True to the individuality brought and sought by South Whidbey Academy students, the class of 2015 graduates got to do things their way during their commencement ceremony Thursday.

South Whidbey Academy is the South Whidbey School District’s alternative K-12 program, with three distinct parts to it for elementary, middle and high school. In its third year, this cohort had one of the larger graduating classes with 15 students.

“This institution truly recognizes that there are several ways to learn,” Principal David Pfeiffer said.

Instead of the tradition of having advocates present each student for graduation, a nine-minute question-and-answer video of each graduate was played. It let each of the 15 students state what the most valuable thing from school was, their most meaningful learning experience, future plans and who they wanted to thank.

Most thanked their parents, grandparents, siblings, teachers, and even a few bosses. Chandler Sutton thanked “the lunch lady” for giving him extra food, which drew a crowd-wide laugh inside the cafeteria/gym that served as the graduation stage at South Whidbey Academy, formerly South Whidbey Primary School.

On the more sincere side, student Vanessa Link said she appreciated the teachers at both the academy and South Whidbey High School, where she took several Advanced Placement courses before wrapping up her credit requirements at the academy.

“I want to thank all the teachers at South Whidbey High School and SWA (said like ‘swah’),” Link said.

A pair of students were presented with scholarships prior to the ceremony. Link received four at the graduation ceremony, though her name was called 10 times during the district-wide scholarship night on June 2. Hoping to pursue a degree and career in graphic design, she was awarded $10,800 in all.

Celeste Magney received a $500 scholarship from the South Whidbey Commons, where she put in hundreds of hours as a volunteer and intern.

The two student speakers offered appreciation for and congratulations to their peers. Seth Townsend-Tyers, one of the last remnants from the school’s previous iteration as the Bayview School, said the academy is struggling to find its identity, not unlike some of its students. He thanked the teachers and staff who helped his classmates earn their diplomas and encouraged his fellow graduates not to forget them.

“If your experience is anything like mine, you’ll remember them fondly,” he said.

Madinah Goodson, the other speaker, wove a simile comparing the students to a bunch of cats. Like cats, she said some of them are playful and others just nap.

“We are all in different colors, reflecting our different personalities,” she said, referring to the program’s tradition of allowing students to select their own outfit for graduation. This freedom leads to a lot of different colors and looks for the graduates: red, black, white, a cutoff T-shirt and jeans.

“Most of us don’t know what we will do in the future, but it’s OK because we have nine lives,” she added.

They were symbolically sent into adulthood, the phase when they have their diplomas and are no longer held to the school schedule, by the words of a pair of district adults. Robin Barre, a counselor at the academy, praised them for continuing to find themselves, a quest she said should never end.

“These young people we have come to celebrate are warriors in the best sense of the word, and we need them now more than ever,” she said before closing with a quote from poet-author Mary Oliver that included the words, “Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination …”

District Superintendent Jo Moccia gave the final advice and congratulations. She reminded the students that they had earned their diplomas, and they were theirs forever and could not be taken away. The hours, work, tests and presentations were theirs alone.

“Be confident that you have yourself, always,” she said.

An earlier version incorrectly stated the courses Vanessa Link had at South Whidbey High School.