Seldovia’s Class of 2015 Graduates!

by Jenny Chissus

Every year I have the pleasure to sit down with the graduates and hear from them, about their time in Seldovia, their time at Susan B English, and the excitement of the future ahead!  This year, is another special one for me, as my middle son Devin graduates!  I ask the same questions of each, and it is always heart-warming to see the similarities and the differences in their experiences and dreams.

Please join us on

Wednesday, May 20 at 4:00pm

in the Susan B English commons

for the Graduation Ceremony to

Celebrate their achievement!

Enjoy this small glimpse into the Senior Class of Susan B English 2015.

Seth
Jonathan
O’Leary

What is your “Seldovia” Story?

In 2000, my family moved here from Wasilla when I was just about to turn 4 years old.  We owned the restaurant Sweet -n- Clean until 2006 and my siblings all played sports, so I played sports, went fishing with friends and that is pretty much a huge part of what you do here.  I was always busy in Seldovia.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? Now, as a Senior- what do you want to be when you grow up? How has that changed?

When I was 6 years old I wanted to be a cowboy and I even went to a horse camp, which was a lot of fun.  When I became a teenager, I wanted to be a truck driver or heavy equipment operator.  I just love the big machines.  Mr. C’s mechanics class had a huge impact on me, taking apart machines and putting them back together again, it was just so much fun!  Wow!  I should do this for a living because I like it!  I found out that there were vocational schools for diesel mechanics, and I said “Heck yea, I am going to do that!”

What are some of your favorite school memories? Seldovia memories?

Winning the state championship (big smile) that was pretty exciting!  I think that was the top, I can’t think of anything else that was bigger.  I really like basketball, and though I’m not the worst at it, any success I did have was because of our team.  I know I made the Alaska team because of my Seldovia team.  If you had five of me on a team, it would be a lot harder.  The Sea Otters play as a team, that is what it is all about!  We all help each other out, Calem, Aidan, Dylan and Chance – we have always worked together – and that is why we won!  Pretty much all of my memories are around sports.  I do remember horsing around with Nathan and being sent to the principal’s office, and we would just look at each other and start laughing!

One thing I really like about Seldovia, is that you know everybody and everybody knows you, it is like living with a bunch of friends – and because it’s so small, we could always just go see somebody if you want, unlike being so spaced out in a big city.

What are your plans this summer? This next year?

Right after our graduation, we’ll take a family vacation to Ireland!  Then we are going to Colorado – and to the Country Jam – which will be great!  I start school right after that on June 29th at Lincoln College of Technology.

Growing up requires a lot of help – who do you want to thank?  Who made a big impression on you and has influenced you in a positive way? Who deserves a “Virtual Rose”?

It is hard to rule anyone out, because Seldovia made me who I am.  If it weren’t for that person I wouldn’t be like this, if it wasn’t for this person, I wouldn’t be like that!  But like I said, Mr. C., if it wasn’t for his class, I probably wouldn’t ever have thought about mechanics, so he was a big part of making me want to go into that field.  In school, Mrs. Hingley was a big part of my life, as she helped me realize what the real goal was in being in school, and Mr. Derks and Mr. Winters showed me that I could have fun and still learn something in school.  Regarding sports, Crystal and Kim Collier really pushed me and encouraged me and helped me to do my best.  Of course my parents, also always helped me to be better, and to be less reckless.  I had a tough time growing up, and some parents would have sent me off to military school, so I was lucky that they never gave up on me, and they are the biggest influence on my life.  My older brother Tim just graduated with a law degree, Tyler is working for the city in a great job, KC works on the slope, and there’s also a graduate from SBE that works for Google, I realize that a lot of successful people come out of here, and I want to be like that!  

What would you do with your life if you KNEW you could not fail?

I would play baseball!  I love lots of sports, basketball, baseball, and football.  Football really breaks your body down, but baseball is fun, you can make good money, become famous – it really looks like a lot of fun!  Me and my dad used to go up to the field and play, and I just really like it and to play for a living, I think it would be so much fun!

Chance
Harper
Haller

What is your “Seldovia” Story?

