“It was a really diverse bunch of kids,” said Nancy Kleine, Connection’s Homer advisor for students in grades 9-12. “They are following really independent paths. A lot are traveling kids. Some are kids that have struggled through some life circumstances. Some are Old Believers that finished up their graduation requirements.”
After introducing the graduates, Connections Principal Lee Young spoke about each student’s life and the student’s plans for the future. Then, the high school seniors were given an opportunity to thank parents and others who had helped with their education.
“It was remarkable what a lot of kids said. They were really appreciative of their education,” Kleine said.
“And if the parents wanted to, they could help hand the diploma to their students, which was very touching. Then, the kids gave a rose to their parents. It was really a heart-warming ceremony.”
This is Kleine’s second year with Connections. For the 2005-2006 school year, enrollment in Homer reached 260 students in the K-12 program.
“Right now, for fall, we have approximately 210 enrollees and we always get a huge influx in August, so we’re looking at some pretty high numbers,” Kleine said.
She attributes the number of enrollees to Connections’ ability to meet the needs of diverse students, including those on the south side of Kachemak Bay, Russian Old Believers, students with medical reasons that are unable to attend school, traditional home-schoolers and returning students that have decided to complete their high school requirements.
“We have quite a few that are 18 and 19 years old and weren’t doing really well with the system but now are working with us to get their high school diploma,” Kleine said. “We’re definitely a going concern.”
Homer students graduating at the May 26 ceremony were:
Therin Crauthers
Kyle De Vaney
Kyle Edens
Ksena Efimov
Jocelyn Hensley
Kevin Kinney
Ekaterina Kojin
Caleb Lance Leavitt
Aunfissa Martushev
Patrick Nestor
Jana Porter
Ilene Reid
Mark Ruzicka
Domanika Sanarov
Valentina Sanarov
Jedediah Smith
Matthew Jake Soplanda
Lucas Stockburger
Zachary Stoddard
Seth Suydam
Eric Tutt
Joel Tutt
Richard Twing
Amanda Zharoff
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