Behind one of Holt Arena’s spectator stands runs a long hallway that on Tuesday afternoon was filled with hundreds of Century High School seniors garbed in caps and gowns, nervously laughing, giggling, and smoothing down their hairstyles.

     Shortly the high school band would sound the first strains of "Pomp and Circumstance," then the students would start their long walk across the football field to participate in their graduation ceremony, during which the young men and women would transform from seniors to graduates.

    Among those graduates was a calm and confident Brittney Nelson, who has big ambitions fueled by heartbreaking events. A Pocatello native, Nelson will be attending Baylor University in Waco, Texas, for premed studies. She is seriously considering a specialty in Pediatric Oncology, spurred by the loss of her own little brother, Andrew, from neuroblastoma, a cancer which affects the nerves. Andrew was only 4 years old.

    Nelson also lost her best friend, Rylei Thomason, to leukemia. Thomason was one year ahead of Nelson in school, but Nelson knows they would have been friends far beyond high school if Rylei hadn’t lost her battle with cancer at the age of 14. But the experience with loss has served to impel Nelson to excellence in academics, and to great aspirations.

    “It has given me a drive and a passion,” she said. “I want to give back to those I lost.”

    “Four short years ago, we started high school as intimidated freshmen, and now here we are,” Nelson said in her speech to her fellow classmates.

    “We will be going to great places,” she added, drawing on a Dr. Suess quote, “Oh, the places we will go.”

    Hailie Busch, an Academic Excellence graduate with a grade point average of higher than 4.0, not only received her high school diploma on Tuesday, she also expects to receive her Emergency Medical Technician Certificate in the mail in the next few weeks.

    She has already passed her EMT tests and is looking forward to studying physical education at Idaho State University, as well as  eventually working on a master’s degree in athletic training.

    While she spoke to her fellow graduates, she emphasized that their many accomplishments could only have come with the help and encouragement of their teachers at Century High.

    Academic Excellence student, Sage Bielenberg, auditioned for his chance to speak at the graduation ceremony, and won his opportunity for a speech.

    “I don’t really know why I wanted to speak,” he commented, “but I knew what I wanted to say.”

    His speech stressed individualism, and urged his fellow students to follow their own path in life.

    Century High School Principal Sheryl Brockett reviewed a list of the accomplishments of the students over the past school year, summarizing the successes of the various sports teams, choir, band and the academic honors received. She also broke a little news that she said was received just minutes before the faculty came out on the football field to begin the ceremony.

    “For the third year in a row, Century High School has been named by the Idaho High School Activities Association as a State 4-A School of Excellence,” she said. “Congratulations, Century High.”

    Faculty members lined up along one Football field’s goal lines to personally congratulate each of the new graduates as they prepared to start new lives.

    Some said they hope to go on to jobs, travel, college and, as Principal Brockett noted, 12 graduating students would shortly be entering the  Armed Forces.

    School faculty member Jill Pixton teaches English to freshmen and seniors.

    “It’s been an adventure,” she said referring to teaching the Class of 2013. “They were a fun group, full of surprises.”

    She added that the students will go far.

    Other faculty members described the seniors as “showing great growth,” or displaying “tenacity” and being “independent thinkers.”  

    Student Sage Bielenberg exemplified that tendency toward independent thinking as he closed his remarks to his fellow students by saying, “Never give up on your hopes and dreams.”