W-M graduates 'a terrific bunch'

WAKEFIELD — Wakefield-Marenisco senior class president Bethany Engel on Friday recalled good times and not so good times of the graduating class of 2013.

There was the day in grade school when an impromptu hockey game broke out and classmate Aaron Fetters was hospitalized after being hit in the face with a makeshift hockey stick.

That obviously wasn’t one of the good days.

She also remembered all of the hard work that teachers put in to prepare the students for the world away from school.

Those were the good days.

“Thank you for pushing us to do our best,” Engel said to teachers and parents. “We will always have these memories to hold onto.”

The hockey game aside, superintendent Catherine Shamion said the 22 graduates constituted “a terrific bunch of kids.”

Engel was valedictorian with a perfect 4.0 grade point average and salutatorian Emily Nordine wasn’t far behind with a 3.98.

It was the ninth class to graduate since Marenisco and Wakefield merged and one of the biggest classes in recent years. About twice as many people attended the ceremony as a year ago.

Guest speaker Krystal (Sibley) Haeger, a graduate of the class of 2001, has advanced quickly in the health care field. She’s now director of nursing at the Sky View Nursing Home in Hurley.

Married to Mark Haeger, the couple has two children and Krystal Haeger urged the graduates to follow their children's activities throughout their school days, rather than grabbing some extra bucks by working overtime.

“Be flexible and ready to make a change, if you need to,” she said. “Follow your passion,” she urged the graduates.

“There are good jobs in your community,” she said. “Remember, Bill Gates started in his garage.”

Kailey Korpi was class vice-president, Nordine served as secretary and Mikayle Piehl was treasurer.

District office secretary Melody Saubert and graphics-art teacher Bridget Grotberg were class advisors.