Coupeville’s top students share struggles, successes

After walking in front of family and friends in their caps and gowns at the Senior Walk Friday, Coupeville’s graduating seniors are only one step away from turning their tassels and bidding farewell to high school.

The graduation ceremony is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday, June 8 at the Mickey Clark Field.

Some of Coupeville High School’s top students shared with the Whidbey News-Times a glimpse into their high school lives, which were most notoriously affected by a global epidemic.

Nicholas Guay

Over the past four years, Nicholas Guay has been involved with many activities, including baseball, tennis, soccer, basketball and track and field, while also supporting his community by volunteering at the Penn Cove Water Festival, the Arts and Crafts festival and other events.

Guay believes living in the moment brings a lot of success. When he faces a difficult situation, he tries to stay as calm as possible. His family and brother, he wrote, taught him that adversities are like bullies.

“If you give them the reaction they want, whether it be anger, sadness, frustration etc., then they will keep on picking on you,” he wrote. “Thinking slow and thoroughly helps me find solutions the quickest.”

The pandemic, with its lockdowns and mask mandates, made his high school experience and those of his peers unique, Guay wrote.

Despite COVID-19, Guay will cherish the memories from his high school years. In his favorite memory, he wrote, he and his friends set up two basketball hoops in downtown Coupeville, where they played a full game in the middle of the night.

“It was such a funny experience for me,” he wrote. “You never would have pictured a full basketball game taking place down on Front Street.”

Guay plans to study civil engineering or architecture, along with business management, at Western Washington University.

Wyatt Sylvester

While he found high school to be boring for the most part, Wyatt Sylvester will remember with amusement the time when, in the middle of class, Mr. Patnoe yelled “Get a job” at a deer outside.

Sylvester, a class of 2024 valedictorian, has been quite involved with the student community over the past four years, participating in the Oak Harbor Robotics Club, the Whidbey Island Orchestra, the Coupeville Lions Club, the National Honor Society and the Coupeville Gaming Club.

In high school, Sylvester overcame his fear of speaking in public by making an effort to to engage in this activity more often.

“I realized that I shouldn’t take myself so seriously and that it doesn’t matter if people judge you,” he wrote.

This fall, Sylvester will begin studying at Lake Washington Institute of Technology to pursue an associate’s degree in computer science. After that, he hopes to transfer to the University of Washington to pursue a bachelor’s in the same field.

Ava Mitten

Since third grade, Ava Mitten has been committed to protecting the environment.

Once she receives her diploma, she will begin attending the University of Washington, where she will major in environmental science and pursue a minor in law and justice before going to law school, where she will study to become an environmental attorney and an advocate for sustainable energy.

At Coupeville High School, Mitten served as the head of the Coupeville Middle and High Schools Green Team, became a member of the United Student Leaders — a coalition dedicated to environmental and social justice led by South Whidbey students — and the National Honor Society, among other groups.

Mitten has met many challenges along her path, including an Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder diagnosis, an injury to her patellar tendon and debilitating migraines.

Due to her chronic ocular and vestibular migraine diagnosis, she has missed an average of 20 to 30 class periods since freshman year. While she can’t get rid of the pain, it did help her overcome her fear of needles, as she now has to get monthly injections.

Still, Mitten doesn’t give up, and believes her struggles have made her a stronger and self-disciplined person.

In the meantime, she keeps herself even busier by creating hypoallergenic earrings, which she sells at @islandjemsjewelry on Etsy.

“I’m allergic to being relaxed,” she wrote.

Grey Peabody

Grey Peabody described her high school experience as “transformative,” both academically and socially. Over the past four years, the biggest challenge she faced was her inability to move on from mistakes or failures. Thanks to the help of her family and friends, she was able to become more confident.

She has volunteered at Coupeville Elementary for the past three years, assisting children with reading, has been a member of the Skagit Valley College Art Club, has played in the school’s volleyball team for four years and, as a senior, she coached younger girls in the Central Whidbey Volleyball Club.

Volleyball, she wrote, gave her her best high school memories.

