“One Step at a Time, But Always Forward”: Bennington High School Celebrates Class of 2026

By Marisa Dawson

Graduating students in blue gowns celebrating by tossing their caps into the air during a graduation ceremony.

The graduating class of 2026 crossed the stage at Bennington High School on Sunday, May 17, celebrating the culmination of years of growth, perseverance and achievement. Guided by the class motto, “one step at a time, but always forward,” graduates reflected on their journey while looking ahead to the future.

The commencement ceremony featured addresses from senior speakers Carson Kortan and Brekhna Shah, whose speeches centered on resilience, intentional living and embracing individuality.

For Dr. Aaron Plas, the class will be remembered for the way students adapted and persevered through constant change during their high school years. “You know, they’ve been through a lot of changes within our school system, especially as the high school has continued to grow and get quite a bit bigger,” Plas said. “So I always remember their perseverance and them working through that over the last four years.”

A graduation ceremony taking place on a sports field, with graduates in blue gowns and caps facing a podium. Spectators are seated in the background, and a banner for Bennington Badgers is visible.

Plas credited district staff for helping prepare students for life after graduation, whether they pursue college, careers or military service. “I just think we have an incredible staff that work really hard and they love the kids and they push the kids,” he said. “We always hear about when kids go off, whether it’s in the military or college or out in the workforce, and they come back and they always talk about how prepared they are.”

As students move into adulthood, Plas encouraged them to continue pushing forward through challenges. “Just keep going,” he said. “We all know that things aren’t always going to go perfect and there are going to be times that they’re going to have to work their way through it.”

He added that commencement weekend is especially meaningful to him as superintendent. “It’s probably my favorite weekend of the year,” Plas said. “It truly is a culmination of a lot of work and I just really enjoy watching that.”

High School Principal Dr. Greg Lamberty said the senior class stood out for its loyalty and resilience throughout the past four years. “I’ll be honest, they’ve grown up quite a bit, but this group has been extremely loyal to each other and to our building,” Lamberty said.

A graduation ceremony scene with a speaker at a podium and four seated individuals, including three audience members in blue caps and gowns. The background features an audience in a stadium setting.

He described the class as one that learned to navigate challenges together alongside their families, teachers and community supporters. “You have to thank parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents, and it’s a team effort all the time,” he said. “And I think that’s what this class is about, too.”

Lamberty said he was especially proud of the way students continued moving forward during difficult moments. “They never gave up on themselves,” he said. “They continued to move forward, even when things got tough for them.”

The principal also referenced themes from both student speeches, which focused on authenticity and living with purpose. “My speech was talking about, pedal downhill,” Lamberty said. “Just keep going, keep going, no matter what’s going on.”

Shah’s speech encouraged classmates to remain present and appreciate the moment as they prepare to enter the next chapter of life. “Mine’s more about being in the present and not thinking about the past or the future,” Shah said prior to the ceremony. “And just taking in the moment because time flies by so fast and we’re already here.”

A female graduate in a blue cap and gown stands at a podium, giving a speech at a graduation ceremony, while seated attendees listen.

A female graduate in a blue cap and gown stands at a podium speaking to an audience of graduates, also in blue caps and gowns, under a clear sky.

Reflecting on her own journey, Shah said senior year brought accomplishments she never imagined possible as a freshman. “I didn’t really try academically freshman year,” she said. “And to think that I’ve had this big jump from then to now is crazy.”

She also described the class as uniquely individualistic and supportive of one another’s differences. “We are all so different,” Shah said. “And I think we’ve all just learned from past experiences that we shouldn’t let others really change our ways and our opinions, and we just need to be our own person.”

Shah plans to attend University of Nebraska Omaha, where she will major in pre-med.

Kortan said being selected as a graduation speaker fulfilled a goal he had carried since freshman year. “I was definitely very excited,” he said. “It was something that I knew I wanted to do from the start.”

A male student in a blue graduation gown speaks at a podium during a graduation ceremony, with fellow graduates and guests seated in front of him.

A graduation ceremony scene with a student in a blue cap and gown delivering a speech at a podium, while fellow graduates, also in blue caps and gowns, listen attentively in the foreground. The background shows a green landscape and cloudy sky.

His speech focused on intentional living and encouraging classmates to pursue life with purpose. “You need to be purposeful in what you do, otherwise you’re going to end up where you don’t want to be,” Kortan said.

Looking back on high school, Kortan said both triumphs and disappointments helped shape the class and taught valuable lessons about perseverance and perspective. “Not everything has gone our way,” he said. “But it still made me realize the good things too, like how cohesive we are as a group and how friendly everybody is.”

Kortan plans to attend University of Nebraska–Lincoln, where he will study finance and business management while minoring in theology.

As the ceremony concluded and graduates turned their tassels, the class of 2026 celebrated not only academic accomplishments, but also the resilience, growth and relationships that defined their years together at Bennington High School.