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Washington Evening Journal
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English Valleys seniors are originals, teacher says
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
NORTH ENGLISH — This year’s English Valleys graduates were a group of students who lost a year in junior high to COVID and allowed two juniors to join them in graduating high school.
They are better people because of English teacher Carrie Burdick, who hit a McDonald’s during a speech trip, whom they will miss.
That’s the way Senior Class Vice President Forrest Schott summed up the seniors waiting to receive diplomas Sunday.
Burdick was just as fond of the students as they were of her. She’s known them since junior high, and some longer than that, she said in her commencement addresses.
They’ve grown taller, most of them, and more expressive.
“What makes this group so unforgettable isn’t your stories,” said Burdick, “it’s you.”
The 2025 senior class was a mix of athletes, musicians and academics. And she remembered each of them, from Gage Heyne, “one of the fastest runners to come through EV,” and Taylor, who was the mom of the class, though she may not have realized it.
Lyla and Nicole as examples of true loyalty, and Korbyn was her reliable crew chief.
“There’s no obstacle big enough to stop you,” Burdick told Tessa. And Stacia “moved us with your writing and inspired us with your speeches.”
Burdick mentioned Owen’s strength and determination and Hallie’s heart of gold.
To Dylan, Burdick said, “You may be a little dramatic at times, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
And to Staci, “Your honestly is refreshing, and occasionally terrifying.”
Burdick encouraged the students to be themselves as they leave high school and make their way through life. “Be your self, fully, loudly, unapologetically. Don’t shrink to fit in,” she said.
“Success is being who you really are,” said Burdick. “The world doesn’t need copies. It has enough of those.”
The world needs originals, said Burdick, and that’s what these students are.
“Go out there. Dream boldly. Fail sometimes but laugh a lot,” said Burdick. “You did it, and I couldn’t be prouder.”
Cyrus Morrison was the class salutatorian and Gage Heyne was valedictorian.
As English Valleys High School students filed into their rows a chairs to “Pomp and Circumstance,” they left a seat with a cap and gown draped over it in remembrance of classmate Hattie Jackson who died in 2017 when she was in fifth grade.
