EARLENE
WARD
special to the Sierra Star
SUBMITTED
The Class of 2004 Yosemite High School valedictorians and Pitman
Scholars were honored at a recent banquet.
Family, friends,
teachers and faith are credited with getting the 23 Yosemite High
School valedictorians through the past four years. The students
and their families were honored May 19 during the Paul and Martha
Pitman Awards Banquet, sponsored and hosted by Sierra Telephone.
The students received gifts from the community in addition to being
guests for dinner. Dr. Bill Atwood was the master of ceremonies
for the evening. Special guest presenter was John Baxter, assistant
head football coach at California State University Fresno and author
of Academic Game Plan. YHS Principal Steve Raupp and Baxter presented
awards to the students. Marsh Pitman, son of Paul and Martha Pitman,
was a special guest as was Jean Gibson who worked with the Pitmans
to bring Yosemite High School to Oakhurst in the early 1970s.
Each student wrote an essay about high school which was included
in the evening’s program. In these essays, they recall the past
four years and they look to the future.
Valedictorians have at least a 4.0 grade point average over their
four years in high school. Because of International Baccalaureate
and Advanced Placement classes, it is possible for students to have
a GPA greater than 4.0.
Valedictorians
Cody Campbell, Alexander Cano, Michael Cole, Cori Dooman, Jessica
Flippen, Kaley Franklin, Kyle Howard, Samantha Hunt, Marissa Martin,
Mary McKennon, Andrew Medley, Kyle Mosher, Jonathon Nickel, Rhiannon
Smith, Timothy Springer, Matthew Stephens, Ivan Tomazin, Brian Troutner,
Jessica Tucker, Ashley Vetter, Timothy Williams, Casey Wolters and
Brandon Wright.
Cody Campbell had the opportunity to attend either Yosemite High
or Sierra High because he lives in North Fork. He is grateful he
chose YHS. He wrote, “Sometimes I find myself wondering what it
would have been like if I had attended Sierra High. Sure, I would
have been able to remain with the majority of grade school classmates,
but then I think of the faces I would have not known, the lives
I never would have been part of, and the opportunities to find my
passion that I would have missed.” The passion Campbell found at
YHS is video editing and he intends to make that his career. “I
have developed a passion for editing film and I feel I could spend
my life in this field that I had never even considered two years
ago,” he continued.
Alexander Cano has “realized that it is essential for a kid to have
a good set of parents at home. He plans to attend the University
of California at San Diego and he is still deciding what field he
wants to enter. He does know that wherever he goes, whatever he
does, he wants to help those less fortunate than himself. “I now
realize that I can make a difference in the world by volunteering
my time and talents to help others,” Cano wrote. He says high school
has allowed him “to try new things and discover new interests and
strengths.”
Michael Cole says, “High school has been a very educational experience
for me, and the friendships and growth in maturity will aid me through
life.” His most memorable experience was a trip to Puerto Vallarta,
Mexico with the Spanish Club where they gave donations and gifts
to children who live in the city’s dump. He wrote that high school
has been challenging for him and “that challenge has forced me to
not only learn, but also thrive.” He comments that the most influential
people in his life are his parents.
Cori Dooman was home schooled through elementary school and part
of high school; she enrolled at YHS as a junior where she was able
to play sports and lead the campus Christian club. “Though both
methods of education are different,” she wrote, “they both have
been equally beneficial and have both offered a quality education.
I am grateful to have been able to experience both.” She calls her
family “the greatest support system that any one could ask for”
and she notes that Jesus is the one who set events and people in
her life to shape her into who she is today. “He gave me the ambition
I needed to work hard academically all the way and finish strong,”
she says.
Jessica Flippen wants to be a public relations specialist for a
scientific company. She will pursue a double major at Fresno State
in chemistry and journalism. She credits many of her teachers with
helping her succeed in high school and she also credits God. “God
has matured me from a state of doubt and fear to the peace of confidence
in Christ,” she says. However, she says she “couldn’t have succeeded
in school without my parents’ support. What motivates me? It is
because they care.”
Kaley Franklin began her YHS career as a commuter from Lemoore.
For two months she made the 1 hour and 45 minute drive every morning
and evening to attend Yosemite High. “If you were to ask me now,”
she says, “I’d say that I would have been crazy not to make that
drive to Oakhurst every day.” She and her twin sister Karey wondered
if they would be accepted at the new school and they soon found
that they didn’t need to worry. “Without the slightest hesitation
my new classmates took the initiative and introduced themselves
to Karey and me, made us feel welcome and at home.”
