Well, it's official. The Ocracoke High School Class Of 2009 has graduated and they are one happy bunch!

Graduation was held Sunday, June 14, 2009, in the Ocracoke School Gym. The gym was filled with family and friends all eager to watch these wonderful young people receive their diplomas and prepare to move on to the next steps in their lives. The graduates were beginning to realize that the end of 14 years of school was finally here. Family and friends from far and wide had come to witness this wonderful event. I had a brother and 2 of his young sons come all the way from Albuquerque, New Mexico. And the real kicker is that we had never met them before. He and I have the same father and different mothers. That was a real treat! I wish we had been able to spend more time together but the time we did spend was great and I am sure we will be seeing each other again really soon!

Mothers of the graduates planned ahead to shed plenty of (happy) tears but I think we all did pretty good! No one used more than one package of tissues. The ceremony actually went pretty quick. I think it was planned that way so that we wouldn't have a chance to cry too much. The Valedictorian (Michelle Cartwright) and Salutatorian (Tristan Bennink) gave very nice speeches and so did the guest speaker, Marissa O'Neal Gross. I think we cried more at the assembly on the last day of school when a couple of the high school teachers got teary talking about the senior class.




Pre-K
Sandy & Rebecca-middle of back row. Tristan-middle of front row.          Rebecca, Tristan & Sandy-Seniors


Three of the graduates...Sandy, Rebecca and Tristan...have been together since daycare. Through the years some classmates have moved away and others have joined them. Emma would have graduated with the class of 2008 but she spent a year in Denmark as an exchange student and joined this years seniors when she returned to Ocracoke. Three of the graduates...Sandy, Ansley and Dellanira...are the offspring of Ocracoke Island Realty employees.


Sandy, Rebecca, Dellanira

Sandy, Rebecca and Dellanira...also known as "The Three Amigas" have been friends "forever"!  Sandy & Rebecca have been friends since they were babies and Dellanira joined the crew somewhere during middle school. Usually when you see one of them, you also see one or both of the others. I can't imagine how many text messages they have sent through the years. We are proud of all three of these beautiful young women but especially proud of Dellanira. Near the end of her Sophomore year, Dellanira gave birth to a handsome baby boy, Nathen. She was determined to finish school and continue playing basketball for the Ocracoke Dolphins if possible. Her family, friends and teachers were determined to help her do just that. She continued to play basketball for the Dolphins and she continued going to school. Now she is a high school graduate. Her son, Nathen, is a wonderful child. He is happy, healthy and everybody loves him wherever he goes. Rebecca's mom and myself consider him our grandbaby as much as Dellanira's mom does. My daughter has recorded his hearty laugh and uses it as a ring tone for her cell phone. He always inspires smiles and he is a smart, loving child. Any parent knows that it isn't easy raising children but Dellanira has done a fantastic job raising a wonderful child. Kudos, Dellanira!! Keep that determination and hold onto those great friends! Keep up the good work with Nathen so he can grow up to be as great as you are!!







Dellanira & Nathen




Dellanira & Nathen

The Class of 2009 is a very diverse group. More than one teacher said that there are nine different students and nine different opinions in this class. They also agreed that before starting class they would ask the students what was on their minds because if they didn't let them clear the air they wouldn't be able to get anything else accomplished. My daughter would talk to me about the graduation planning now and then and they seemed to take forever to finalize anything because they all wanted something different. I don't think they argued too much about things but they did a lot of discussing. We are all very, very proud of the graduating Class of 2009 and wish them well in all they do!





And now...I present to you the Ocracoke High School Class of 2009:




Sandra Marie Lukefahr

Daughter of Jerry & Terry (OIR Maintenance Coordinator).
Sandy has been working at Ocracoke Child Care for over a year now. Full time in the summer and part time during the school year. She really enjoys working at the day care and plans to continue working full time for another year or two (or until Nathen starts school). She will take online classes offered by the day care and save as much money as she can. After that...who knows!
I LOVE YOU, SANDY!!



Ansley Richard Robinson

Son of Doreen (OIR Vacation Specialist) and Scotty
Ansley is an avid hunter and fisherman. He plans to continue these activities for as long as possible and to do them as often as possible. He will also continue to be a role model for his younger brother, Eldon, and make his family very proud!
LOVE YOU, ANS!!



Dellanira Gonzalez Romero

Daughter of Margarita Gonzalez (OIR Housekeeping Field Supervisor) and Rene Flores (OIR Beach Outfitters Specialist & Maintenance Tech)
Dellanira plans to continue working hard and raise her son, Nathen. She hopes to do some traveling, including going to Mexico to see family and have them meet Nathen. She also wants to try to save money until she decides what to do in the future.
I LOVE YOU, DELLANIRA!!



Tristan Harm Bennink

Son of Howard and Daphne. (Howard is a teacher at Ocracoke School. He and Daphne own the Back Porch Restaurant)
Tristan is the Salutatorian for the Class of 2009. He is an avid surfer, basketball player and musician. A few years ago Tristan wrote a song called "Eating Chicken" and it continues to be popular at the school to this day. He will be attending UNC at Wilmington in the fall.
LOVE YOU, TRISTAN!!



Rebecca Erin Jones

Daughter of Rick and Mandy. (Rick is in construction and Mandy works at the Variety Store)
Rebecca (Becca) has also worked at Ocracoke Child Care during the summer last year and again this year. She plans to continue to work at day care so she can save money to travel. She also plans to turn the world around with her smile.
I LOVE YOU, BECCA!!



Emma Ocie Frum Lovejoy

Daughter of David Frum and Karen Lovejoy. (David works for the Ocracoke Sanitary District and the Park Service. Karen is very active with the island youth and is involved with the Ocracoke Youth Center)
Emma was home schooled until she started high school. She then attended Ocracoke School except for last year when she traveled to Denmark as an exchange student. She continues to be active in many community activities. She will be attending Guilford College in Greensboro, NC this fall. She is interested in Peace and Conflict Studies and International Studies. She would like to study abroad again and travel more in the future.
LOVE YOU, EMMA!!



Michelle Dawn Cartwright

Daughter of Ingeborg Frye and John Cartwright. (Ingeborg works at the Ocracoke School Library)
Michelle is the Valedictorian of the Class of 2009. Michelle plans to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill this fall. She may possibly major in education and science.
LOVE YOU, MICHELLE!!



Seth Nils Huppert

Son of Valerie and Bill Huppert
Seth plans to work this summer and save some money. He wants to attend a community college in the fall and one day own a really nice car.
LOVE YOU, SETH!!



Robert Stephen Chestnut

Son of Bob and Jane. (Bob and Jane own and operate Ride The Wind Surf Shop)
Robert is an avid photographer. He has taken hundreds of pictures...many of which have been used in local publications. He plans to attend Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, NC and major in photojournalism. He would like to travel the world with National Geographic or a surfing magazine (go figure!). He will continue to work summers at Ride The Wind.
LOVE YOU, ROBERT!!




CONGRATULATIONS, YOUNG WOMEN!!




CONGRATULATIONS, YOUNG MEN!!




GOOD LUCK IN ALL THAT YOU DO!!
LOOK OUT WORLD!!