NEWS

Annawan High 2022 Graduation

Claudia Loucks
Ten seniors in the Class of 2022 at Annawan High School wore gold honor cords at Sunday’s graduation ceremony in recognition of their academic achievement, a cumulative grade point of between 4.5 and 5. They are, front from left, Samantha Lyon, Leah Park, Riley DeMay; in the middle, Joseph Carpenter, Jaysen Heitzler, Grace Lindsey, Alyson Celus; and in back, Madison Jo Rusk, Sophia Roldan and Caitlyn Baele.
Four seniors wore white honor cords at Annawan graduation exercises in recognition of their academic achievement of a cumulative grade point of between 4.0 and 4.49. They are, from left, Zachary Kluever, Tyler Croegaert, Cassidy Miller and Haily Vance.
Kelly Frankenreider, at right, a 1996 graduate of Annawan High School, who now lives in Cicero, IN, was guest speaker at Sunday’s graduation ceremony. She is shown with her sister, Kim Park, left, and her niece, Leah Park, who is showing the message she has on her graduation cap, “Peace and Love.”
Annawan School Board President Jerad Heitzler, left, looks on as his son, graduating senior Jaysen Heitzler is congratulated by Annawan School Superintendent Matt Nordstrom.
Graduating seniors who are in the Annawan High School FFA Chapter wore FFA cords this year at commencement exercises, a new custom to the ceremony. Chapter members are, seated from left, Cassidy Miller, Zachary Kluever, Rylee Miller; in back, Jaysen Heitzler, James Jones III, Xander Bremer, Mason Matney, Tyler Croegaert and Connor Bowen.
Parker Rogers, a graduating senior at Annawan High School, looks at the books in the grade school library as he waits to line up for the processional at Annawan High School where graduation exercises were held Sunday

The 21 graduating seniors in the Annawan High School Class of 2022 were taken on a trip down memory lane at commencement exercises held Sunday, May 15, in the high school gym.

Kelly Frankenreider, a member of the Annawan High School class of 1996, told the graduates that the recorders they played when they were third graders “maybe wasn’t really about the recorder…The recorder may have taught you teamwork.”

She said, “When you work as a group, you can make beautiful music, beautiful may be a stretch, but you get what I mean. If you stop playing, and let others play, it may sound even better. This will help you in life. It’s ok to stop playing and let others make the music.” “And for some of you, you may have learned by playing the recorder, that music just wasn’t your thing. Perhaps you went on to be better at sports, math or FFA,” she added.

The speaker also reminded the graduates of what they most likely learned from masks and social distancing during the pandemic, was “resiliency. There may never be another pandemic in your lifetime. You may never have to wear another mask, but you will go through other hard times. Your high school years taught you resiliency, and you will emerge better than you were before.”

Superintendent Matt Nordstrom opened the commencement ceremony and congratulated the graduates and then turned the program over to Frankenreider.

Annawan School Board President Jerad Heitzler presented diplomas to the graduates.

Class motto of the Class of 2022 is “Don’t wait, the time will never be just right.”

Class color is black and class flowers are roses and peonies.

The graduates are Caitlyn Baele, Connor Bowen, Xander Bremer, Joseph Carpenter, Allyson Celus, Tyler Croegaert, Riley DeMay, Liliana Gallardo, Jaysen Heitzler, James Jones III and Zachary Kluever.

Also, Grace Lindsey, Samantha Lyon, Mason Matney, Cassidy Miller, Rylee Miller, Leah Park, Parker Rogers, Sophia Roldan, Madison Jo Rusk and Haily Vance.