She expresses a deep gratitude to her parents and other family members
as well as school staff and her “family at Sierra Telephone.” She
has special praise for the teachers at YHS. “I was amazed at my
teachers as well. I’m not sure what it is that makes such a big
difference in the teachers and staff up here. Maybe it’s the fresh
air, maybe it’s the view of the mountains outside their office and
classroom windows, or maybe it’s just plain ol’ good luck that so
many good people ended up in the same place at once.”
Kyle Howard says his parents have had the most influence on his
high school career. They encouraged him, expected him to do his
best and to enjoy high school at the same time. “Although they held
high standards they made sure that I had every opportunity to participate
in a variety of activities that I enjoyed and excelled at.” He transferred
to YHS as a junior and found teachers who encouraged him and stimulated
his interests. He went out for the varsity football team which allowed
him to “get to know my fellow classmates and become part of the
school pride at Yosemite High School.” He acknowledges “my Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ, who has bestowed upon me the gift of wisdom
and I would not be sitting here today without His grace and mercy.”
Samantha Hunt says her “high school experience has been one that
has shaped my life and set me in the right direction for the success
I desire and deserve.” She says her experience at YHS and in the
Oakhurst community “has made up the first chapter of my life, and
offer me a wonderful beginning to my future.” She says as she looks
back over her high school years, she won’t remember the hard assignments
and tests but “I believe that when I look back, I will smile about
my friends who have made the journey with me and with whom I have
shared every up and down.” She credits her high school success to
“the entire faculty, my friends, and my wonderful family who have
helped me get where I am today.”
Marissa Martin found fulfillment at YHS through “four years of consistent
involvement with the YHS Special Education Department.” She says
this has allowed her to learn “much more than books could ever teach
me about life, acceptance and the value of individuality.” She goes
on to say that “my time spent with these individuals, both teaching
them in the classroom and aiding them in physically challenging
ventures, has not only helped me evolve as a person, but has also
guided me in deciding what I would like to do with the rest of my
life.”
Mary McKennon has learned “that being yourself is the most important
thing to be.” Throughout her years at YHS she has seen that “being
popular doesn’t matter. It makes no difference to the world.” Friends,
teachers and her mother are credited with helping her make it through
high school and decide what she wants to do in the future (go to
college and major in psychology). She says without her mom, nothing
would have been possible. “She kept me hanging on throughout my
years in school. She was my support and shoulder to cry on.”
Andrew Medley says he has learned never to compromise himself. “Many
times I have tried to fit in by changing who I am or how I feel
about an issue to make people like me more,” he wrote. “But now
I can see that that was foolish and if I can pass on anything to
generations in the future, it is the advice to never compromise.”
He expresses gratitude to his parents, school staff and his friends.
In short, he says, “be true to yourself and don’t stray far off
the path to success.”
Kyle Mosher learned many life lessons on the football field at YHS.
While winning is a great accomplishment, he learned, “losing is
what more often teaches lessons.” After a particularly difficult
10 14 loss in a championship game, he spent the weekend reflecting
on the experience and he came to realize that while he enjoyed winning
games, “what are most enjoyable for me are the relationships that
I’ve developed with my teammates.” The loss in his senior year made
him appreciate the victory in his junior year even more. That particular
experience “has helped me better cherish and enjoy the memories
I have had and the relationships I have developed with the members
of my team.”
Jonathon Nickel has learned many valuable traits in high school
which will help him succeed throughout life. He has learned “great
people skills, responsibility, good work ethic, and even to work
on my car.” He recalls a trip to Romania in the summer of 2001 as
his most memorable high school experience. “My impressions of high
school are that it does a good job of preparing each student for
life after graduation,” he writes. He says the person who has had
the most influence in his life is Jesus Christ. He also credits
his parents who “kept me encouraged in school and have pushed me
to succeed.”
Rhiannon Smith hopes to have a career as an artist. She has completed
90 units in art at YHS and hopes to be part of the design department
and fine arts department in the President’s Scholar Program at a
California State University. Her goal is to become a consultant,
designing and furnishing homes and businesses. She has a brown belt
in the martial art of Chi Tu Do and she hopes to pursue that as
a co curricular activity.
