DOWNIEVILLE — On Saturday, June 8th, Downieville High School graduated two seniors: Natalie Diane Rust and Abigail Cecilia Sainsbury. In a ceremony at Masonic Park, the graduates honored the people who guided them through their small-town upbringings and looked forward to what’s yet to come.

The ceremony commenced with the soon-to-be graduates sharing flowers with their friends and family, a symbolic gesture of gratitude. Superintendent James Berardi then took the podium, encouraging the graduates to embrace life’s opportunities, then introducing the class valedictorian, Abigail Sainsbury.

Sainsbury gave a heartfelt valedictory, expressing appreciation for the support of friends, family, and community members and noting that school had gone by faster than she expected. She thanked her single classmate, Natalie, for their friendship and shared good times. Sainsbury then emphatically thanked her family, including her “ultimate inspiration” and best friend, her mother.

Mia Martinelli, Downieville High School class of 2023, was the graduation’s guest speaker, being a good friend of Rust and Sainsbury. Martinelli urged graduates to stay strong in the coming years, which she promised would deliver intense experiences both positive and negative, saying, “Don’t be afraid of the dark; without it, we wouldn’t appreciate the light.” She left the graduates with a quote from actor Timothee Chalamet: “You’re only here for so long. Be happy man; you could get hit by a truck tomorrow.”

Several community-funded scholarships were received by both Sainsbury and Rust, including from the Downieville Lions Club, Sierra Snowbusters, David Marshall, E Clampus Vitus 1849, Downieville Firefighters Association, Downieville Employees Association, and others.