Aspiring Pilot Graduates From Burns, Along with 45 'Family' Members

BURNS – Blue skies and mild winds would have made Sunday a great day for Braxton Olson, an aspiring airline pilot, to fly over his native Laramie County.

“Flying is an indescribable feeling that washes over me. It’s where I find my peace and joy,” said Olson, who is studying for his private pilot’s license. “I feel untouchable several thousand feet up in the air.”

But Sunday, Olson already had long-standing plans: Burns Junior/Senior High graduation – something not even a global pandemic could stop.

Olson and his 45 other classmates, most whom he’s known for years and considers “family,” filed onto the football field Sunday for Burns’ first outdoor graduation, and to be together one last time.

“You know everybody’s name, everybody knows your name. Everybody knows everybody’s family,” Olson said of the tight-knit rural high school he now calls his alma mater.

Although the graduation ceremony had taken place in the school’s gymnasium for as long as anyone can remember, this year, graduates sat in folding chairs spaced six-feet apart, in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, which has so far infected more than 700 Wyomingites.

Hundreds of family members and school personnel also attended, sitting in clusters behind the graduates on the field and in the bleachers.

Principal Bobby Dishman told the audience that this school year’s transition to remote learning “has brought all kinds of challenges,” including planning for a socially distant graduation.

“Well folks, here it is,” he said from a podium staged on the football field, as he thanked the “newly-appointed homeschool teachers” in the audience before he left graduates with a reading of Green Day’s 1997 hit, “Time of Your Life.”

Dishman, who is known for greeting students before the school bell rings in the morning, hadn’t seen many of his students for two months prior to graduation practice last week. He and other school leaders spent weeks preparing the logistics of the modified ceremony.

“It’s important for the kids to be recognized, especially considering how uncertain things feel,” said Anne Schatz, the school’s band director. Sunday was the first she’d seen many of her students since the schools closed in March. “I think it’s nice for them to feel a small sense of normal, even when it’s not.”

Olson, who along with thousands of other students in Laramie County, finished the school year via remote learning, was elated to hear that graduation was still happening, especially after two months out of school.

“I didn’t know how that was going to affect my senior year,” Olson said. “I was a bit nervous and worried at first, but once the teachers figured out what their approaches were and how they would tackle the challenge, I was 100% confident in it.”

Long before the novel coronavirus shut down the schools, Olson said his teachers played a supportive role in his training to become a pilot.

“Principal Dishman and all of my teachers have always taken an interest in what I’m doing,” said Olson, who often modified his class schedule to accommodate flying lessons. “When I would walk down the hallways, they would always ask ‘Hey, how flying’s going?’ That’s probably because I’ve missed so many of their classes.”

Though Olson’s experience with flying makes him unique among his peers, they’ve all felt the common sting of losing out on the much-anticipated traditions of senior year.

“We were dealt an unfortunate hand,” said Harkiran Kaur, the class’s salutatorian. “It’s taught me not to me not to take anything for granted. The Class of 2020 will forever be remembered as a class that faced adversity and unbelievable challenges. … If we can face this kind of adversity in this time, we are strong enough to handle anything life throws at us.”

Grace Keiter, who delivered the farewell speech, echoed that triumphant spirit with the line, “Regardless of the pandemic, we’ve won!”

Even still, COVID-19 affected each graduate differently.

For Olson, it delayed the date of his exam, which, if he passes, will earn him a private pilot’s license. He’s been training at a flight school in Cheyenne for the past year and a half, but the government has temporarily shut down the testing sites.

“It’s put me in a holding pattern,” he said, having originally planned to take it this month. “I was angry about it at first, but you realize the safety of others comes first. Now, I’m optimistic and excited for what the future holds.”

In the long term, Olson, who plans to attend Southern Utah University in the fall and study aerospace science, isn’t too rattled by the economic downturn created by COVID-19. In addition to the thrill of flying, the well-documented pre-COVID-19 pilot shortage drew Olson to the aviation field. But since the virus has reduced the demand for air travel, airlines are predicting big layoffs.

“I feel like as COVID-19 slowly dissipates and leaves, by the time I graduate, air travel will be booming again, and the need for pilots will be immense,” said Olson.

Before he leaves for college, Olson will be spending one last summer at home with his parents.

He, along with the rest of his classmates, presented his parents with a flower, signaling his appreciation for them. “They’ve always been there for me – in every way.”

After the ceremony, Olson walked off the football field, into the parking lot of the school he abruptly had to leave two months ago. He's excited to move somewhere new and expose himself to different people, cultures and viewpoints.

But he’ll never forget Burns or the people that make it a place he treasures.

“I’m not sure what the future holds,” he said. “But I could find my way back here.”

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