Hellgate High celebrates Class of 2025; keynote speaker urges graduates to unlock their potential

Hellgate High School conferred diplomas to the Class of 2025 at a commencement ceremony in Missoula; the transcript does not specify the exact calendar date. Superintendent Micah Hill presided over the ceremony and Shannon Rinker, executive director of the Missoula Education Foundation, delivered the keynote address emphasizing resilience and self-advocacy.

Micah Hill opened remarks by acknowledging the Indigenous peoples of the region and introducing a student Native American drum group. "We acknowledge that we are gathered on indigenous territory," Hill said, noting the Missoula and Bitterroot valleys as the traditional homelands of the Salish on Pend Oreille and Kalispel people. He then introduced the Missoula County Public Schools Native American student drum group, led by Sean Whitegrass and Brittany Hunter, who performed an…