Alva Review-Courier -

As South Barber High School Principal Brent Shaffer welcomed the gymnasium full of family and friends to commencement Sunday, May 14, in Kiowa, he said the Class of 2017 is special to him. That's because these students were eighth graders when he joined South Barber as 7-12 Principal. The Class of 2017 is the first he's been principal for all four years of high school. He's watched them grow and mature into the graduates they are today.

Thirteen students received their diplomas, turned their tassels and threw their mortar boards up into the air. One of those is Kacee Hostetler who was a junior, but earned enough credits to graduate a year early. Kacee received a $25,000 scholarship (renewable for four years) to the University of Wisconsin Madison. She plans to study industrial engineering. Kacee is the daughter of Brian and Cammi Hostetler.

Salutatorian Spencer Kimmell Brings Humor to His Address

In his address to the crowd as Class of 2017 president and salutatorian, Spencer Kimmell brought humor.

Addressing the faculty and administration, Kimmell said, “If I had to deal with my class for that many years, I don’t think I’d have any hair left on my head either. It’s true, our teachers have had to deal with a lot, and although it may not seem like it sometimes, we really do appreciate all that you’ve done for us over the years. Without your support, none of us would have made it this far, and I hope that we were able to brighten your day at least once in awhile.”

Thanking his parents, Kimmell had the audience laughing when he said, “Mom, you haven’t aged a bit. Dad, I wish I could say the same. I didn’t realize how stressful being a parent was until the first time I saw my dad with gray hair.”

Telling funny antedotes about his classmates, Kimmell said, “I don’t know if any of us would be passing without help from the girls. The girls seemed to have different strategies for keeping organized than us guys. I noticed that many of them carried around a planner to help them remember what they needed to do, while we preferred to wait until somebody yelled at us to get something done. In all honesty though, my classmates are a bright group of young men and women who all have the opportunity to find success in whatever they do.”

Concluding, Kimmell wrote, “Although we are excited for what’s ahead, we will never forget what we’ve learned from our time spent here at South Barber. Thank you.”

Class Valedictorian Bailey Roberts Speaks

Class valedictorian Bailey Roberts wrote her speech based on an English assignment teacher Megan Henry gave the seniors the last few weeks of class. The paper was to be a 10 chapter book about themselves. The project inspired Bailey to write a 10 chapter book about the Class of 2017 from her point of view.

Going chapter to chapter, Roberts recalled funny experiences that happened to her and classmates. For example she teased Grant Cantrell and Sabrina Hughbanks for silly things they did as kids. Yet she pointed to their success and that they are both playing college sports.

“Even though these two come from a small school, they show us that hard work and dedication can lead to many great opportunities for your future,” Roberts said.

In one chapter she advised, “As you go forward, don't judge a book by its cover.” She referred to her friend Madi Polson and said, “People don’t always realize how much she is capable of because she is so shy and quiet. Sometimes we are too quick to judge and it takes really getting to know someone to learn all the unique qualities they possess.”

One chapter referred to petty “freshmen fights.” Roberts said, “With the help of Mr. Jacobs and the activities he forced us to try, we learned that we are not always going to like the jobs we have to do or the people we have to work with, but that’s life. You have to learn how to work with people at some point in life, and we learned how to get through those problems the hard way.”

Laughing about her and other classmates klutziness, Roberts said, “That reminds us that after a hard fall, we sometimes just need to laugh it off, get back up and try again.”

In conclusion, Roberts referred to the class motto: “Do not follow where the path may lead, instead, go where there is no path and leave a trail.”

“As we finish this first chapter and proceed through our own individual paths, I hope my classmates will remember this much: embrace the life experiences you’ve learned so far, look back on these moments when you need a smile or encouragement, and regret nothing.”