Paradise High graduates ‘get the job done’
Paradise High School graduated its class of 2022 on Thursday night as a class that did not have a full average year on the campus until this year.
Paradise Unified School District Superintendent Tom Taylor praised the class of 143 for their perseverance since starting at Paradise High School, and he did so in the presence of 19 graduates from the class of 1957. Earlier in the day, 26 students graduated from Ridgeview High.
Taylor recounted their journey at PHS since November 8, 2018, when the Camp Fire struck Paradise, Magalia and Concow and forced the school to relocate to two locations in Chico for the remainder of the school year.
The class also had its 2019-2020 school year interrupted by COVID-19. Taylor noted that beginning March 20 2020, students were no longer allowed to attend school on campus.
The 2020-21 school year was a hybrid model before students were allowed to attend in-person classes this year.
‘ You could have given up, but you didn’t. You did the opposite, you showed up,” he said. “Sometimes that was just tough. You did do not allow yourselves to be victims of the Camp Fire or the pandemic. You defined yourselves as people who have hope and never give up. This will serve you very well.”
And he emphasized to the class that they are a model for the rest of Paradise, and he noted that they’d have a special bond by being from Paradise.
The class also chose as its teacher of the year retiring Paradise High football coach and physical education teacher Rick Prinz, who opened his speech by telling the students that he would be leaving with them after being at Paradise for 32 years.
“You guys are special to me. I really appreciate ( being chosen teacher of the year),” he said. “Today is my last day, so I’m officially retired tomorrow, so I’m going out with you.”
He told the class that they had changed the way that he taught.
“When we met down at the fortress, and I saw you guys after the fire, it was amazing,” he said.” I just wanted to be there for you — that was my goal.”
He told the class that he loved telling them stories and giving them nicknames, some of which he shared with the attendees. They included Knucklehead, Bonehead, Bobblehead, Pinhead, Muscle Head, Meathead, Pencil Neck, Weak Sauce, and Little Miss Sunshine, to name a few.
After telling them a story about how he fell into the wet cement with chains he had chosen to carry with him to the site, his father told him to get up.
“This story kind of illustrates the point that I want to give you guys tonight. Adversity is going to come; how are you going to handle it? It will happen.” he said. “My challenge for you is to get up, throw off the chains and go get the job done.”
Salutatorian William Armstrong told his classmates that it was a bittersweet night but said to them that the future was bright.
Valedictorian Alison Weber told her classmates that she had a tough time coming up with something to say but knew she wanted to avoid the fire and COVID.
“We lived through it. I don’t think we need a refresher,” she said. “But I will say these experiences have brought us all together.’
She added that each of them experienced the events in unique ways.
“If anything, these experiences have made us even more individual, even more unique because of how we reacted and because of the different ways and the extent to which each and every one of our lives was changed,” she said. “Those differences are what made the class of 2022 beautiful.:
She said the most valuable thing she learned at PHS was acceptance.
Valedictorian Karli Martin was the second to speak and she told the class they learned valuable lessons at a young age, and though they seemed too numerous, they would benefit from it.
“Our particular high school experience has changed us for the better; we all learned valuable life lessons that most people only learn throughout adulthood,” she said. “We are more prepared to overcome adversities and have their virtues and skills to do so and while we gain these seems too many traumatic experiences there are certain to benefit us throughout life.”
The last valedictorian to speak was Leticia Ventura, who said that he felt honored to be with the class of 2022 who she said gave her nothing but support. She also thanked all of the teachers in the Paradise Unified School District,
“I want you my fellow graduates to remember this although there is no way to know what will come next although there are going to be so many questions that cannot be immediately answered.” she said. “There will come a time when before you know it the fear will be gone,”
Simon Dixon and James McDaniel ware the other two valedictorians in the class