Steamboat Pilot & Today

Each has a different last name, but they might as well be family.

Christian Heritage School's graduating class of seven seniors consider themselves brothers and sisters, which really isn't surprising considering the time they've spent together over the past decade.

Perhaps that's what will make today so difficult.

The group of seven will bid each other farewell as classmates at today's commencement exercise, but not as friends.

"I'm going to have as much trouble leaving these people as I am my family when I go to college," Laura Heiner said. "I've seen all these kids grow from, like, eating sand at recess."

Many of the students progressed through grade school together. For some, the thought of going off to college and not seeing each other in classes is, well, unthinkable.

"I still can't believe it's happening," Dorian Geldmeier said.

"It's going to be weird going to school next year without everybody there," Jane Melvin said.

Huddled around a table in the school's cafeteria, the seven -- four boys and three girls -- bicker, argue and joke with each other in the comfort and ease of your typical high school clique.

But here, their's is the only clique.

"There's no room for enemies," Heiner said.

With bittersweet emotions, the students look forward to the months and years ahead. New settings will bring new friends, they agree, but perhaps nothing will supplant the bond forged among the group over the years.

"I'm excited (for college), but I'm not sure I'll find friends as good as these," Heiner said.

The school's teachers are as much a part of the group as their peers, Melvin said.

"The teachers are just an extension of our family," she said.

Teacher Brian Houston is the perfect example. Houston, who the seniors lovingly refer to as Ned Flanders, a character from the television series "The Simpsons," has taught some of the seniors for as many as eight consecutive years.

"Graduation is really tough because I've had such a great relationship with them and I've taught them for so long," Houston said. "Emotionally, it's a tough day for me. It's more like family than students."

The small nature of the school means no student can escape leadership roles, Houston said. "Every one of these kids has to be involved," he said. "They've all taken leadership positions. We're really going to miss the leadership they provide."

Headmaster Tim Deibler is finishing his first year at Christian Heritage School, during which he quickly realized the uniqueness of the Class of 2003.

"It's been really great getting to know them," he said. "They're really a wonderful, dynamic group of seniors. I expect a lot out of them in the future."