Juneau high schools to graduate 312 students on Sunday

The gym at Juneau-Douglas High School is set up for graduating 160 students on Sunday. (Photo by Lisa Phu/KTOO)
The gym at Juneau-Douglas High School is set up for graduating 160 students on Sunday. (Photo by Lisa Phu/KTOO)

Juneau’s high schools are celebrating graduation on Sunday.

The ceremonies kick off at 1 p.m. with Yaaḵoosgé Daakahídi Alternative High School‘s at Centennial Hall. Principal Kristin Garot says advisors will do a short presentation for each of the 30 graduates.

She says the ceremony will also have a twist.

“For those of you longtime fans of Yaaḵoosgé Daakahídi, you’re going to want to come to this graduation ceremony. We have a little special surprise. It’s going to be a really fun wrap-up of the school year with some special guests,” Garot says.

Thunder Mountain High School will hold its graduation ceremony for 122 students in the school gymnasium at 4 p.m. Five foreign exchange students will also be walking.

This year’s valedictorians are James Barnhill, Madeline Hall, Thane Reishus-O’Brien and Danielle Steinman. Barnhill, Reishus-O’Brien and Dana Bogatko are the student speakers. Juneau Pastor Mike Rydman is the ceremony’s community speaker.

Juneau-Douglas High School’s graduation ceremony is at 7 p.m. in the main gym. There are 160 students in the class of 2015. That includes students who might’ve done part of their schooling with Homebridge or other alternative programs.

Juneau-Douglas Principal Paula Casperson says it’s a special and emotional time for graduating seniors.

“Not only are they wrapping up their high school experience, but that means they’re moving on. I think there’s a balance between the energy and the excitement as well as the, ‘Oh, now I’m off to other things,’ and I think that can be a little daunting at times,” Casperson says.

JDHS’s ceremony will feature student speakers Charity Anderson, Max Blust and Robert Newman. The guest speaker is 2014 congressional candidate Forrest Dunbar.

The nonprofit group Parents for a Safe Graduation is holding a party for all high school graduates at Centennial Hall on Sunday night from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.. The annual event is alcohol, drug and smoke-free.

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