MORENCI — On a breezy spring day at Henry Geisler Field, Morenci’s 190th graduating class said farewell to their high school years and embarked on the next chapter of their lives.
Salutatorian Evelyn Joughin opened the May 17 ceremony with gratitude to everyone who helped the members of the class of 2026 along their journey.
“Your patience and dedication shaped us in ways we’ll carry with us long after today,” she said.
“We’ve grown up surrounded by people who believed in us long before we believed in ourselves, and that is our greatest blessing.”
Valedictorian Addyson Valentine invited classmates to remember every stage of their school years — for her own part, recalling the beginning of elementary school and “walking to school with untied shoes and a backpack bigger than my entire body.”
Then in middle school, she said “we started trying to figure out where we fit in.” She also noted the interruption to their middle school years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We finished three-quarters of sixth grade and didn’t meet face-to-face regularly again until eighth grade,” she said.
And then came high school, four years that included a meteoric rise for Morenci’s girls basketball team, which competed in the Final Four this past season. It was in high school, Valentine said, that the class of 2026 learned that being a Bulldog means “being strong, loyal, and maybe a little stubborn when things aren’t going our way.”
High school principal Jonathan Miller presented the Outstanding Senior Awards, chosen by the teachers in each subject area:
- Math — Addyson Valentine.
- Science — Katelyn Ruse.
- English Language Arts — Evelyn Joughin and Addyson Valentine.
- Social studies — Rebecca Cox.
- Band — Katelyn Ruse.
- Physical education — Blake Moran.
- Art — Rebecca Cox.
He also recognized Cox, Joughin, Ruse and Valentine as Senior Scholars, a designation based on both grades and SAT scores, and presented Isaac Miller with the Against All Odds award, recognizing perseverance in the face of challenges.
Superintendent Jennifer Ellis invited the graduates to stand, face the crowd assembled on the bleachers, and “find your people” to wave and say thank you to the people who had supported them on their way to this moment.
Following the presentation of diplomas, class president Rebecca Cox talked about everything the seniors learned through early-morning practices, late-night study sessions, and tough conversations with teachers.”
She repeated the Morenci motto of “One team, one town, one family,” and said that even if some of them never see each other again, all of the seniors will continue to have one thing in common: “We will all forever be Morenci graduates.”
