One of the most cherished parts of highschool is the friendships you make. These are  people who have stuck with you the whole four years , and for these seniors, many years before that. The graduating class of 2023 has some of the most special of these friendships. These students stayed strong through many tough years of middle school, high school, and even a whole pandemic. It is truly an achievement to keep the same sidekick the whole time. 

These two boys have been together through it all, a whopping seven years of friendship. They have stayed true to each other since fifth grade, where they were in the same class. Rylan Beye and Carter Frederickson truly embody what real friendship is. Where one goes, the other is always close behind. Carter’s advice to keeping a long lasting friendship is “Communication is key.” He keeps this ideal at the center of their relationship, and it is obvious it paid off. Carter and Rylan do almost everything together, but fishing is one of their favorite hobbies. They do a majority of these trips in the summer, when their schedule is the most free. One of Carter’s favorite fishing adventures was their trip to Big Horn Canyon & lake. 

Rylan’s best piece of advice when it comes to friends is “Pick quality over quantity.” The best friends are the ones you make when you are young and stay with you throughout everything. While these boys are not attending the same college, they intend to stay close by and talk everyday.

Rylan & Carter are not the only long lasting friendship in our graduating class. Laine Sanders and Irie O’Dea have been friends longer than even they can remember. These girls love to spend their time together going to Bozeman & Starbucks, having sleepovers, and walking around town hanging out.

Irie’s favorite memories of her time with Laine are hanging out at the pool, playing mermaids and sharks and minnows. She believes the key to a good friendship is to talk about everything. That is the best way to stay close and maintain that special connection. Laine’s best advice to keeping a long lasting friendship is “to respect them, and be by their side if they need you. If you get into an argument, make sure to talk it out.”

The girls are going to Hawaii after graduation and will attend University of Montana together in the fall.  These four seniors will continue to flourish in their friendships as they transition to the next journey in their lives. Congratulations on all your accomplishments together.