Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — After Morgan Mertz graduates from The Lowell Whiteman School on Saturday morning, she immediately will accept a new challenge.

“I hope that throughout the rest of my life, I keep seizing the opportunities that come up so I can enjoy my life like I’ve enjoyed it here at Whiteman,” the senior said Wednesday. “My experience here really opened up how much I love to travel, and it made me appreciate everything I have the opportunity to do.”

Mertz and 13 other Whiteman students will start a new chapter Saturday.

Errik Hill said the ceremony will mark the end to his unique educational experience in Steamboat.

“It’s kind of a special feeling because not many people come here,” the senior said. “There’s a great sense of pride in graduating from here.”

Whiteman Head of School Chris Taylor and Experiential Learning Director Margi Missling-Root said Wednesday that they look forward to seeing what the Class of 2012 goes on to achieve.

“They are interesting to listen to as they speak about who they are as a class,” Root said. “They get along well, but they are all so different from one another. They look at one another and say, ‘It will be so interesting to see what you do with your life.’”

Root said each of the students is “stepping out into the world with lots of possibilities out there.

“Choosing is the challenge,” she said.

Taylor said the class is very supportive of one another.

“They’re laid back and easygoing,” he said. “They’re very interesting individuals.”

On Saturday, the graduates will hear a commencement speech from a Whiteman alum who, like many of the school’s graduates, had to balance his academic and educational career. Ryan Heckman, Class of 1993, was on the U.S. Ski Team from 1992 to 1997 and competed at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France, and the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway.

To reach Scott Franz, call 970-871-4210 or scottfranz@SteamboatToday.com