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Basalt seniors ready to graduate

Aspen Times StaffAspen CO Colorado
Jordan Curet/The Aspen Times
ALL | The Aspen Times

BASALT Basalt High School will graduate 84 students Saturday at ceremonies beginning at 1 p.m. in the high school gym – known as the Big House. The theme this year will be, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dream.”

The school is in the unusual position of having not one, but six valedictorians this year, as six students finished with 4.0 grade-point averages. There are no salutatorians.According to Principal Jim Waddick, the valedictorians are Matthew Klahn, Jonathan Petrie, Bennet Logan, Nickolas Johnson, Duncan McDaniel and Elisabeth Nemiec.According to the school, the valedictorians have written a speech together that they will take turns delivering at the ceremony. One senior, Anne Schwener, will perform an original song she? composed for the moment on guitar and vocals.

The commencement speaker this year again will be longtime BHS teacher Werner Anderson, who retired four years ago after three decades at the school. The loyal student body continues to invite him to speak year after year.As has become tradition, it is expected the senior class will come up with a unique senior prank to play on the principal as he hands out diplomas.Past pranks have included the draping of a couple dozen ties around his neck (borrowed from Waddick’s own extensive collection); bits of hair for construction of a hairpiece (Waddick is balding); and one marble apiece from each student (to replace the ones he might have lost during the school year).



School personnel say they have no idea what the prank might be this year.There also will be the senior class’s traditional distribution of flowers, in which the students will climb up into the bleachers, or move out across the gym floor to present a bouquet of flowers to a teacher or parent who has particularly inspired them.Although the scholarships were announced at a special dinner on Thursday evening, the commencement program will list the awards.

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