EDITORIAL: Congratulations, Class of 2015!

They are an ambitious bunch, the members of the Class of 2015 who will receive diplomas at commencement exercises across the Flathead Valley this weekend.

Here are a few examples:

• A skilled artist (Sarah Paolini) who plans to major in biology and play college volleyball.

• A multitalented musician (Nick Barr) adept at half a dozen instruments who dreams of being a composer.

• A science standout (Colter Norick) who was offered an astounding $1.4 million in college scholarships (when he wasn’t winning state speech titles or raising hogs for 4-H).  

• The art laureate of his graduating class (Isaac Passwater) who will attend a college that has comic art as a major.

• An energetic senior (Peyton Twete) whose goal is to cure Alzheimer’s disease.

• A young entrepreneur (Connor Roettig) who has expansive business plans culminating in a run for U.S. president.

These standout students represent the vanguard of their respective graduating classes.

Of course, not all students have amassed war chests of college scholarships and resumes full of high school accolades.

But all graduates this weekend deserve kudos for achieving the diploma milestone.

While we have chronicled many graduating seniors in the past week (including 121 spotlighted in Friday’s special section saluting top grads), there are many others whose graduation is cause for celebration for themselves, their families and the community.

Many of those graduates who aren’t at the top of their class ranks have every reason — perhaps more reason — to be as proud to don caps and gowns as their more celebrated classmates.

Some youths have had to overcome daunting challenges (academic, personal, family or medical, for instance) far more difficult than, say, deciding which Ivy League schools to apply to.

From all of us — and to all 1,105 members of the Class of 2015 from the Flathead Valley — we say good job and good luck.