Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Opheim's 2020 graduating class: Dalton West Kaasa (l) and Camden Austin Leon King (r).
Opheim 2020 graduating seniors Camden Austin Leon King (left) and Dalton West Kaasa (second from left) receive their diplomas from superintendent Jennifer McAllister (second from right) and school board chairperson Twyla Anderson (right).
"That's been 2020," said Jennifer McAllister, Opheim public school superintendent, as she explained how plans for graduation and the community celebration had been upended by Mother Nature. An afternoon rainstorm drove the already-delayed ceremonies from the community park into the gym, but the inclement weather did not deter the Opheim community from gathering to celebrate the accomplishments of their students.
The novel coronavirus has wreaked havoc on plans and schedules for months now, even in Valley County, which has yet to see a confirmed case. Schools were forced to revamp their schedules and cancel events. Graduation plans across the country changed, including those in Opheim.
So on June 14, a couple of weeks after graduation would have taken place, the community gathered in the Opheim gym to celebrate the accomplishments of kindergartners, sixth graders and seniors moving on to the next stage of their young lives. Brenda Sebastian's kindergarten class of Tate Allestad, Coltin Miller and Alice Schock stood in front of the bleachers to be recognized for their advancement to first grade.
Cathy Bailey congratulated her sixth graders, Dylon Allestad, Charlie Kaasa, Kaiden Morrow, Keleigh Morales and Latia O'Guin, on their graduation to middle school. Mrs. Bailey thanked her students for their work and for adjusting to all the changes the past year has brought, from the personal to the global level.
Seniors Dalton Kaasa and Camden King were honored, though without the traditional pomp and circumstance. There was no commencement speaker and no recessional march. A pared down ceremony consisted of the graduates receiving their diplomas from McAllister and school board chairperson Twyla Anderson. Kaasa was honored as valedictorian and King spoke of his gratitude to the school and the community for their unwavering support of the students.
A pot luck followed the honors and the community was invited to stay for games and further festivities to celebrate the students and all of Opheim, the small town that continues to persevere through the decades.
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