PRIEST RIVER — The tassels were turned, the caps were thrown and 53 Priest River Lamanna High School seniors passed the ultimate test of patience last Saturday.

After a 12-year academic career, waiting over a month longer than the rest of Bonner County’s high schools, PRLHS Class of 2020 finally celebrated their life’s accomplishments.

An outdoor ceremony was held July 11 at 10 a.m., where hundreds of friends, family and educators set up lawn chairs, umbrellas and towels, to watch their graduates walk across the stadium bleachers and receive their high school diplomas.

Principal Joseph Kren gave his last commencement address in his academic career after 35 years of educating and advocating for students at Priest River Lamanna High School. Kren advised the students sitting beside him to exude leadership and to strive for excellence everywhere they go. He ended his speech with a quote from Mother Theresa: “Life is an opportunity, benefit from it. Life is a beauty, admire it. Life is a dream, realize it. Life is a challenge, meet it. Life is a duty, complete it. Life is a game, play it. Life is a promise, fulfill it. Life is sorrow, overcome it. Life is a song, sing it. Life is a struggle, accept it. Life is a tragedy, confront it. Life is an adventure, dare it. Life is luck, make it. Life is too precious, do not destroy it. Life is life, fight for it.”

For guest speaker Ryan Humphrey, graduates need to know just one simple truth — life is a surprise.

Ryan Humphrey is a former history teacher at Priest River Lamanna High School. He recalled graduating from high school 25 years ago, much like the students sitting on the stadium bleachers behind him. He had a beautiful girlfriend, lots of friends and a full head of hair.

“Eventually my girlfriend was gone with one of those friends, I haven’t talked to my other friends in 20 years and we don’t need to talk about the hair. It’s too painful,” he said laughing. “The reason I tell that story is because I think it’s important — life is such a surprise.”

Even Humphrey’s attendance for this graduation ceremony was up-in-the-air, although he had committed to be a guest speaker well in advance. He trekked to Priest River from a small isolated Alaskan town, where there is less than a 50/50 chance of having clear weather for a flight. Six weeks leading up to the graduation, Humphrey joked he even considered breaking his arm or a leg, in order to see his former students walk across the stage in-person. At the time, his current superintendent said the only chance of flying home was to ride on a medevac plane.

“When I told my wife about that she said, ‘Well, if you are too afraid to do it, I’ll push you,” Humphrey said laughing.

Nevertheless, six weeks later he landed in Idaho and everything had worked out in his favor.

“Just plan to be surprised, because life is going to be a big surprise for you,” he said.

When Priest River Lamanna High School shut its doors in March, no one could have predicted what would happen next. Students missed out on prom, spring sports, signing the senior bench and perhaps most of all, the last hellos and goodbyes to their old lives — one last stroll down memory lane.

“Who would have thought the year we have been working toward our entire life would have been this way?” asked Class of 2020 President Emily Holbrook. “But, you know what we didn’t miss out on? Senior Skip Day.”

Holbrook said since second grade she had imagined 2020 as the year of flying cars, some kind of futuristic Matrix-like reality. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, wasn’t even in her wildest dreams.

“As the Class of 2020 we entered this world while our families grieved 9-11 and now we are reentering the world in the middle of a pandemic,” she said. “Both of these events have reshaped our culture. We’ve basically grown up in a constant state of fear and chaos, fear of terrorism, fear of killer bees and clowns, fear of (the novel) coronavirus. And now, even fear of our differences of opinion with strangers standing next to us.”

Her hope for the graduating class is to enter the professional world with courage and resilience.

“Nothing changes the fact that this is one of the most special times in our lives,” she said. “We have the whole world in front of us, we write our own stories, we can be whoever we want to be. It is a rare opportunity to have a fresh start.”

Valedictorian Adrie Minish, who moved to Priest River seven years ago in sixth grade, shared one of her first memories with the Class of 2020 in her farewell speech. She reflected on the first day she walked across the playground, watching her new classmates run with ferocity and chase each other wildly through the sports field.

“The site reminded me of how a pack of wild animals might harass each other for fun,” Minish said. “I remember thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, these people are totally crazy.’”

And years later after celebrating milestones together, her opinion remained unwavered. “I have discovered that this first impression couldn’t be more accurate,” she laughed. “But, I think of something else too — (they) are also the most tight-knit, supportive, group of people that I’ve ever met.”

Minish said the environment at Priest River Lamanna High School has allowed graduates freedom to grow both separately and together, much like the COVID-19 pandemic has forced students to do worldwide. Minish closed her speech with “one big ol’ Priest River ‘Yee Yee’” and her classmates followed suit.

As a bouquet of silver and gold balloons lifted into the sunny skies, a band of graduates flooded down the staircase toward their loved ones for a heartfelt embrace.

The celebration was not traditional as planned, but it was unique, much like the Class of 2020.

Aly De Angelus can be reached by email at adeangelus@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @AlyDailyBee.