Shh! It’s the class of 2018 so keep your voice down,
They’re really quite impressive, and do it all without making a sound,
It’s like you’re watching a great silent movie on a day that’s all rainy,
But instead of Charlie Chaplin, you have Maise being monochromatic and zany,
Madison doesn’t talk much but her work with animals is loud,
Naya is soft-spoken, but always stands out from the crowd.
Lupita silently bakes vegan dishes that make meat eaters beg,
Joey won’t say a word unless you tempt him with a hard-boiled egg,
Megan J. will stay hushed until she makes lawyers crumble on cross,
Sophie doesn’t need words--just one look lets you know she’s the boss.
Berlynn might be quiet, but her writing never stumbles,
Tristan can’t get a word in over his truck’s low rumble.
Payton doesn’t say much unless you count the baseball bat’s crack,
If the silence is too deafening, Jesse will mix you a complete house soundtrack
Ciara’s moving to New York just to get a little more noise in her day.
But back in PT, Jeremy’s goats are always bleating away,
Speaking of loud, Clover’s drum beat will never be meek,
And Hannah’s leading the third march she’s organized just this week!
To stand up strong this class doesn’t need a rationale,
That person leading us bravely to a better world: One name--Cal.
Rio will always ask the good questions that need to get out,
Ask it in first person and “Point of Order!” Luke will shout.
In the courtroom or pool? No one stands in Corinne’s way.
And forget Fridays, Josh brings the fierce every darn day,
Ruby started a fully functional business on the side,
Got Ryan across from you in debate? Time to run and hide.
In wrestling and life Kali’s making courage an art,
Isaac takes the Way of the Peaceful Warrior to heart,
And finally I don’t know about strong,
but it’s tough to get Jesus to ever keep his shirt on.
This class is taking over my life-a bit like Big Brother
Sam H. is always investigating one news story or another,
Vilma and Sam S. have taken my place in volleyball just fine,
Jordyn already runs Ms. Dow’s classroom (and sometimes mine),
Kayla may soon be a teacher and sub regularly,
Tuula is probably already a better Mr. Dow than me,
Seth’s joined my morning ball game and is kicking my rear,
But somehow I ended up with Cece’s concussion this year!
With specialty skills this class can really deliver,
Jacob H. makes coffee so good Starbucks should quiver,
Aliyah’s work has a symmetry that creates balanced art,
Joe’s got the corner on both spacey and smart.
Game winning treys? More Jacob B. please,
Most college apps? Maria’s got that by about a hundred and three,
Almost legally blind and still making baskets and passes?
It’s Robert... or is it Jackson? I might need my glasses.
Belen showed up speaking English better than me,
Gabe B.’s 12th Man role for the Seahawks fit perfectly,
With Marc policing I feel safer even though he is new,
Even more if he could protect me from Jaden's jokes too.
Port Townsend kids like to travel the world far and near,
Hanalei is off to Hawaii after this year,
Going abroad? Desi’s passport photos will make you look better than real,
Brad will fly you there (he doesn’t have his license yet, but the price is a steal.)
Stan lent this class its global reach,
Ingrid will go anywhere as long as it’s a beach.
Ally M. went all the way to the desert to perfect her sculpting skills,
Kailee raised funds to help pay Thai school bills.
As long as he’s outside, Kyle will work in any park ‘cross the nation,
Emmett sailed around the whole world just to arrive at graduation.
Only in PT schools can you go to OCEAN without getting wet,
Down there, Rosie and Jazmin are both arts triple threats,
Ash can create masterpieces with their digital art,
Daqaste is willing to try anything if drawing’s a part,
Gabe J.’s busy at Alchemy learning gastronomics,
And Hunter practically got his PhD in Venezuela-onomics.
This class’ senior projects were really first rate,
Meigan K. helped rescue animals from a terrible fate,
Emri kept O’meara Dance afloat and being all it could be,
Alana and Elise kept runoff from poisoning the Salish Sea,
Bilee got her own book of poetry written down on the page,
Cady made sure poets’ voices got heard up on the stage.
This class could engineer just about any problem away,
Ally B. could laser cut you a brand new sailboat in less than a day.
Robert J. could turn high pressure welding to zen calm and steady,
Cole could take that zen and make it ecommerce ready,
Kaitlyn M. knew the physics of roping, but sometimes fell off her horse,
Caleb and Marco can engineer her a saddle with a seat-belt, of course.
Lauren could design a new habitat for her blue-tongued skink biz,
Bella could build it, once we all figure out what that is.
From basketball to mentoring, Kaiden wears many hats,
After graduation, find Sarah on Instagram #teamcats.
Parker can make sure a tree falls in the forest in just the right way,
And Craig managed to engineer a “special” teacher compliment each and every day.
This class might have the highest kindness IQ that I’ve seen,
Taylor could make even Mr. Rogers look mean,
Caelan is sweet until you bring up Fortnite,
Mimi’s got that balance of positive and powerful just right,
Dakota is always taking care of others all around,
Leave Tucker off the nicest list, and he will wrestle you to the ground.
So a moment of silence for this unique 2018 class,
It’s been great to teach seniors without all that sass.
So nice they’ve really improved teachers’ lives,
They even return all Mr. Pierson’s high fives,
So it’s off to the future with a full head of steam,
But get out your earplugs, because here comes the class of 2019.
by Benjamin Dow