The Newcastle High School Class of 2017 will mark the end of their high school careers at graduation on Sunday the same way their counterparts throughout Wyoming will— by celebrating their friendships and accomplishments, recounting cherished memories and sharing excitement with those nearest and dearest to them over the futures they hope to make for themselves.
They will do all of these things collectively, as graduating classes generally do, but this senior class will mark the milestone with a level of knowledge and experience groups like theirs seldom possess.
The class has known for over a year that counted among the loved ones with whom they will be sharing the day will be four fallen classmates— Jacob Coy, Wyatt Pillen, Levi Holt and Laura Chord— who died tragically and unexpectedly over a four year period beginning in their eighth grade year, and Sunday’s graduation will be a final display of the unity and strength that has amazed so many who have been involved with these students in recent years.