Lone graduate gets big send-off

FROID, Mont. – Froid High School senior Roxie Britton got to choose the class colors, senior class motto and graduation speaker.

And it’s not just because her dad is the superintendent. She was the lone graduate from Froid High this year.

Gov. Brian Schweitzer spoke at Britton’s graduation Sunday, drawing a crowd of about 200 in a town that has fewer than 200 residents, said Superintendent Roger Britton.

“The governor being here brought people that were not just from this community,” he said Tuesday.

He said Schweitzer talked about the country’s dependence on foreign oil, the need for renewable and alternative energy and about his days growing up in another small town, Geyser – “some things that really related to a small school, like we are,” Roger Britton said.

The governor also encouraged Roxie Britton to get more education and look to the future with a positive attitude, her father said.

Roxie Britton’s valedictorian speech addressed how the community helped her become the person she is.

“I’m going to miss it here,” she told the Williston (N.D.) Herald last week. “It’s like a big family.”

Froid High has 17 students, including Britton. In four classes, it’s just her and the teacher.

“A few years ago there were 30” students, she said. “The town is definitely getting smaller.”

She plans to attend either the Montana State University-Billings College of Technology or Boise State.

“Something big will be exciting,” she said. “It will definitely be a change, but I’m ready for it.”

Her graduation was also a big event for area residents, Roger Britton said.

“The community was really excited when the governor came. They had flags out. He could hardly leave here,” he said.

The graduation ceremony had been scheduled for Saturday, but when Schweitzer said he couldn’t make it, it was rescheduled.