thankfully, Beckam Settle, Micah Shupe and Gunnar Kimball volunteer themselves to go wherever the United States military deems necessary to protect the liberties of citizens of the United States.<\/p>\n

Dolores Huerta said, \u201c\u2026more important to teach that other people besides themselves are important and that the best thing they can do with their lives is to use them in the service of other people.\u201d The Class of 2023 adopted this phrase, wholeheartedly emphasized through Ms. Grafft\u2019s words, \u201c\u2026who have inspired me and staff in ways they will never know.\u201d This class acknowledges the sacrifices of those who came before them, which is reiterated through Ms. Gil-Salinas\u2019s statement about \u201cparents who gave up their dreams to give us a better future.\u201d What she does not recognize is that she and her peers fulfill her parents\u2019 dreams; these individuals actively create a better world by conveying the message that everyone matters.<\/p>\n

In the end, this graduating class took selflessness to a whole other level. In the words of the high school librarian, Kari Haugen, \u201cThey have the worst senior prank ever \u2014 they won\u2019t stop showing up.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BY Tristan Head Showing up pays dividends. Far too many individuals don\u2019t show up when it comes down to it, yet Wood River High School\u2019s class of 2023 shows up. COVID arrived with a ring from Blaine County School District declaring spring break would be extended by two weeks. The pandemic expanded into the 2020-21 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":19669,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","_pvb_checkbox_block_on_post":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[72,74,18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-19666","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-community","8":"category-education","9":"category-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19666","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19666"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19666\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19670,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19666\/revisions\/19670"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19669"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19666"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19666"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19666"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}