White selected as commencement speaker
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TweetThe Haines High School senior class has selected third-grade teacher Kristin White as this year’s commencement speaker. Graduation is May 24.
Senior class president Aubrey Cook said the class chose White because they were White’s first class. “We all have many great memories of her classroom and with her,” she said.
White has taught 15 years, including 10 in Haines. She said she has saved all the class’s artwork and notes to her, lists of their favorite books, their first attempts at writing in cursive and statements of what they wanted to be when they grew up.
“I feel so grateful our connection has lasted,” White said. “It’s not often that elementary teachers are chosen to speak at graduation…so truly, this inspires me.”
She described students in the class of 2022 as “kind, capable, hardworking and unique.”
White serves as president of the Haines teachers’ union.
She was born in Ketchikan and grew up working on a fishing boat based in Haines. She is a former Chilkat Valley News and KHNS reporter and she holds degrees in journalism and education. She also has taught in Hawaii and San Francisco.