Timothy Springer found high school a time to grow up. “The teachers
I have had throughout the years, as I have grown, have changed from
intellectual authority figures to knowledgeable individuals with
whom I can relate.” High school has also taught him the importance
of friends and that it is important to be social and active. Friends
“help you through rough times and make life enjoyable and fun,”
he says. Springer sees high school as an important time in one’s
life. “High school is what you make of it, and if you make the most
of it, then it is an exciting time which will have a positive impact
on who you will be.”
Matthew Stephens says over the past four years, “to put it plain
and simple, I learned a lot.” He says “all the things that I have
acquired through high school have shaped my future goals and left
a permanent imprint in my memory.” Encouragement from a teacher
made him realize “that if I really try hard at something long enough,
just long enough, I can overcome any obstacle no matter how impossible
it may seem.” He learned to carry a heavy academic load and he says
“finals have proven to be my most meaningful experience in high
school.” As he looks to the future he knows he can look back to
his time at YHS for strength. “When times in the future become difficult,
I will turn back and look at my years in high school, with a grin
may I add, to help me along the way.”
Ivan Tomazin says Yosemite has given him the “opportunity to learn
many of the foundations on which I hope to build my future.” He
learned that “not taking risks is the biggest risk of all.” He says
it has been a privilege to grow up in Oakhurst. “I would drive down
my driveway only to see deer grazing in our yard. As bad as any
day was shaping out to be, the drive to school through the foothills
of Oakhurst seemed to put it in better perspective.” He plans to
attend Cal Poly at San Luis Obispo and major in mechanical engineering.
Tomazin expresses a “great debt of thanks” to teachers, friends
and family. “I know that the groundwork and foundation has been
constructed and that now the rest is up to me.”
Brian Troutner says “the best decision I ever made in high school
was to get involved.” And get involved he did in football, baseball,
Future Business Leaders of America, Interact, Key Club, California
Scholarship Federation and Spanish Club “and I don’t regret a minute
of it.” He thinks challenging himself in high school has given him
a much brighter future. He thinks it was his extra curricular involvement
that led to him earning the President’s Scholarship to California
State University Long Beach which provides full payment of tuition,
housing, priority registration, book allowance and parking fees.
He says he doesn’t take full credit for what he has been given.
“I definitely would not be where I am today if it weren’t for the
important people in my life that have helped me along the way.”
These important people are his parents, friends, teachers and God.
“He has always been my strength when I am weak,” he wrote.
Jessica Tucker says “throughout my high school years I have accomplished
my academic successes with the grace of God. With God as my backbone
and my parents as my supporters and motivators, I have come to this
place and time with much to be grateful for.” She has learned that
“friends come and go but all are blessings for life.” These experiences
help shape a person into who they are and who they will become,
she believes. Tucker learned that decisions made in high school
can make all the difference in one’s future. “The choice of classes
taken in high school helped me to find my niche in the career world,”
she says.
Ashley Vetter learned her two most important lessons from her family
and friends. Her parents taught her to do her best with whatever
it was she wanted to do and she also learned “to always be yourself
and to surround yourself with others like you.” She learned that
“family and friends are the most important people you can surround
your life with.” She thanks her friends “who allow me to be who
I am.” Vetter writes, “I believe that every day in high school is
memorable. If you live every day to its fullest then every day becomes
the best day of your life, but of course nothing beats hanging out
with the people you love, doing dorky things, and laughing till
you cry.”
Timothy Williams says that everyone feels alone from time to time
but “we need not forget about how much support we truly have. Our
friends, teachers and especially our families have done their part
in reminding us that someone cares.” He acknowledges that his role
model and friend is Christ, who “has never given up on me, even
when I have slipped and fallen.” He is grateful to his parents for
their support and to his brother and grandmother for being there
to talk to. Of his parents, he says “their love, care, humor, faith,
hope and support for me have been more than adequate in helping
me to move on.”
Casey Wolters says “things happen whether you want them to or not.
The only thing you can do is hang on to the bonds you have with
family, friends, and teammates. Making the effort to try new things
is usually worthwhile.” He is grateful to teachers who have been
especially helpful, to his parents for their support and to God
“for being with me the whole time.”
Brandon Wright found high school very different from his earlier
years in school. “Probably the most important thing I have learned
over the years is how to manage my time,” he wrote. He expresses
appreciation to his teachers who made learning fun and taught him
to “think outside the box.” High school allowed him to dabble in
subjects such as drafting and videography and he learned about the
film industry and discovered architecture. He believes his high
school experience has prepared him for the “brand new experience
of college.”
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