Our Two 2022 Graduates

Jonah and Micah graduated from Salmon High School the first week of June. The weekend was jam-packed full of graduation events, which made it crazy, busy, emotional, and successful. Their schedule included: escorting kindergarten students to their graduation, graduation motorcade, high school graduation, seminary graduation, and the twins, along with their 6-pack of friends, were ordained as Elders for their upcoming missions. I was recovering from COVID, which I contracted the weekend before, and I was grateful that I was starting to feel better before such an important weekend! You know the phrase "it takes a village..."? I felt the love and unity of our 'village' as this group completed their high school years, and were preparing for the next phase of their lives, and I was overcome with emotion quite often that weekend from all the love shown (it was either that, or being post-COVID made me emotional?). Regardless, it was a beautiful weekend, and I treasure the memorable moments we had together celebrating these seniors, and particularly my twins. 

There's a tradition that started about 8 years ago to have the graduating seniors walk the graduating kindergarteners down the halls of the elementary school on the way to their graduation ceremony. I sadly missed seeing it when Ammon graduated, but I was grateful I had the opportunity to watch the twins participate in it. The kindergarten graduation was on the last day of school, Thursday, June 2 at 9am. The seniors had graduation practice scheduled right after that, so they all put on their caps and gowns, and walked across the highway from the high school to the elementary school, where they met up with the kindergartners who were waiting outside of the school. The high school seniors escorted the young students down both halls of the school, then dropped them off in the elementary gym where their ceremony was, then the high schoolers walked back to the high school for their practice. It was a fun experience to watch them parade the halls of their own school with the littles!

CLICK HERE to watch the 2-minute video I recorded of the twins' high school graduating class walking down the elementary hall with the graduating kindergarteners. 

It's not every day you see a bunch of students wearing caps & gowns walking across a highway! I captured this moment on their way back to the high school. 

Watching them with the young kindergarteners made me reminisce about their own kindergarten graduation, which doesn't feel like it was THAT long ago! 

They chose to decorate their caps with the flags of the countries
of their upcoming missions: Micah's is Chile, Jonah's is Canada.

Grandma and Grandpa Perkins drove up from Utah and spent the weekend with us to celebrate the occasion, which was so nice that both sets of grandparents could attend their graduation. Grandma Perkins brought them a gift she'd made them, and a gift she delivered from Mick and Jen. My mom has made quilts for each of her children, and now each of her grandchildren. The quilts were so fun to look over and see several fabrics I recognized from my youth! It was a wonderful gift that they'll cherish! Jen gave them personalized lei necklaces made with money. I'd made similar leis, made from chocolate and dollar bills, for them and their friends from our ward, too. They were well decorated for the commencement exercises!

Grandma's gift to them.

Jen's leis with money and fabric flowers.

The leis I made with money & chocolates for them & their friends.

The Motorcade is something that started in the spring of 2020, when the seniors who graduated couldn't have a large ceremony due to group meeting numbers being regulated, so that year, they had a motorcade so everyone could see them on the way to their graduation which was held outside on the school's front lawn. Even though group numbers are no longer regulated, the class wanted to still participate in the motorcade. They met together at the Stagecoach Inn parking lot, and drove down Main Street in cars, trucks, 4-wheelers, scooters, and basically anything else on wheels. Our boys chose to go in our golf cart! The street was lined with well-wishers, and it was a fun way to start graduation!

We walked over to the Lynch Center after the motorcade; this year was the first time graduation was held at this new location! It was nice not be seated in the overcrowded, hot gym at the high school! I volunteered to help with graduation, and was in charge of collecting the seniors' cards and gifts. I was at a table in the foyer, and I'd labeled manila envelopes with each senior's name and put them in boxes at the station. The mom of next year's senior class president helped me, so she would have ideas for next year. As people came in with cards and gifts for the seniors, we gathered the gifts and sorted the cards into their labeled envelopes. When graduation started, I went into the gym, and the other mom stayed with the boxes, which was nice. We had a good crew come to support the twins: Ammon, Kanyon, my parents, Josh's parents, Tiffany & Joel, and Great Grandma Parsons.  

The gym was decorated so nice, and we ended up sitting right across from where Jonah and Micah were seated, which was not planned! They sang the National Anthem with the other graduating seniors from the Legacy Choir. Both Jonah and Micah were class Salutatorians, and they were asked by the counselor a few weeks earlier if they wanted to speak, but they said no, because they didn't want the extra work of writing a talk at the end of the school year! The class Valedictorians each spoke at the ceremony, in addition to David Schroeder, the guest speaker. The slide show was put together by a senior classmate, and it was well done. It was a great graduation!

Micah

Jonah

We took pictures in the practice gym after the ceremony ended. 

The 6-pack:
Erik, Micah, Boaz, Jonah, Tyler, Nathan

After graduation, most of the twins' friends went to Senior Sober (an all-night event), but the twins chose not to go to it. Instead, they came home and opened all their cards and gifts that people had dropped off before graduation, which we were blown away with how thoughtful people were and how many gifts and the amount of money they received. 

On Saturday, the day after graduation, we spent the day with my parents. We had a nice breakfast, went to the Amish store for some goodies, drove to Tower Creek, and then they all took naps that afternoon when I started my new summer job at the movie theater. 

The twins were ordained Elders with the 6-pack after church on Sunday. It was a very memorable event. The room was filled with so much love, you could feel it! Extended families from all 6 of the boys were there, and it was amazing to have everyone in one room. As we waited for the Bishop to arrive, we sang songs. When the ordinations started, the young man who'd just been ordained joined the circle and replaced their father. It was so cool to behold!

Seminary Graduation was on Sunday night. There were 13 seminary graduates alone just from our ward--half of the total kids that graduated that night! This has been such a large group, ever since their primary days together. After the graduation in the chapel, there was refreshments in the cultural hall. 

Josh and I were matching for the occasion!

Josh's mom commented earlier that afternoon after the 6-pack Elders ordination about how tall Mark Oliverson was, and Josh said Mark was the same height that he was, which she didn't believe. So while we were altogether after Seminary Graduation, we measured the two back-to-back as proof. Mark is less than a half inch taller!!! Not that it really matters, just wanted to prove a point ;).