Oregon’s pandemic-affected Class of 2024 receives its diplomas

It’s graduation season for the Class of 2024, a group of students whose whole high school careers were impacted by the pandemic.

“Your first year of high school began in a way none of us could have anticipated — entirely online,” Greg Carradine, principal of David Douglas High School, said.

“Yet in the face of Chromebooks and uncertainty, you discovered new ways to learn, grow, and thrive.”

Student speakers also mentioned the “COVID” of it all.

“We made it pretty far past breakout rooms… and now we’re here to finish it off,” said David Douglas student body president Aaron Busi in his graduation remarks.

Despite the unusual start to freshman year, the end of high school for the Class of 2024 looked pretty similar to years past.

Families and friends lovingly doled out flowers, teddy bears, leis, and for at least one student — pineapples — to their graduates.

“You can’t really get a guy flowers, I mean you can, but I’d rather not,” said Jason Scorte, a Metro East Web Academy graduate.

“This is from our culture,” said David Douglas graduate Alana Fuka, pointing to the leis around her neck and arms. “We just like to show gratitude — this is just leis. So there’s flower leis, snack leis, money leis — you can make anything out of a lei!”

At the David Douglas High School graduation at University of Portland’s Chiles Center, the school band played “Pomp and Circumstance” for 12 minutes as hundreds of graduates from one of the state’s largest high schools walked to their seats.

Before Carradine, who is retiring, rattled off the academic and the athletic achievements of the school’s Class of 2024, he mentioned the unique experience of this graduating class, a group of students that started high school online before returning in-person wearing masks and staying 6 feet apart.

“Class of 2024, you have established the ‘new’ — there’s no returning to normal,” Carradine said.

By the end of graduation, the sun was setting. But families continued to celebrate outside UP’s Chiles Center with music — including a mariachi band.

“I’m actually going to attend University of Portland, so this feels like home right now,” said graduate Ashley Lopez Navarrete, holding flowers and surrounded by family.

“The teachers were amazing — so supportive, so lenient with me when I had to take a break… [for] my mental health,” Lopez Navarrete said. “It was really extremely supportive for me and really did help me get back on my feet.

Other David Douglas grads talked about giving back to their community during high school.

“It’s kind of bittersweet to be honest,” Ryan Lao said. During senior year, Lao participated in student government, helping raise money for different nonprofits in Portland.

Mikaiah Hill was also a part of student government at David Douglas. She said speaking to the school board and changing a school policy was a highlight of her high school career.

“We had a ‘hats and hoods’ policy that restricted students from wearing hats, hoods, bandanas, and a lot of students — that’s a part of our culture,” Hill said. Hill and students spoke out against the policy.

“We got some change for our school and I’m proud that I got to speak for students who were probably affected heavily by that but didn’t have the voice or the platform to do so,” Hill said.

Across the metro area at a church in Tualatin, North Marion High School’s 10 valedictorians took turns speaking to their classmates and their community.

Three valedictorians gave their remarks together and in both English and Spanish, thanking their families for their support throughout high school.

“Especialmente les queremos dar las gracias a nuestros padres, familias, y amigos,” said speaker Monica Gonzalez. “Gracias por siempre darnos su apoyo. Todo esto no seria posible sin sus grandes sacrificios.”

(English translation: We especially want to thank our parents, families, and friends. Thank you for always giving us your support. All of this would not be possible without their big sacrifices.)

Another valedictorian, Abigail Hubbard, recalled trying seven new sports, joining five clubs and running for two different school leadership positions.

“Remember to be a little bit delusional, and to fake it ‘til you make it,” Hubbard said. “If you don’t make it, there’s always another sport out there to try, or a club, or a major, or even a whole new career path.”

As North Marion students walked up to receive their diplomas, most students shook hands with or hugged principal De Ann Jenness. One student shared an elaborate handshake with her.

In Gresham, the ceremony for the 14th graduating class of the Metro East Web Academy focused on students’ individual paths to high school success. While online “distance learning” was difficult and unpopular for many students who were required to attend school that way during the pandemic, hundreds of Oregon students had reasons they chose to complete high school that way.

One MEWA student speaker, Natalie Hall, graduated two years early.

“I gave up a lot to do this and it was tough, but looking back, I will never regret this decision,” Hall said.

Graduate Tennyson Leiby chose the flexibility of MEWA’s early college program instead of a traditional public high school so she could continue gymnastics training.

“Although my high school path was abnormal by most teenagers’ standards, I wouldn’t change a thing, because as a result, I’ve acquired both an academic and athletic scholarship to my dream college, and made numerous connections through MEWA,” Leiby shared.

After the ceremony, graduates Bailey Turner and Veronica Montgomery took turns fixing each other’s decorated graduation caps. Turner’s featured Spiderman wearing a graduation cap.

Montgomery’s had a collage of black and white photos and read “she knows she lived through it 2 get 2 this moment”.

“School this year was definitely a change,” Montgomery, who was only at MEWA for one semester, said.

“As someone who got a job as soon as they could, MEWA really offered the ability to work as well as continue my education,” Turner, a MEWA student since junior year, said about her time.

Montgomery is heading to Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona, to study sports management. Turner wants to go to trade school to learn to be a mechanic.

“I feel like [graduation] has been a long time coming,” Turner said.

“I’m happy about it, I’m excited, I’m done!”