MONTAGUE — A packed Montague High School gym bid a fond farewell to the Class of 2026 Sunday afternoon, but not before music - both played and sung - joined the cacophony.
In addition to band and choir performances of chosen songs "You Do Not Walk Alone" by Elaine Hagenberg and the country classic "Just a Closer Walk with Thee," high school principal Christy Thommen, calling upon her stated childhood dreams of being a band director, snuck as many song lyrics as she could manage into her brief remarks toward the end of the ceremony. Some of them were from her generation - "don't stop believing" - but she nodded to the music the graduating class grew up with too - "be a firework. Don't let anyone steal your sparkle."
Thommen capped her remarks by directing the class to look under their seats, where they found empty notebooks. That led to much of the high school staff performing an impromptu rendition of the Natasha Bedingfield song "Unwritten."
"The story is yours. Go write it," she said to conclude her remarks.
The ceremony also featured graduation speaker Brad Tate, a current middle school teacher at Montague, as well as boys golf coach. Tate was the Class of 1992 valedictorian at Montague and said he strongly believes people should serve the area that helped shape them if they get an opportunity to do so.
Tate hit on many of the themes typical of graduation speeches - optimism, future challenges, looking forward while never forgetting where you came from - but emphasized love. He's never felt, he said, like he had enough time with the loved ones he's lost in his life.
"Your time in this life is precious," Tate said. "None of us know when our hourglass will run out and our journey will end...You realize how important it is to say, 'I love you,' 'I forgive you,' and 'I am proud of you' when you lose someone you love."
Tate referred to local legend Jim Heeres, whom he counts as a mentor, and cited his saying, well-known locally, that "you are precious and worth 100 points." With that in mind, he noted the temptation to compare oneself with others and urged graduates to steer clear of that mindset as they search for their 'why' - their driving force.
"We often don't realize what a gift we are and what a gift every day is," Tate said. "It's your responsibility to go out and conquer that day. I hope you have the confidence to know that failure is neither permanent nor a measure of who we are."
Class president Fletcher Thommen also delivered brief remarks, listing great experiences his class was able to be part of from their childhood up to today and thanking his classmates for growing up with him before encouraging them to "make our mark on the world."
Before school board president Joel Smith conferred the graduation invocation on the class, superintendent Jeffrey Johnson encouraged the class to embrace the unfamiliar, noting everything that makes us comfortable now once was a new experience.
"Care for others and be great in all that you do," Johnson said.
