Wesley Nugent was a man on a mission Saturday morning. Immediately after turning his tassel, the brand new Berthoud High School graduate leapt from his seat and sprinted out of Max Marr Stadium, clearly excited to be moving on to a new chapter of his life. “This is the start of a new era,” the exuberant Nugent said of his speedy departure.
“I’m going to start enjoying the workforce.” Nugent was one of 142 Berthoud seniors marking the milestone on Saturday, surrounded by a high-spirited crowd of family, friends and well-wishers. Also in attendance were school administrators and Thompson School District officials, including board member Stu Boyd, a former BHS English and speech teacher.
Bringing some levity to the event was this year’s elected class speaker, senior Declan Murphy, who delivered more of a stand-up routine than a speech, complete with jokes about the school’s motto, Buc-ees, a retiring teacher and the upcoming presidential election. “Many of us here are going to be first-time voters and that can be really difficult to navigate. But lucky for us, this year is likely going to come down to the two most well-respected and mutually loved candidates in political history,” he said archly.
Murphy also got a laugh when he spoke up in defense of Canadian rapper Drake, who is involved in an escalating feud with American rapper Kendrick Lamar. That then prompted a follow-up joke from valedictorian Jaci Taylor in her subsequent address to the class. “Perhap.