Destin's Class of 2009 takes the plunge (with list of grads and photos)

For mom Angela Winkler, graduation day was “overwhelming, sad and exciting” all at the same time as she watched three of her four children reach the same milestone as many young Destinites on Thursday.

“There really is no preparing for three graduations, you just do it,” Winkler said.

The Destin Elementary secretary has been immersed in the preparation of DES’s fifth-grade celebration, not leaving her much time to reflect on what is to come with her own grads.

Though sophomore Alex, 16, will still be at Fort Walton Beach High School, the Winkler siblings are all moving up.

Andrew, 17, is leaving FWBHS to attend Florida State University in the fall. Matthew, 14, graduated from Destin Middle with honors, and Victoria, 11, is already leaving a void at DES that Angela is not quite ready for.

“I’ve been blessed,” Winkler said. “They’re all good kids and I’ve never had trouble with any of them.”

For more photos of Destin Middle School graduation, click here

For more photos of Destin Middle School 5th grade graduation, click here

For more photos of Destin Elementary School graduation, click here

The proud mom was one of the few hundred that turned out at DES’s fifth-grade commencement at the Destin Community Center and Destin Middle’s Hawaiian Aloha-themed promotion.

The graduating fifth-graders were decked out in Sunday’s best to receive their awards. Some goofed off and other’s hearts were pounding as they waited to enter the gym full of their families. But they all straightened up to walk in a “Stars of the Future” ceremony.

Principal Marti Gardner sent the students over the bridge on stage that’s seen its share of happy occasions since 1991. Waiting on the other side to shake their hand was DMS’s incoming principal, Dr. Diane Kelley.

Principal Tommy Britt will hand the reins over officially on Monday, Kelley’s first day on the job.

“You need to make up your mind that ninth-grade is going to be your best year ever,” Charlene Couvillon, principal at FWBHS, said to the eighth-grade grads.

She reminded the students that ninth-grade sets the foundation for the rest of their lives after high school.

Student council president Corey Andre recapped the Class of 2009’s athletic, academic, club and band achievements.

Special presentations were also given for the Magnificent Marlin awards.

Raney Warner and Tony Lawrence earned the recognition from the faculty for displaying exemplary character and performance in academics, athletics and the arts.

Dedicated parents Mary Rose and Reds Hidalgo were recognized as the Magnificent Marlin Parents for their tireless contributions to the school through hard work and motivating the students and staff.

The eighth-graders enjoyed a slide show of the fun times throughout the year.

It prompted Superintendent Dr. Alexis Tibbetts to remind them how quickly the years will pass, though Britt offered a better analogy.

“Life is like a roll of toilet paper ... the closer you get to the end, the faster it goes,” he said in his farewell address.

Britt’s retirement was the highlight of graduation after 38 years of service in the school district. His speech brought tears to his eyes and laughter from the audience.

His last two years as DMS’s principal, he said, have been the best of his career.

He left the Class of 2009 with words from a song written by the Rolling Stone’s Mick Jagger.

“You can’t always get what you want, but if you try hard enough you just might get what you need.”

