On Saturday, August 8, South Salem High School held eight graduation ceremonies on Bennett Field for its 66th graduating class, the Class of 2020. Graduates adhered to social-distancing protocol and wore masks for the entirety of the ceremony.
Each ceremony kicked off with a speech by South Salem Principal Lara Tiffin in which she honored IB diploma recipients, class valedictorians and salutatorians, athletes, club members, community volunteers, and various other groups of students. She looked back on everything the Class of 2020 accomplished, like the discovery of a solution to Oregon’s toxic algae bloom and development of mental health non-profit Live to Tell.
Tiffin also expressed her sorrow over the circumstances quarantine put the senior class into.
“I will not remember you for all of the reasons we might remember the year 2020 but instead for your significant contributions to the positive and inclusive environment at South High,” she said.
Following Principal Tiffin’s speech ASB President Allison Hmura spoke, summarizing the past four years for the Class of 2020 and mourning the three months of school that were taken from them by the pandemic.
Hmura was followed by ASB Vice President Angelo Aredando Bacca. He discussed life-altering moments, like the pandemic and graduation, and celebrated the heroes in life that help him and others through tough times. He closed with an encouraging message:
“Success will come in different ways… I guarantee that all of you will make a difference in your community and our world.”
As students walked across the stage to receive their diploma their names were then read by six faculty members chosen by the senior class, including Kathy August, Shane Britton, Matt Doyle, Tyson Gilmour, Aaron Howard, and Ryan Marshall.