“The sport really helped me (get) out of my shell and I have had so much fun because of it,” she wrote.

Peabody plans to attend Otis College of Art and Design in California, where she will pursue a bachelor’s degree in animation.

Andrew Williams

For Andrew Williams, high school was a quick but fun ride, despite some struggles with calculus.

His friends made the experience particularly enjoyable. One of his fondest memories, he wrote, was beating the former and current state champions at soccer games, victories he could share with his buddies.

Williams, a salutatorian, has played soccer, basketball and baseball, and has been a part of the school’s jazz band, the National Honor Society and the Captain’s Club.

He plans to attend Western Washington University, where he will pursue a degree in engineering.

Ryan Blouin

On top of struggling to stay focused after the pandemic, Ryan Blouin struggled with motivation. After sophomore year, he wrote, high school became significantly more difficult.

Sometimes, even picking up a pencil or opening his laptop was hard. At that point, he had to make a choice: feel sorry for himself and watch his grades get lower, or strive to become the best version of himself.

“Rather than succumb to laziness, I found it in myself to dig deep and show some grit,” he wrote.

This was possible also thanks to his teachers, counselors and friends, all of whom he could always rely on.

Blouin found the motivation to stay involved with a variety of school activities, including the varsity basketball team, the Captain’s Club, the Honor Society and the Associated Student Body as a member of its executive board.

His favorite high school memory was raising the basketball district title trophy this year, a special moment he shared with his friends.

In September, he will attend Western Washington University’s Honors College, pursuing a STEM degree.

Harry Hayden

Over the past year, Harry Hayden has been making his own high school soundtrack.

Hayden is a member of the band KITCALICO, a band that had garnered some success in Seattle and in the state, with two songs on Spotify and Apple Music.

His favorite memory from his high school years was July 3, 2023, when he spent a “perfectly mellow night” with his friends at a backyard bonfire.

For the past two years, he has attended Skagit Valley College full time, pursuing an associate’s degree. He plans to study graphic design with a focus on communications at Pratt Institute in New York.

Despite starting his freshman year in the midst of a pandemic, Hayden finds that attending school online helped him adapt to his predominantly online curriculum at the college.

His mother, he wrote, is the reason why he consistently got good grades in school as she always believed in him and encouraged him to do his best despite his struggles with focus.

Devin Neveu

Devin Neveu, a future chemistry student at Western Washington University, said each year in high school has been very different, but also challenging and exciting.

“I could have taken easier classes, but I wanted to push myself to benefit myself not only now, but for my future in college,” she wrote.

Aside from some trouble focusing, Neveu has only faced few obstacles. By surrounding herself with a good group of friends, she created an environment where she could focus on her studies while also having fun, with no drama.

Neveu has been a member of the Rock Band Club, the Ethics Bowl Club and the track and field team.

Her favorite high school memory, she wrote, was being welcomed into the track and field team and realizing she was joining a group of supportive and fun people.

Cole White

Cole White became a valedictorian by spending a lot of energy and time into his studies, often staying up late to better juggle multiple commitments, like soccer, basketball, baseball, the Honor Society and the Captain’s club.

He was a member of his church’s worship team, and has volunteered at the elementary school and at various festivals in town.

As he looks forward to joining the U.S. Army ROTC and studying civil engineering at Gonzaga University, White remembers his high school years with fondness, especially all the science labs and experiments.

“High school has created some of the best experiences of my life,” he wrote. “I will never forget Coupeville.”

Reese Wilkinson

Reese Wilkinson’s top high school moment was breaking the school’s 34-year discus record at the state track meet, earning second place. The student has also played soccer, basketball and track.

At home, Wilkinson enjoys woodworking and creating jewelry and sculptures.

In the fall, Wilkinson plans to attend the University of Washington to study engineering.

The Whidbey News-Times tried to reach Hank Milnes, who was not available for comment. According to Registrar and Counseling Secretary Eileen Stone, Milnes is a full-time running start student at Skagit Valley College, pursuing an associate’s in arts.