Skyline High School grads celebrate paralyzed…
Skyline High School grads celebrate paralyzed senior Tyler Hoog
Whitney Bryen/Times-Call
Skyline senior Tyler Hoog is wheeled off the stage after receiving his diploma during graduation Saturday. Hoog was paralyzed from the neck down after a four-wheeling accident in 2011.
By Whitney Bryen and Longmont Times-Call |
"If I could give any words of partial wisdom it would be do what your heart tells you to do," "When you follow your passions, life is going to give you everything you need." –Jessica Masson
LONGMONT — Jessica Masson was one of about 270 seniors who graduated from Skyline High School in Longmont in a Saturday morning ceremony that lasted nearly two hours on the school's practice field.
The loudest cheers were for senior Tyler Hoog, who was paralyzed from the neck down in a four-wheeling accident in 2011. Despite a lengthy hospital stay during his recovery and rehabilitation, Hoog graduated with his class.
The class celebrated throughout the ceremony with a short-lived beach ball tossing attempt, air horns from proud family members and jokes made to graduates as they walked across the stage to receive their diplomas.
Musical performances, including "Home" by the school's combined choirs, played between mostly faculty and staff speakers wishing graduates good luck and encouraging them to pursue their dreams while never forgetting their pasts.
"Always make good choices, always follow your dreams and always remain a Falcon," said Skyline principal Heidi Ringer, referring to the school's mascot.
Whitney Bryen can be reached at 303-684-5274 or wbryen@times-call.com.
University of Colorado sets system wide record with $1.2 billion in research funding
Whitney Bryen