BY MATT MACKINDER
Clarkston News Editor

There were no masks.
There was no social distancing.
There were plenty of smiles and sighs of relief, though, as the Clarkston High School Class of 2021 celebrated graduation June 7 as part of their commencement at DTE Energy Music Theatre.
A total of 576 students graduated this year.
“This is the most resilient, resourceful, and determined group of graduates this amphitheater has ever seen, and I don’t say that lightly,” said Superintendent Dr. Shawn Ryan at the event. “You guys are survivors. You’re gritty. I love it.”
Brooke Larkin was the student speaker at Commencement and noted the past two school years were nowhere near normal, but her class knocked down all boundaries.
“It was tough, and we missed out, but the Class of 2021, we don’t need an excuse,” Larkin said. “We thrived in the old normal, we persevered through the COVID normal, and we are on our way to create the new normal.”
CHS Principal Gary Kaul added graduation was bringing normalcy back to the local community, saying, “It doesn’t get much more normal than graduation at DTE.”
As the event wrapped, families took pictures in the pavilion and on the lawn. Tears were shed and even more smiles were shared, but one common theme was the group of nearly 600 students fought through a rough school year to reach that finish line.

(See the June 16 print edition of The Clarkston News for more photos!)