Karlton Skubal welcomes those in attendance at the 2017 Washington Class Night.
Scholarships and awards for music, drama, service, athletics and academics were presented to the Class of 2017 at Washington High School Thursday night.
The 117 seniors walked in to the new auditorium with their class song playing, “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” by Simple Minds. Class President Karlton Skubal emceed the event with more than 50 awards.
One scholarship presented to two seniors was the Living the Dream Scholarship in memory of former basketball coach Phil Long. He passed away last year after a four-year long battle with cancer. His son, Brandon, presented the recognition, “He believed that his job as a coach was to make them better people, better leaders, better citizens, harder workers and better teammates. The ultimate goal of any athlete should not be about proving themselves only, but to make those around them better.” He continued and explained that during the battle with cancer when asked how he was doing, he’d always say he was “living the dream.” The $1,000 scholarships were presented to Bryce Sinn and Isabella Giardino.
While there were some tears, there were also moments of laughter through the night, including during math instructor Thomas Langr’s music video for the students who earned excellence in advanced mathematics, during which he called math a “four-letter word.” The senior recessional ended the event.
The class will come together again Sunday to receive their diplomas at 1:30 p.m.