Salute to graduating seniors

Handle Extra this week salutes more than 1,500 seniors graduating from high school in Kootenai County. To tell you a little about them, we’ve suspended many of the usual stories and columns you find on these pages.

The students are from 11 public schools in the Coeur d’Alene, Post Falls, Lakeland and Kootenai school districts.

Correspondents Sherry Ramsey and Cassandra Cridland have written brief profiles on 11 notable students – one from each school. Ten of these stories are in this section, and one appears on the front page of today’s Idaho edition of The Spokesman-Review.

The students share their accomplishments and goals. One wants to be a child psychologist. One is illustrating children’s books. A couple of them are interested in careers in nursing. Another aspires to own a landscaping business.

Some are real scholars who are college bound. Others have struggled in school but have achieved recognition by their teachers and principals for their determination and perseverance. As Ramsey notes, “For some, it wasn’t their academic prowess that got them chosen as the most notable student in their school, but their guts and refusal to fall down and stay there. Every one of these kids stands out because of who they are.”

Another 11 students penned essays about this chapter in life, touching on themes of commitment, teamwork, responsibility and the thrill of starting something new.

We’ve also included for each school some basic information about graduation ceremonies, a list of seniors expected to be awarded a diploma, class officers and advisers, and the valedictorians and salutatorians.

We hope you enjoy our special edition of Handle Extra, and congratulations to the class of 2007.

– Scott Maben, North Idaho editor