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Photo by Sam Harrel

The class of 2008 from the Guided Independent Studies program has completed an amazing feat. All 22 seniors have earned their diplomas, giving the program a 100 percent graduation rate for the year.

Graduation rates in the Interior have been a major issue of concern, but the class of 2008 has well surpassed the average, which is only 67 percent according to the Department of Education.

“There are so many different ways of learning,” Sharon McConnell Gillis, Board of Education vice president said.

What makes this group of graduates unique is that they finished high school almost entirely on their own, as the entire curriculum was based on independent study.

“If there’s one thing I learned, it’s not to procrastinate,” class speaker Christopher Witwell said. Witwell had taken a few years off after attending West Valley High School. Now 22 years old, and wearing a big smile on his face, he plans to go to college to study quantum physics.

“The program here was exactly what I needed,” he said. “Graduating has taken such a great weight off my shoulders, and now I want to do something with the tools I’ve gathered.”

Faculty member Margaret Naylon gave Witwell a big hug as he strutted across the stage. She knows he has come a long way, and the smile on her face was full of pride for her student.

“The independence cannot be emphasized enough because most of these kids have gotten their education almost entirely on their own,” Margaret Naylon said.

Faculty members and counselors were available for support along the way, but most of the students’ course work was done outside of a classroom.

“We have such a diverse group of kids that come here for so many reasons,” Naylon said. “Some are workaholics, some are heavily involved in church and the community, some participate in sports and others juggle jobs and families, but all of them really stand out for their discipline,” she said.

Standing out for having the highest grade point average (4.0), Janan R. Hunt was recognized as the valedictorian of her class.

As part of the ceremony, Hunt spoke to her classmates about overcoming uncertainty in life.

“I challenge you to rise above your own expectations for yourself,” she said.

She chose the G.I.S. program because she liked the comforts of home and the ability to participate in a wide range of activities. Hunt was a member of the North Pole soccer, track and basketball teams and also made time to sing in local choirs.

Quoting Eleanor Roosevelt, Hunt told her classmates, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their own dreams.”

Hunt plans to attend Hobe Sound Bible College in Florida, where she will study to become a missionary nurse.

Just 13 members of the class actually participated in the ceremony. As each recipient flipped his or her tassel from one side of the mortarboard to the other, commemorating the receiving of their diploma, fans and family warmly applauded, cheered, hooted and hollered on behalf of their achievements.

After the ceremony, a gleaming Witwell said, “School is the most important thing I’ve ever done and it was definitely worth it.”