Best in the Class of 2017: Cd'A Charter and Kootenai Senior

COEUR d’ALENE CHARTER ACADEMY

This year’s Coeur d’Alene Charter valedictorian is Allison “Allie” Overoye. She carries a 4.27 weighted GPA and will attend Northeastern University in Boston in the fall to study linguistics before going into speech therapy.

“The most important thing I’ve learned so far in my life is to always continue and never doubt that you can accomplish what you want,” Overoye said. “Moving forward, I will use this lesson to keep succeeding and persevering, no matter the situations presented to me.”

Abigail Sisco, 17, is this year’s salutatorian at Coeur d’Alene Charter. She lives on a small farm in Rathdrum and carries a 4.17 GPA.

After graduation, Sisco plans to get her bachelor’s degree in science and nursing to become a nurse. She’ll attend North Idaho college for the first two years, then attend Washington State University’s nursing program in Spokane for two years.

“Success is no accident,” Sisco said. “It’s hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice, and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.”

Coeur d’Alene Charter will hold its graduation on Wednesday, May 31 at 6:30 p.m. at the Lake City Church, located at 6000 N. Ramsey Road in Coeur d’Alene.

KOOTENAI SENIOR HIGH

This year’s valedictorian at Kootenai High is Michaela Ann LaFountaine. She was born and raised in Harrison and carries a 3.902 GPA and plans to attend the University of Idaho to study biological engineering with an environmental emphasis, paired with a minor in ethics. LaFountaine hopes to use this education as a basis for a career in creating/promoting sustainable resources for our communities and the surrounding environments.

“The greatest lesson that I have learned at this point in my education is that there truly is never one right answer,” LaFountaine said. “Both within school and outside of academics, there are always multiple possibilities in which you can approach a problem and the most effective strategy will likely vary for each individual. This lesson will be incredibly helpful in my future because I know that I must find what is most effective for me personally as well as always remain open to other possibilities that may prove to be more beneficial.”

Rachel Linnea Riley is this year’s salutatorian at Kootenai. Her hometown is Avery and she carries a 3.857 GPA. Riley plans to attend Western Washington University to major in marine biology and minor in international studies. After college, she plans to join the Peace Corps and spend a few years abroad helping improve sustainable marine fisheries. After that, she’d like to work for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or a similar organization.

“The greatest lesson that I have learned from my education is that curiosity is the everlasting quality that is needed to gain knowledge and wisdom throughout life,” Riley said. “This will help me as I move forward from high school by reminding me to ask questions in order to learn about different subjects throughout life.”

Kootenai will hold its commencement ceremony on Saturday, June 3 at 1 p.m. in the high school gymnasium.