Wilson Creek graduating seniors 'a family'

WILSON CREEK — The graduates of Wilson Creek High School don’t so much graduate as they sit.

In front of everyone.

Which makes it hard to hide when you are one member of graduation class of six — valedictorian Graylyn Godfrey, salutatorian Yamilet Perez-Hernandez, Megan Lembcke, Cassandra Hansen, Geydi Hernandez and Riley McMillan.

A seventh student, Sterling James, could not be present.

“You are a family, all of you,” said Jackie Floetke, who teaches business in the Wilson Creek Schools and is the district’s director of career and technical education. “You were there for each other.”

The nature of the Wilson Creek Schools — there are only 160 kids in the entire district, 70 of them in middle and high school — means that classes are tight-knit, and Floetke told the graduates that because most of them had been together since they were in kindergarten, they have become a cohesive group who have learned they can do more together than alone.

“Each of you is vocal, some more than others,” she said, noting that there is nothing wrong with asking questions, but the way they are asked is important too.

“And sometimes ‘no’ is an acceptable answer,” she said.

Superintendent Laura Christian said education is important for the people of Wilson Creek, even if it means they are often empowering people to leave the community, and never return.

“I choose to work in a small rural community,” Christian said. “Wilson Creek is very welcoming, which is not always the case in small towns.”

But she enjoys it when graduates drop in to her office to say hello, and let teachers know what they are doing.

“Some come back, especially if they are from farming and ranching families,” she said.

“A lot of past graduates live in the area, and they send their kids to our schools,” added School Board president Ron Lesser.

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached via email at countygvt@columbiabasinherald.com.