Central High students celebrate graduation after becoming "a part of something much bigger"

May 29—CHEYENNE — Donned in their red robes, graduates of the 2021 class at Cheyenne Central High School were honored in a ceremony Friday afternoon at Frontier Park Arena, with a pair of student speakers reminding their classmates of the bond they will carry with them through life after four years together.

During the ceremony celebrating more than 250 students, the new graduates reminisced about their time in high school, particularly the challenges that came following the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic to Wyoming in March last year.

Zoe Lam, the senior class president, said the class of 2021 has learned to live in the moment, partially because their senior year has been "bittersweet."

"We have completed a whole list of firsts and lasts that nobody ever thought we would have to do in a lifetime. I personally never would have thought I'd have to answer a checklist asking if I lost my taste or smell, if I feel fatigued or even had body aches," Lam said. "This is not in any way, shape or form how we pictured our senior year to look: masks, awful hand sanitizer, checks every morning, but here we are together as Central graduates."

"We tried and tried to make this year as great as possible, and, truthfully, I don't think we did too bad," she continued. "Many memories were made — good and bad — but we still stand together again as Central Indians."

Before directing her classmates to move their tassels, Lam closed with a quote from Dr. Seuss: "You have the brains in your head, you have the feeling of shoes, and you can steer yourself in any direction you choose."

The crowd of family members and friends in the stands also heard from Alyssa Williams, another student speaker, who said one of her main takeaways from Central High was about learning to be "a part of something much bigger than myself."

"Central embraced me even before my first day," said Williams, who arrived at the high school halfway through. "At the new student orientation, I was introduced to clubs and invited to join the students in it, and later, in my yearbook class, I was encouraged to join cheerleading by some of the other students. One of the purposes that Central has had in my life is teaching me that it is possible to be whatever I want to be."

Central High Principal Fred George also reminded the crowd of the graduates' considerable list of accomplishments, including Congressional Awards, hundreds of hours of volunteer service and some students opting to join the military as their next step. He also noted that 40% of the graduating class plans to attend the University of Wyoming in the fall, making it the largest class of incoming UW freshmen of any high school in the state.

The graduates also heard from Amy Tighe, an English teacher at Central, who was selected to speak. Scattering in a few jokes from "The Office" per her students' request, Tighe lauded how the Class of 2021 has learned to overcome diversity and has become well-equipped to enter the world.

"This class can creatively problem solve, and this is exactly what we need," Tighe said. "This class can see suffering, tragedy and beauty in a positive way, and I have faith that this class will be the ones who start to fix these problems and laugh and enjoy doing so."

Tom Coulter is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's state government reporter. He can be reached at tcoulter@wyomingnews.com or 307-633-3124. Follow him on Twitter at @tomcoulter_.