Onekama High School
Commencement set for 2 p.m.
on Sunday
By KEN GRABOWSKI
Manistee News Advocate Associate Editor
Published: Saturday, May 21, 2011
ONEKAMA -- Sunday
afternoon at 2 p.m. the Onekama High School gymnasium will be
bustling with plenty of activity when 24 members of the Class of
2011 will be presented their diplomas during the school’s 112th
annual commencement exercises.
Graduates will enter a gymnasium decorated by the Class of 2013 to
the music of the Onekama High School Band under the direction of
Kathy Joseph. Once the graduates are seated, those at the
commencement program will be greeted by Onekama Consolidated Schools
Superintendent Kevin Hughes.
He will introduce salutatorian Logan Place who is the son of Kyle
Place and Amy Place to deliver his address to the crowd. During his
time at Onekama Schools, Place has taken part in band and Quiz Bowl.
He plans on attending the University of Michigan in the fall.
That address will be followed by a slide show on the Class of 2011
that was created by graduating senior Travis McKenney. It will
feature pictures of the class at various times throughout their
years at Onekama Schools. The slide show will be followed by a
musical interlude by the Onekama High School Band. This will be the
final opportunity for members of the senior class to perform with
the band as students of Onekama High School.
Onekama High School has
co-validictorians this year in Lauren Pokorzynski and Robert Myers
who both had 3.98 grade point averages throughout their high school
careers. They will both address the crowd.
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Pokorzynski is the daughter
of Patrick Looney and Melinda Pokorzynski and Tony and Renee
Pokorczynski. She has been active in band, National Honor Society, class
officer, prom queen, food pantry, blood drive and drama performances.
Her future plans call for attending the University of Colorado where she
will major in violin performance.
Myers is the son of Steven and Karen Myers and he has participated in
track, cross country and Quiz Bowl in high school. His plans for the
fall are to attend Concordia College in Ann Arbor.
A total of 22 of the 24 graduates from this class have plans of
attending college in the fall. Students graduating with honors include
Pokorczynski, Place, Ashley DeRooy, Taylor Hagen, Ryan Pienta, Jeremy
Spencer, McKenney and Myers.
President of the Onekama Board of Education will then announce the
acceptance of the graduates. Principal Gina Hagen will announce the
graduates and members of the board of education will present the
diplomas. Board of education members include Sally Koon (president),
Leslie Acton (vice-president), Dennis Zupin (secretary), Amy Fitch
(treasurer) Karl Domres (trustee), Thomas McCraner (trustee) and Kevin
Miller (trustee).
Graduates include Todd Cooper, Brittany Crawford, Paul Cunningham,
Ashley DeRooy, Zach Dutton, Nathan Fitch, Taylor Hagen, Rease Heiler,
Alexis Howard, Skyler Kimpel, Michael Mastrianni, Travis McKenney, Jared
Miller, Matthew Monroe, Robert Myers, Ryan Pienta, Logan Place, Lauren
Pokorczynski, Brooke Sedelmaier, Jeremy Spencer, Sunantakarnkij, Michael
Swanson, Duane Tiefenthal and Raul Torres Jr.
Class officers for the senior class were Pienta (president), Torres
(vice-president), Pokorczynski (secretary), Tiefenthal (treasurer).
Class advisors are David Baldner and Nikki Torrey. The motto selected by
the class is “Celebrate We Will, Cause Life is Short but Sweet for
Certain” by the Dave Mathews Band. |