Alsea Graduates

The graduating class of Alsea School in 2008 was eleven students plus two foreign exchange students. It's cute here in Alsea. Each graduating class is very small, like a family.

I don't have a lot of money. If I did, I would want to give each of them a book or something for graduation. One thing I do is to make each of them every year a bookmark. I make the bookmarks on my computer and then go to Office Max to have them laminated. I didn't mail them this year, I drove over to the school on my way home from work and gave them to a nice young girl who said she would hand them out for me.

Here is what I write on the bookmarks that I hand out:

"Commit to a lifetime of learning, set goals and plan for your future. Work hard and never give up on projects important to you. Believe in your goodness and your ability to make a difference to those around you." Then I write "wishing you success in all you do" and sign it and my husband signs it.

I graduated from McNary High School in 1966 in Keizer, Oregon. I don't remember how many graduated with me but it was a lot. Our class was split in two. For my sophomore and junior years of high school, all of us went to North Salem High School. The class was sooooo big that half of the students went to school in the early morning hours and the other half of the students came home in the evening from school. Then McNary High School opened in 1965 so half of the students went to McNary and the other half stayed at North Salem. It sure was different than Alsea High School where you don't get lost in the crowd.