ACH class of 2026 sets off for new adventures following graduation

COULEE CITY — The 2026 graduating class for Almira/Coulee-Hartline High School concluded their high school careers Saturday and now prepare for their next steps in life. The 21 graduates were joined by friends, family, and a large group of their supporters from the community. 

“After graduating, I know all of us are heading into situations where we’ll all start over in some way,” said ACH graduate Elizabeth Schwartz. “New schools, new jobs, new places and new expectations. I think that can be scary because high school is one of the last places where we fully know who we are and where we fit in, but I also think that this makes this moment very exciting because for the first time, we get to decide what we’re willing to work for.” 

This year’s graduating class consisted of four valedictorians: Naomi Molitor, Josh Booker, Elizabeth Schwartz and Zane Heathman. Each of the valedictorians shared their unique experiences through their academic journeys and offered pieces of advice to both the crowd and their fellow graduates. 

Molitor said in her speech that people never really know the value of things until they’re gone, whether that be people or activities. After losing her mother, the graduate said that over time she learned the importance of appreciating everything around her which she carried throughout the remainder of her high school career. 

“All that you do plays a purpose,” she said. “Whether you like it or not, time is going to go on. Now that might be brutal to hear, I know it was for me, but life goes on with or without you. So, we might as well take what we have been given and value it.” 

For Booker, he said when he started out in high school, he never really tried hard, and his learning and grades began to suffer. 

“Once I started caring more about the actual learning,” he said. “I became more confident in myself and the work I was producing.” 

Although the lesson started in the classroom, he said it began to transfer into other areas of his life such as in athletics or at work. 

“I learned to put forth my best effort rather than simply doing enough to get by,” said Booker. 

Summarizing four years of high school in a five-minute speech is something Schwartz said was initially a challenge, but a conversation about going off to college was something that kept coming to mind. 

“Growing up in a small school, it’s very easy to feel like being the best means that you’re exceptional,” she said. “But the closer graduation got, the more I realized that the world outside of high school is full of people who are talented, accomplished and driven.” 

What stuck out to her the most was the realization of how hard a person must work towards something if they want to achieve it.  

“The truth is, most people who are truly good at something didn’t get there because everything came naturally to them,” said Schwartz. “They got there by working for it long after it stops being fun or easy and they kept going when they were tired, discouraged and busy.” 

She said this realization helped her become more motivated and more intentional with her time moving forward as she prepared for her future. 

For Heathman, the most valuable lesson of all from his time in high school was the importance of being dependable and how that is a major factor in a person’s success. 

“Being dependable isn’t flashy, it doesn’t earn headlines or recognition, most of the time, it looks a lot like showing up early in the morning when you’d rather be in bed,” he said. “Dependability means keeping your word, it’s helping people without being asked and doing your part even though no one is watching.” 

    Naomi Molitor walks back to her seat following her valedictorian speech at the graduation ceremony.
  

    ACH graduate Elizabeth Schwartz shares words of advice from her time in high school and lessons she will take in her next step in life.
  

    ACH’s Josh Booker shakes hands with Dawn Baergen as he receives his diploma for graduating high school.
  

    Zane Heathman from ACH holds up his diploma during the 2026 graduation ceremony.