“Standing here today feels surreal,” said Taylor Willardson, who told the story of how, like her mother, Lisa, she was born in Silicon Valley, California, and moved back to Gowrie, where her father, Terry, is from.

“I gained the best of both worlds,” she said. “I had a safe and loving childhood that only a small town can provide and a vacation destination that required no reservations.”

Willardson encouraged the family members and friends that packed the Southeast Valley High School gym to try new things and experiences, noting that she considered not signing up for music classes in high school, but did, and as a result found her passion in music.

Willardson was one of 83 Jaguars closing out their senior year with a shared belief that, as a class, they may come from a small town, but their experiences on the stage and in the classroom were larger than life.

-Photo by Julie Vinsand
Amy Maguire accepted her son Carrick’s diploma during Southeast Valley’s graduation ceremony on Sunday. Carrick, a member of the Army National Guard, is currently away completing boot camp.

“Today is a mix of joy, nostalgia, and uncertainty,” said graduating senior Daxon Maschino. “Growing up in a small town and going to a small school, every moment is a big moment. We come from a place where a class isn’t just a list of names, it’s a story. We have years of shared experiences, the same Friday night lights, school concerts, dances, and the same traditions that are now fond memories. We didn’t just go to a school together, we grew up together.”

That shared story stretched back further than high school for most of the graduates, a point not lost on the seniors themselves.

“One second we were on the preschool bus and now we’re here,” said graduating senior Malia Urban. “We’re all going to change the world, just not together. It is the end of our journey together, but it’s not goodbye. It’s see you later.”

Southeast Valley School Superintendent Brian Johnson acknowledged that collective journey as the Class of 2026 gathered one final time.

“All of you here share this honor today,” he told the graduates, their families, and the teachers who had watched them grow.

-Photo by Julie Vinsand
Southeast Valley seniors Elijah Sandoval and Jadah Limas proudly wear Mexican sashes during Sunday’s graduation ceremony.

By Monday, the 83 Jaguars will begin scattering to colleges and universities, to military service, and into the workforce. But before they left the gymnasium one final time, Maschino offered his classmates a parting charge: “We may be from a small town, but the world is ours to shape.”

For Willardson, who will leave Gowrie for Wartburg College in Waverly, the moment carried both weight and possibility.

“I’m incredibly grateful for this experience,” she said. “Our journey is just beginning.”

-Photo by Julie Vinsand
Terry Willardson wipes away a tear as he listens to his daughter deliver her graduation speech during Sunday’s Southeast Valley commencement ceremony.