“We believe that graduating high school is a milestone to be appreciated and recognized.”

As a kid, everyone is asking what career you’ll pick, answered often with, “pilot,” “firefighter” or “president.”  

Maybe you want to become a teacher or a politician.  

For some, the answer has stayed the same. Now, the answers have changed for many and it’s time to pick what path you’ll venture down.  

As graduates, we hope you’ve left a legacy at Puyallup High School that will be cherished and remembered at your Alumni Assembly, 25 years or 50 years from now. PHS has a long and rich history of alumni that is valued by members of the community, and it is an honor to be part of that. This legacy varies for many, but remains a legacy regardless. From participating in plays and musicals to sign the stage where many Vikings have done so before, taking your team to second in state for the first time in years or having countless awards in debate tournaments, you have left a mark that will follow your fellow actors, teammates and debaters.  

When looking back at your high school years, we hope you have established a sense of self-identity. This is a time to make mistakes and try new things. You may have realized AP classes are or aren’t for you, found a new interest by joining a club or tried a new sport that has shaped your spring schedule. These are all aspects of the identity developed in high school, an identity that matters.  

Though some may argue that you don’t need to graduate high school, we believe that this milestone sets the tone for your future careers and lifestyles. According to the Center for Law and Social Policy, 39 to 40 million Americans haven’t earned a high school diploma, and of those, 150 thousand take the GED per year, or General Education Development Test. The people who chose to take the GED have realized their fault in not sticking it through and earning a diploma and are trying to make up for their mistake.  

 Learning face to face is something that the senior class missed out on during their sophomore year. Learning in person is an important learning style that we believe many were deprived of in those few years of digital learning. 

From the artistic cow in the common to simply walking to class with their friends, every little moment that takes place in the school will be missed by the graduating class. Knowing the last time you walk down the halls with those familiar faces you have been around for the last three years, it becomes hard to imagine.  

We believe that graduating high school is a milestone to be appreciated and recognized. This is leaving juniors and sophomores to picture what their future holds. As the seniors depart, the underclassmen have to step forward and start to think about their futures moving forward as the class of 2024 steps forward to be the new leaders of the school.