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Class of 2009

Destin Middle School

Drew Abraham, Arron Adamson, Haleigh-Kaitlyn Allen, Riley Allen, Corey W. Andre, Chase Andrews, Amber Angelovic, Robyn June Arabasz, Caroline Grace Armstrong, Harrison Barber, Alexis Bass, Jennifer Bazylak, Cameron Bedsole, Delaney Bell, Yesuly F. Benavides, Emma Boone, Edward Robert Boudreau II, Hayley Ann Bower, Davis Bowyer, Casey Morgan Brigiotta, Jason Buckland, Alexis Bucy, Bolton Bulutoglu, Bryan Douglas Burch, Hannah Camille Burke, Rachel Butterfield, Austin Brunson Campbell, Benny Carollo, Kendall Carraway, Grey Carter, Phoenix Noelani Catao, Brittany Chinchar, Cody Rhodes Clark, Mary Margaret Clark, David Collette, Lauren Collins, Alex Colthorp, Meredith Corcoran, Christopher Chase Cordell, Nick Wade Corley, Lauren Corley, Brianna Cortese, Anthony Cox, Caroline Grace Crowley, Aaron Daniel, Rachael N. Dehlinger, Sam Dillon, Chance Dominique, Wade Dupas, Devon Elder, Caroline Roque Eleuterio, Elan Ellison, Eli Ellison, Kyle Empson, Casey Evans, Sydney Fanovich, Eric Gabriel Felins, Nathan Andrew Fife, Ryland Fisher, Mario Florence , Kaylee Nicole Freeman, Heath Fulmer, Jesnaliz Gadea, Maria Joan Galati, Maggie Gashaw, Holly Geissel, Andrew Gentry, Gybe Michelle Gillespie, Morgan Gobeli, Cassidi Goodin, Cameron Gossett, Bobby Gray, Stephen James Grider, Camille Rene Haeusler, Cody David Haeusler, Mallory Jade Hallberg, Emily Lynn Hanchett, Destiny Harnish, Lindsey Harrell, Tyler Hartrick , Alexis Hays, Nick Hearn, Lucas B. Heitman, Katie Herrmann, Brandon Eric Hidalgo, Jordyn Hoffmann, Rylee Holland, Kassidy Shae Houston , Benjamin Hughes, Blake James, Ryan Jensen, Jonathan Jernigan, Kyle Jones, Ronni Jones, Taylor Joyner, Callie Kaltz, Kayla Kaple, Chris Kiley, Cody Wayne Kilpatrick, Tyler Alexander Kinard, Matthew Krenek, Luke Landers, Lauren Lauderdale, Tony Lawrence, Eden Victoria Letourneau, Tafarel Lima, Aaron Lee Lin, Sara Kate Lindley, Steven Lipscomb, David Allen Locht, Jr., Rachel Lopes, Javier Marquez, Alex Mashburn, Alexandra Matthews, Braden McCall, Michael McClanahan, Jordan Tyler McClure, Molly McCollester, Caid McCullough, Alex McNair, Eric McQuillan, Jenn McRae, James Cole McWilliams, Hunter Steven Meiser, Alan Jay Ronald Meyers, Paul L.J. Michaud, Andrew, David Mitchell, Peter Mitchell, Conner Morrison, Ben Myler, Maria A. Nunez-Torres, Heath Oliver, Cole Outzen, Samantha Page, Breanna Paske, Heath Patat, Courtney Peterson, Drew Pfeiffer, Case Phillips, Elizabeth Phillips, John E. Pickler Jr., David Pierzchanowski, Kaio Pinto, James Pollock, Sommer Pope, Taylor Danielle Posey, Haley Ann Prescott, Stephanie Pridgen, Kallee Pugh, Cristina Marcia Ramos, Rick Rasins, Alex Reber, McKenna Reed , Jorge A. Retamozo Rodriguez, Shelby Nicole Reynolds, Vincent Riggi, Blair Michael Riley, Brad Ringler , Nick Austin Roberts, Gage Robinson , Danielle Rogers, Angela Roy, Kyle Scott Saleeby, Blair Sametz, Julia Sansom, Andre Salazar, Daniel Robert Schmidt, Trevor K. Sears, Daniel Sepulveda, Toni Lechelle Setzer, Alexandra Nicole Shaw, Taylor Sheekley, Dayla Silva, McKenzie L. Simmons, Samantha Smalley, Coby Smith, Brittany Nicole Smith-Matthews, Kori Lane Smith, Zane H. Smith, Christopher Solecki, Christopher Nicholas Sorial, Jordyn Sorrow, Charunya Srisittiwet, Corey Starr, Morgan Emily Strickland, Kelsey Styles, Ian Sullivan, Patrick Shane Sullivan, Allyson Gabrielle Sundal, Harry Tiahrt, Alexis Ann Tillman, Jacob D. Tingle, Zachary Tokheim, Sarha Toso, Anna Tourjman, Reece Trainor, Joshua Upton, Sabrina Belle Valenti, Kellan Shawn Viveen, Ricky Vizcarra, Ashley Lynn Ward, Raney Warner, Jordan Taylor West, Hunter Wheeler, Matthew Winkler, Zachary Wolverton, Jordan Woodley and Rilee Wrobel.

Destin Elementary School

Claire Atkins, Victoria Attaway, Austin Atwell, Kaylee Battiste, Benjamin Baumgardner, Brock Baumgardner, Victoria Beech, Masen Bentley, Teran Benton, Bradley Blankenship, David Boynton, Seth Brown, Dawson Caluger, Jewel Carnley, Avery Carr, Kasey Carr, Julia Carraway, Jessie Cobble, Tyler Cohen, Vitor Costa, Tristan Crosby, Allie Davis, Caroline Dixon, Alexandria Dougherty, Tanner Duffin, Brynn Dwyer, Brandon Edelman, Dallas Edwards, Jakob Eiche, Andre Eimers, Mariana Elizondo, Yeimi Escobar, Keaton Farne, Douglas Figueiredo, Emileigh Gaddis, Margarita Garcia, Bobby Gardner, Mary Katherine Gashaw, Mikayla Gebhardt, Sydney Gonzales, Tyler Gray, Matson Goodman, Gavin Greene, Jasmine Hall, LaRae Harris, Rico Hearn, Olivia Heyse, Andrew Herrmann, Gibson Holahan, Edward Hooten, Lauren Hunter, Brittany Jandrew, Kurt Michael Japson, Justin Johnsen, Deric Kantz, Johnathon Kennedy, Chelsie Larabee, Maya Lewellyn, Shawn Lin, Andrew Lindner, Ragan Lizana, Nick Lopez, Chelsea Maher, Grant Makela, Christian Manthey, Diana Matei, Brianna Marler, Connor May, Quinn McAnulla, Connor Mckinzie, Slade McPherson, Jose Mejia, Cassandra Meinhardt, Laiken Miller, Jordan Morris, Kira Morrison, Destin Nguyen, Michelle Norris, Tanner O’Keefe, Brock Ochsenreiter, Devin Osborn, Alexandra Page, Victoria Parks, Payton Patterson, Madison Pfirrman, Kenee Phillips, Lucas Pimentel, Riley Porter, Skylar Powell, Zacharia Rawson, Francis Retamozo, Nicolas Ribeiro, Lauren Rigdon, Julianna Robinson, Jacob Rogers, Hannah Rowland, Josh Santos, Sathnham, Carolynn Schmidt, Evan Seagle, Hannah Shoults, Madison Stacey, Corey Summers, Morgan Taylor, Tristen Thomas, Collin Thomas, Brenna Tillman, Parker Tringas, Austen Tucker, Alexander Tway, Daniel Umland, Jacob Upton, Kevin Van Atta, Ryan Wagner, Aubrey Wampler, Breanne Ward, Victoria Winkler, Victoria Welch, Ashley Wheeler, Hannah Whitehead, Carson Wicke, Devon Wiedemann, Armani Wilson, Chris Wise, and Kellie Young.