'Our journey together has had its highs and lows, but has also been a sweet dream'

There wasn't anything normal about the way high school ended for the Niwot Class of 2020, but the belated graduation ceremony held on Saturday, July 25 was a lovely approximation of it. Perfect weather and a celebratory mood were the order of the day as more than 250 graduates finally crossed the stage to mark the official end of their high school journeys.

Still, the ongoing health crisis loomed large over the proceedings, mostly in mundane practicalities such as social distancing and mask requirements. It was also a recurring theme for both students and school officials who delivered remarks.

"This time has made me realize how much I have taken for granted in my daily life," Niwot principal Eric Rauschkolb said in his address to the graduates. "The fact that I have a job that I love and that I get to come and see students and teachers every single day is something that was taken away from all of us, and is something that I will never take for granted again. So we all have lessons in our lives, and we could take this difficult time and take a step back and realize that we should never allow ourselves to take all of our blessings for granted again."

Rauschkolb also encouraged graduates to steer clear of misinformation and to cultivate a personal value of curiosity and openness to other points of view.

"Our teachers have done an excellent job of providing you with the tools and preparation to be an independent thinker, to vet sources, and stand up for what you think is right and to be your own person."

Rauschkolb was joined on the stage by IB Coordinator Elizabeth Towlen, and St. Vrain Valley Schools board member Karen Ragland, who also addressed the graduates. The ceremony was opened with a virtual choral performance of the National Anthem by senior members of Niwot High's show choirs. Student speakers on the day included valedictorians Anton Lavrouk and Tim Stokes and Student Council officers Nick Valin and Natalia Storz, who invoked a Colorado icon in her speech.

"John Denver sings about things standing still. We know this feeling inside and out. At the end of our senior year, things stood still. The road we had begun to build and the progress we were so excited to celebrate were put on hiatus. These past few months, it has been so easy to feel alone in this universe, overwhelmed by the sadness and the screams surrounding us. We exist in a critical time in which the world feels big and intimidating and uncertain. We don't know exactly what the future will bring, and there are going to be times in which we will feel on top of the world and times in which we seem to have no control over our circumstances."

But on a more hopeful note, she concluded, "I look at all of you today, and indeed everything is clear. Our journey together has had its highs and lows, but has also been a sweet dream. I know that our future dreams may not always be as sweet as this day, but I do have faith that we will find our center. I find myself in the sunshine. The teachers and staff we have worked with at Niwot have begun to allow us to find our spaces here, preparing us for the road of experience."

See more graduation photos here.