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Midvale Journal

Hillcrest High seniors receive coin to commemorate ‘unimaginable’ graduating year

Jun 24, 2020 11:54AM ● By Julie Slama

By Julie Slama | [email protected]

Shortly after the drive-by commencement, Hillcrest High graduates received a commemorative medallion reminding them to “go forward and never doubt your ability to change the future.”

It was a gift from Hillcrest High PTSA.

“We normally hold a graduation night party, but we weren’t able to do that this year (because of the social distancing response to the COVID-19 pandemic),” Hillcrest PTSA President Karen Conder said. “We talked to the students and asked what they’d like. They said they’d like to have something they could keep to remember their graduation.”

While the school distributed Class of 2020 yard signs, Conder said the PTSA looked at something that would last.

“We wanted them to have something special,” she said.

After investigating several ideas, the PTSA board decided the coin was the ideal gift.

“I think seniors will feel loved and honored and when they see this, they’ll feel they’re important and have accomplished their graduation goal,” Conder said.

The 2.5-millimeter thick coin is coated with antique nickel. The front shows the 58-year-old school building encircled with the words “Hillcrest High School Class of 2020 – Husky Strong” in green enamel. The back of the coin shows the Husky logo with their graduation quote from President Franklin D. Roosevelt: “The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.”

In the sleeve, the PTSA included: “Side one represents you, the class of 2020. Be Husky Strong forever. Side two represents your future. Be proud to be a Husky.”

Graduating student body president Kate Timmerman received the first coin.

“The coin was a perfect symbol of the years that we have had at Hillcrest,” she said. “It was so nice to get something that we could keep for a long time, and remember our unique and unimaginable year that we had specifically for our senior year. It’s something that I’ll keep with me forever.”

This year, Hillcrest PTSA also provided two $400 college scholarships based on academics and service to the school and community to two graduating seniors: Anna Curtis and Jackson Metzger.

Hillcrest PTSA provides programs and activities for the Hillcrest community, including student leadership club, Husky Heroes, Reflections, parent information nights, safe graduation night party, teacher grants and student scholarships.