‘Bring Butte with you': Butte High School class of 2026 encouraged at graduation

Purple gowns flooded into the Butte Civic Center on Thursday night as Butte High School celebrated the 295 members of its 2026 graduating class.

Celebrating years of hard work, the ceremony highlighted the graduates' academic achievements along with the bonds they’ve created along the way.

“The accomplishments, the distinctions and the honors garnered by these young men and women are numerous,” said Assistant Principal Brenda Floreen.

The valedictorians and salutatorians were each recognized at the beginning of the ceremony as their names, parents' names, and their plans for the future were shared.

Cheers and the loud blaring of noisemakers filled the room throughout the ceremony as graduates, family and friends cheered on the graduates making their way across the stage.

Philip Russo, one of Butte’s 15 valedictorians, gave the commencement address. Russo will attend Yale University, where he will major in political science.

Russo focused his remarks on what growing up in Butte has taught him and his fellow graduates.

“Butte isn’t just the place you grew up,” he said. “It’s a community where people don’t stay strangers for long — where lives overlap and stories connect, and everyone ends up a little more connected than they expected to be.”

Russo encouraged his classmates to pass on what they’ve learned. “Don't lose what this town placed in you," he said. "Keep being the person who notices, who shows up and checks in without being asked, who makes someone feel like they matter on a day when they really needed it.”

“You learned that here, you lived it here, and the world needs more of it than you know,” he said.

Wherever you end up, he told students, “Bring Butte with you. Not the ZIP code, but the part that made you who you are.”