McKenzie High School’s class of 2021 graduated Saturday in a ceremony at the school gym in Blue River. Many students had lost homes to the Holiday Farm Fire in September.
That was on top of the challenges of distance learning in a pandemic—with internet access spotty or non-existent in some areas.
The class chose Upper McKenzie Fire Chief Rainbow Plews as their keynote speaker. Plews is credited with saving lives and homes during the fire. She compared the graduates to the school’s mascot, the eagle.
“The fire singed your feathers and I feel like COVID kind of clipped your wings, denying you the flight that you would have normally been using during that senior year,” “But, life forgot you had some talons. Eagles have really wicked claws. And so you clawed your way through those next few months.”
During the ceremony, thousands of dollars were awarded in scholarships and The Hope Project surprised the graduates with $20-thousnd to be divided among the class of 2021.
