That excluded a special one-time grant from Google of five laptop computers to Math Department Chair Brenda Biesler, seniors Jorge Valdez and Paige Lemelin, junior Kay Van and sophomore Timothy Marecki.
Estes said former Principal Dick Edwards received the letter in January, but the computers didn’t arrive until after he retired in mid-March. It was the first in 16 years without Edwards on the stage as principal and emcee. He said he wanted the June graduation to be focused on the graduates.
The grand scholarship total includes $130,000 in Nevada Millennium grants of up to $10,000 each to attend any of Nevada’s eight colleges.
The largest single scholarship, $49,248, plus a $1,200 signing bonus, went to Cody Snee for joining the United States Army.
Other honors included the top 10 percent academically of the class, National Honor Society membership, advanced diplomas, honors diplomas and career-technical education seals.
Joining valedictorian Jennifer Brown and salutatorian Brittany Chase in the top 10 percent were Kimberly Benavides and Brittany Lee.
Honors diplomas went to Benavides, Brown and Chase for having a 3.5 or higher GPA and passing at least 12 credits in honors courses.
Senior Class President Jorgen Davidson, Timothy Glansbeek, Kirstin Larkey, Lee and Lemelin received advanced degrees for having at least a 3.25 unweighted GPA and earned an additional 1.5 or more credits in the arts and humanities or career-technical education.
A career-technical education gold seal required four semesters of related prescribed vocational classes, a standard Sam Arellano, Stephen Freedle, Michael Johnson, Kurtis Langstraat, Larkey, Zach Sesulka, Joshua Sindelar, Snee and Dustin Stofa met.
Valedictorian Brown began with the famous Julius Caesar comment, the Latin phrase “veni, vidi, vici,” or “I came, I saw, I conquered.” She said it described the way life worked, just as her first day of high school when she stumbled and rolled down the bleachers in Tony Petrik’s physical education class. She went on to win a letter in three sports three years in a row, in addition to some in her freshman year.
In high school she faced obstacles, where she said, “You conquer and move on. I haven’t done this alone, not by any means.” She credited her parents, friends, classmates and teachers. “We, together, have conquered things over and over again,” and thanked them as she looked to future challenges.
This led to her conclusion of “venimus, vidimus, vicimus” or “we came, we saw, we conquered” so far in her young life.
Salutatorian Chase spoke first. Her theme was that Thursday was the first day of the rest of the graduates’ lives, explaining what it meant to her as she looked to her future.
She thanked those in the armed forces, whom she plans to join after earning her bachelor’s degree, enrolling in an Air Force ROTC program. “God bless them for what they have given for us. We need to not waste this gift given to us. We must strive forward to give back to and guard these freedoms for future generations.”
Chase then related a story about a high-wire walker and a man he invited to ride in a wheelbarrow on a tightrope, concluding that when things — and they will — get that scary, “you’ll have to decide whether or not to get into the wheelbarrow... and when that time comes, I hope you will swallow your fear and get into the wheelbarrow.”
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