Last fall, 51 students started school together in the Thompson Falls High School senior class. As the class celebrated their graduation last weekend, all 51 had completed the year to receive a diploma.

Thompson Falls held its commencement Sunday in the high school gym, with hundreds of family and friends gathering in the gym and spilling into the commons area for the event. Principal Jodi Morgan highlighted the fact that all who started school graduated, and 17 of the graduates had been together since they started kindergarten in 2010.

Annie Wooden

Salutatorian Bethany Burk smiles at her mom during the traditional rose ceremony at the Thompson Falls High School graduation in which the graduates walk into the crowd to thank their families.

Junior high teacher Doug Padden delivered some advice as the commencement speaker, requiring some student and audience participation. He told the story of when he met a man named Denny who taught him about A-R-F-F as a way of taking care of yourself. "You have to have ARFF in your life," Padden told the class. He then asked the class what was Frank's problem, referring to a story he had told the class of 2023 in seventh grade. Several students remembered that Frank "was a lazy poop," Padden said, and then explained that ARFF stands for Achievement, Respect, Fun, Freedom. In his speech, he told the students that achievements can be large or small. "It took you 5,040 lessons in high school to be where you are today - that's a big achievement," he noted. For respect, he told students not to be quick to judge others. "When you're respectful to people you become a better human." He told the students to do something fun and allow other people to have fun as well. And finally, he said that "freedom is a choice you make in your heart to not control other people and to not let people be controlling of you. It's OK to be different." Padden then had the audience stand up in groups, calling out parents, then family, teachers, staff and all friends until the entire audience was standing. "That is your village," he told the students, who then gave the audience a round of applause in thanks. Padden then asked the audience to give the graduates a round of applause.

School counselor Amy Henderson recognized the students who had received scholarships and awards totalling more than $1.4 million, in addition to more than $50,000 in college credits through the Running Start program at Flathead Valley Community College. The class together earned 160 college credits in their four years of high school.

Graduates Jacob Britt and Chesley Ramers recognized three retiring teachers, including Michele McGuigan, who they said would forever be remembered for her Corgi addiction. McGuigan has taught for 28 years, with 24 of those in the Thompson Falls district. They thanked retiring teacher Penny Beckman, for her dedication to the students and her commitment to the GEAR UP program. Beckman has taught at Thompson Falls High School for 20 of her 28 years in education. The students also recognized Patti Paulsen, "Patti P" as most call her, for 29 years with the school district. "They really have made our high school years memorable," the students noted. "Thank you for your time here."