Silver Valley High School students move on to new challenges

BARSTOW — Glenn Rhodes gave a letter to his son LaQuennton with a few words of advice before LaQuennton graduated from Silver Valley High School, Monday.

“Keep your head on straight, don’t let emotions cloud your judgment, and always try to be moral in your actions and your judgments,” Glenn summed up his words to his son, who is contemplating joining the military.

Kristi Lauretta, who graduated from Silver Valley in 2004, had some simple advice for her little sister Candice, who graduated with the Class of 2008.

“Go to school and enjoy life,” Kristi said.

Valedictorian David Payne, also with a couple of words for his classmates, quoted from Douglas Adams’ classic science fiction comedy novel “A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” — “Don’t panic.”

Ninety-nine people who went through 99 different experiences in their four years at Silver Valley High moved onto the next phase in their lives on Monday night, with the aid of those well-placed pieces of advice. The students have diverse plans for what they want to become in their lives, from firefighters to beauty shop owners and from teachers to archeologists.

Payne is among the 19 percent of his class going on to four-year colleges next year. He will enroll in the civil engineering program at the University of California at Davis. His fellow valedictorian Venee Hummel is headed to Baylor University in Waco, Texas, to get a degree in psychology.

The two students have gone through vastly different life experiences. Payne lived in Newberry Springs his whole life. Hummel’s military family moved constantly; she went to three different high schools in four years.

Although some might regard that as a challenge, Hummel credits her transient life with giving her the adaptability to deal with whatever situations she may encounter.

“Now that I’m older I realize that I kind of like change,” she said.

Hummel is not the only one who has had the chance to rise to challenges during her high school career. Class salutatorian Kylie Negin recalled a potentially embarassing crisis from her freshman year, when she got her fingers stuck in some holes in a desk. Firefighters had to be called in to cut the desk off her hand.

Rather than slinking away in shame, however, Negin said she her sudden notoriety as an excuse to make new friends. She told her fellow students that they, too, could choose to make the best of every situation and turn challenges into opportunities.

As the students flipped the tassels on their caps and a spray of confetti filled the air, each one was ready to go out into the world and face the challenges that await them.

What’s next for Silver Valley High School graduates

• Robert Berry is joining the U.S. Army. In the long run, he hopes to become a physical education teacher.
• Scott Enderle hopes to be a Marine firefighter at Camp Pendleton. He has volunteered as a firefighter with the Yermo Fire Department for the past three years.
• Jessica Estes plans to enter the cosmetology program at Barstow Community College, where her mother is currently enrolled. Mother and daughter want to one day open a beauty shop together.
• Sydney Hurley is going to study international relations at Texas A & M. Hurley, who grew up in a military family, wants to work for the U.S. State Department overseas.
• Alex Keck plans to join the military to pay for his college education in hopes of becoming a history teacher.
• Candice Lauretta plans to enter the nursing program at Victor Valley College.
• Thomas Moore will study animal science at the University of California at Davis. Moore said that growing up in Newberry Springs with livestock and game birds at home left him with a fondness for animals.
• Allison Reynolds is going to the University of Colorado to study anthropology. Reynolds hopes to become an archeologist specializing in Egyptology, combing the desert for ancient oasis sites swallowed by the sand.
• Lilia Tinajero will study cosmetology at Barstow Community College.
• Kayla Wheeler is moving to Joshua Tree, where her brother lives. She hopes to get a job in childcare.
• Adolfo Williams plans to enter the firefighting academy at Victor Valley College. Williams, who has volunteered with the San Bernardino County Fire Department, said he wants to fight wildfires.

The Silver Valley High School Class of 2008 has diverse plans for the future.
• Accepted into a four-year college: 19 percent
• Planning to attend two-year college: 40 percent
• Joining the military: 16 percent
• Entering a trade or technical school: 14 percent
• Joining the work force: 14 percent
Source: Lanette Everly, Silver Valley High School counselor

Contact the writer:
(760) 256-4123 or abby_sewell@link.freedom.com