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The first 2023 graduates in Sanders County took the stage and were handed their diplomas on Sunday as Noxon celebrated its senior class.

The commencement ceremony on Sunday included some words of wisdom from industrial arts teacher Shannon Mercer. He started his speech by saying he had a "list of demands" from the seniors that included talking about each student and what has helped him in hard times. Mercer talked about how his sense of humor helped him overcome hardships and the benefits of "not taking yourself too seriously. Laughter really does help when it comes to embracing the 'suck' in life." Mercer told the graduates to stay true to themselves and to not be afraid to stand up for what they believe in. "You will learn to embrace the 'suck' as adulting is hard. You will learn exactly who you are," he stated.

Salutatorian Aubrey Erwin talked about each of her classmates and the memories they made throughout the years. She advised the class to never give up and to "remember that mom knows best, so always listen to her."

Annie Wooden

Teacher Shannon Mercer jokes that the Noxon students gave him a list of demands for his commencement speech.

Emily Brown addressed the crowd as the class valedictorian. Counselor Clara Meinershagen explained that Brown was a fourth-generation Noxon High School graduate and presented her with the Golden N Award. "She gets to attend any athletic event at Noxon School for free for life. She is always welcome back here," Meinershagen said as she introduced Brown, who first told her classmates that she wished they had a few more weeks of school. "I had the best time growing up here," Brown explained. Brown told of how she recently visited with first graders about making good decisions. During the visit, she started reminiscing and the conversation with the young Red Devils changed to making the most out of each day. Brown thanked her teachers, coaches, family and friends, and told her classmates that she hoped they could leave the world a little better than they found it.

Meinershagen detailed the list of scholarships and awards for the eight class members. David and June Hildebrand of Noxon presented a $5,000 trade scholarship to Erwin. "I can't teach you anything, but I can help you learn," Hildebrand, a 1958 graduate of Noxon High School, told Erwin as he presented her with the scholarship.

The class of 2023 - including Brown, Erwin, Michael Buckner, Gage Hendrick, Johnny Knerr, Skye Irgens, Easton Hanley and Jacob King - also watched a video of memories, including some photos submitted of when they were little.