I don’t really have a Seldovia story.  But I have a story about how I got to Seldovia.  About six years ago, we were all sitting around the table when Dad came up to us and asked us what we thought about moving.  Being a military family, moving every couple of years, everyone was pretty used to it until he said “Alaska”!  We had been all over the lower 48 – but never to Alaska.  We bought a trailer and loaded it up and drove up through Canada – lost 8 tires, drove the Alcan – lost another 6 tires!  It was a fun adventure the whole way.  All the sites were just amazing.  There is a certain beauty in Alaska you just won’t get anywhere else.  It was a great adventure with the dog and whole family.  When we came into town on a bright sunny day and seeing the town for the first time, that was pretty amazing!  

What are some of your favorite school memories? Seldovia memories?

(Big smile) – Winning state.  It was… amazing.   I can’t tell you the speech Mark gave us before we went out for that game, but he had every single one of us crying in that locker room.  It was… amazing.  Another one.  We have this chant we do before every game:  Who are we, What are we, and What are we going to do?  The last time we did that as a team was pretty emotional.  

What are your plans this summer? This next year?

I’m heading to Arizona to go to college.  I’m going to do Accounting through UAA, all my classes will be online while I’m down there.  Then I’m going to be taking a game development classes through Yavapai College.  I want to design, develop and create my own game – I already have an idea for a team strategy game. (he wouldn’t go into any further detail – it’s a secret!)  

Growing up requires a lot of help- who do you want to thank? Who made a big impression on you and has influenced you in a positive way? Who deserves a “Virtual Rose”?

Other than my parents, Bob Rafferty.  He’s been like a second father to me, working on the boat the past three summers has been amazing.  It is sad to have to leave him.  Andy Anderson – he has such a connection with our family, and he’s such a good guy, and always been there for us.

What would you do with your life if you KNEW you could not fail?

I would start my own business.  I would run a game shop, with role-playing games, dice, books and comics, video games.  I would have a massive shop for people to come and hang out, where people could just be with their friends, it would just be really cool.

Devin
Alexander
Chissus

What is your “Seldovia” Story?

We moved here from Fairbanks in 02 when I was just six years old, and we lived along the slough and then by the school until we finally found a nice home to buy.  What I’ve liked about Seldovia is that it has easy access to nature because I love hiking, kayaking and camping with my friends.  

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? Now, as a Senior- what do you want to be when you grow up? How has that changed?

When I was a kid I wanted to race dirt bikes.  I’ve always liked motorcycles and owned motorcycles.  Last summer I went to the British Virgin Islands and learned to scuba.  It was awesome, and it made me realize that I want to be a dive instructor.

What are some of your favorite school memories? Seldovia memories?

There’s a lot of things we did at SBE.  Wrestling, Basketball, Mix 6 Volleyball, Geography Bee trip to Anchorage and an awesome trip to Washington DC.  Some of the things I have loved in Seldovia outside of school would be the camping trips to Red Mountain and driving dirt bikes at Outside Beach.

What are your plans this summer? This next year?

This summer, I’m going to be working as a deck hand on the Seldovia Bay Ferry.   I will be leaving Seldovia at the end of August for Mexico because I’ve been accepted into an Internship with Dive Paradise in Cozumel, Mexico to get my PADI Dive Master and Dive Instructor certifications. 

Growing up requires a lot of help- who do you want to thank? Who made a big impression on you and has influenced you in a positive way? Who deserves a “Virtual Rose”?

I really loved wrestling, and it was cool to be coached by Dan Blodgett.  Dan was a knowledgeable coach, he supported and encouraged me to be my best.  Mr Derks was a very enthusiastic teacher, who made coming to school fun.  The coolest thing he did was coach me in wrestling, when Dan left and no one else would.  We started the season with six guys, but within a week, it was just me, and he still coached me through the season.  I wouldn’t have been able to wrestle without him.  There’s more people to say here, but you’ll have to come to graduation!

What would you do with your life if you KNEW you could not fail?

I will travel the world diving and teaching other people how to dive.