Perpich News
Perpich Arts High School Graduation 2021
May 28, 2021
The Perpich Arts High School Class of 2021 graduated on the Perpich campus on May 28 in a series of three ceremonies that were also live streamed on Facebook. Perpich is proud to announce that 100% of the Class of 2021 graduated. Savanna Ferrera (Literary Arts 2021) served as Student Speaker and math instructor, Amy Burge, gave the faculty speech. The audience, both in-person and virtual, were treated to presentations by each art area.
During Ferrera’s speech, she spoke about what Perpich means to her. “Perpich is artistic freedom. Where, we, artists of all different forms come together to express ourselves as we find our place in the world around us. We are Perpich. All of us, and each of us. Graduates from twenty years ago, graduates from last year, and us today.” Acknowledging that over half of her experience at Perpich was either in distance learning or hybrid, Savanna said, “Even though we were separated this year, Perpich was not. We were together even though we weren’t. Art is a power that transcends physical boundaries. As artists, it is our right to take the world, to perceive it, to understand it, and work to change it. Sometimes, like this year, they are quiet fights, fought in the home. Also, like this past year, some fights can only be won together, through assembly of the people to demand social justice, equality, or freedom. Art exists where you are. Art exists in that powerful place in the very core of you and I can only hope that for all of you, Perpich has only strengthened that ability and that passion.”
During his closing comments, Principal Conn McCartan reflected on the challenges of the year and the good fortune that they experienced it all together. “To be in a community of artists, to be immersed in a learning environment that is infused in, and informed by, the arts allows us to develop the kinds of skills to not just experience the world, but to examine it. It allows us not just to critique the world, but to have that critique serve as a catalyst for addressing improvements in each iteration we strive to create. The artists’ response to the world is more than a reflection. It is also an expression of what might be and what can be. The skilled artist knows how to use negative space to bring forth the image they hope for. They can see what they want to bring forth in their source material and they do so by removing that which is not what they want to express. As Michelangelo said, ‘I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set it free.’”
CLASS of 2021
Representing 32 different Minnesota communities
*Designates Honors Graduate with Final GPA of 3.6 or Higher
- Jenna Barthel (Visual Arts) – Brooklyn Park
- Jordan Bauman (Theater) – Waseca
- Faith Blackstone (Visual Arts) – Chaska
- Grace Blanchard (Visual Arts) – Hastings
- Abigail Bodick (Visual Arts) – New Ulm
- Micah Brekke (Visual Arts) – Minneapolis
- Clara Byron (Visual Arts) – Waseca
- Samson Chalupsky (Music) – Cottage Grove
- Emma Christensen (Music) – New Ulm
- Leo Dunn (Visual Arts) – Edina
- Laurent Dyal (Visual Arts) – Sauk Centre
- Simone Dyal (Music) – Sauk Centre
- Ella Ebner (Music) – Minneapolis
- Anna Elgin (Visual Arts) – Plymouth
- Erick Ericksen* (Visual Arts) – St. Louis Park
- Kjersten Erickson (Visual Arts) – New Hope
- Farnes (Visual Arts) – Hutchinson
- Savanna Ferrera* (Literary Arts) – Prior Lake
- Vince Freeland* (Visual Arts) – Minneapolis
- Elena Geffen* (Music) – Minneapolis
- Felix Gilsrud (Visual Arts) – Princeton
- Broden Grimm* (Music) – North Mankato
- Brynne Halverson (Visual Arts) – Stillwater
- Isabelle Halverson (Visual Arts) – St. Paul
- Sage Hartmann (Theater) – Red Lake Falls
- Demetra Hasenjager (Theater) – Merrifield
- Megan Jahnke (Visual Arts) – Coon Rapids
- Ian Johnson (Visual Arts) – Lindstrom
- Kassandra Kodet (Visual Arts) – Morton
- Hanna Krabbenhoft (Music) – Rochester
- Laura Kupper (Visual Arts) – Edina
- Niles Leonard (Visual Arts) – Lino Lakes
- Sophia Lodermeier (Visual Arts) – White Bear Township
- Roman Edward Madson (Theater) – Winnebago
- Julia Magel* (Visual Arts) – Pine City
- Carmen Mattingly (Theater) – Golden Valley
- Henry McCue (Visual Arts) – Mound
- Pieper Meccia* (Media Arts/Visual Arts) – Excelsior
- Faith Miner (Visual Arts) – Belle Plaine
- Vegas Morales (Visual Arts) – Melrose
- MyKayla Morgan (Theater) – Cottage Grove
- Soraiya Myers (Visual Arts) – St. Paul
- Kato Nazarian (Media Arts) – St. Paul
- Frankie Palmer (Visual Arts) – Edina
- Hailey Petersen* (Visual Arts) – Ramsey
- Lani Quintero (Visual Arts) – New Ulm
- Rylee Reese (Visual Arts) – White Bear Lake
- Samantha Rehmann (Visual Arts) – Rochester
- Kate O’Connell Romanelli* (Visual Arts) – Minneapolis
- Xulian Romano* (Music) – Stillwater
- Elexa Roring* (Visual Arts) – Andover
- Meera Safford* (Dance/Theater) – Minneapolis
- Emmalee Sathrum (Visual Arts) – Rochester
- Mira Seeba* (Visual Arts) – St. Paul
- Katia Shamanovskaya (Theater) – Maple Grove
- John Strong (Theater) – Edina
- Molly Sullivan (Media Arts) – Hastings
- Vivien Daisy Swanson (Visual Arts) – Rogers
- Kepler Swirnoff (Literary Arts) – Minneapolis
- Michelle Teyvel* (Music) – New Hope
- Brooke Thole (Visual Arts) – Minneapolis
- Izabelle Thostenson* (Theater) – Albert Lea
- John Thro* (Music) – Duluth
- Elisabeth Tonn* (Visual Arts) – Springfield
- Sole’nisa Warren (Music) – Brooklyn Park
- Raegan Whetstine (Visual Arts) – Brooklyn Center
- Neeva White-Glasper (Visual Arts) – Lake Elmo
- Emily Woodruff (Visual Arts) – Plymouth
- Essence Young (Visual Arts) – St. Louis Park
- Charlotte Zahn (Visual Arts) – Minneapolis