Grantsville snags guv for speech to grads
It's simply the first and only one to ask.
Now, the rural "Home of the Cowboys" is going down in history as the first high school commencement Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. has addressed as Utah's chief executive.
Huntsman, who is entering the third year of his term, will speak to the 195-member Class of 2007. While bigger city schools might travel to the E Center, Utah Valley State College, Abravanel Hall or even the Jon M. Huntsman Center at the University of Utah — named after the governor's dad — Grantsville's commencement will be more down-home: in the football stadium, weather permitting.
Afterward, seniors are invited to an "overnight lock-in" graduation party at Buddy's bowling alley in neighboring Tooele.
"It's been a little bit of a buzz; people are getting excited," said Betsy Swynenburg, administrative intern, or "vice principal in-training," at Grantsville High. "You always hear of the big cities, or (schools) in Salt Lake who get all these well-known people to speak at their graduations. ... We matter too in this state. It is an honor for us."
But the community's rural feel might not last forever. The 1,000-student body is expected to grow in the coming years as the population wave in Tooele city and Stansbury keeps rolling west, Swynenburg said.
The governor was scheduled to meet with Tooele School District officials earlier Wednesday. Spokeswoman Lisa Roskelley said he was happy to stay in town for the commencement.
"It was an opportunity to get out and talk to these kids, and he was available," Roskelley said. "The governor enjoyed receiving a request from a graduating student. He was honored to be able to offer a few remarks."
He is expected to urge the students to become lifelong learners and do all they can to hone their skills and talents, Roskelley said.
While this is Huntsman's first high school commencement speech as governor, it's not his first commencement address. Last month, Huntsman spoke at Southern Utah University's commencement; last year, he spoke at Snow College.
And it's certainly not his first speech to students in Tooele County.
A couple years ago, Swynenburg recalls, the governor created a community buzz when he dropped in at Dugway High — literally. His helicopter touched down on a giant orange X painted on the baseball field. He spoke to students before meeting with officials at Dugway Proving Ground, she said.
E-mail: jtcook@desnews.com
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