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Northland Preparatory Academy (NPA) will be celebrating its 2022 graduates this week with an in-person ceremony today set to take place at Northern Arizona University's Ardrey Auditorium. Among its seniors are athletes, performers and student leaders. 

Here's a look at two standouts from the class:

Claudette Wyard

“It’s honestly surreal,� Wyard said of her upcoming graduation. “I feel like I was just starting in sixth grade. It went by way too quick, but I’m also very excited to start a new chapter and go to college and meet new people and get new experiences. It’s bittersweet.�

She said she liked the school’s small, “tight-knit� atmosphere.

“I think the largest class I’ve been in is like 20 people, so we know the teachers really well. It’s just a really nice, small community,� she said.

For similar reasons, Wyard’s favorite class was her seventh period this year: Government with Sheleena Schorey.

“She is just one of the best teachers, she is so sweet and kind, and our seventh period was really tiny, so we were all super comfortable with each other. It was really great. I loved ending every day with that class,� she said.

Wyard has tried several sports during her time at NPA, playing volleyball her freshman and sophomore years, and track freshman year and tennis sophomore year. She is hoping to try intramural sports in college with her roommate, specifically volleyball and tennis.

“I think that’d be fun,� she said.

In addition to being secretary of the school’s National Honors Society, she’s been in student council since her sophomore year, serving as treasurer her senior year.

“I wanted to be more involved in the community because I really love NPA,� she said of her reason for joining student council.

The student council helps plan several events at NPA, including the Back to School Social and Prom.

As treasurer, Wyard was in charge of making the dance tickets. They also put on a volleyball fundraiser this year to benefit local nonprofit Over the Rainbow Butterfly Garden.

“We got so many people to come and raise a lot of money -- which is great,� Wyard said.

After graduation, Wyard will be going to Arizona State University, and says that what most excited her about ASU was “a new atmosphere.�

“I love Flagstaff, I really do, but it is a small mountain town and I’m excited to be in a big city with a bunch of people that I don’t know and meet new people and form new bonds," she said.

She plans to major in business with a concentration in law.

“I’ve always been interested in law, and my dad always told me that his dad always told him that everything in life is a business, so that’s the best major to get,� she said.

She’s not sure how law fits into the picture just yet but “wanted to choose a major I’m interested in.�

“I’ve noticed that if I’m passionate about something, I learn better,� she said.

She hopes to one day become an actress, however.

“Acting is an industry and a business, so if I take business, I’ll be able to understand contracts for myself and be able to support myself,� she said.

She began acting this year in the TheatriKids production of “The Burn� and described the experience as “amazing.�

“All my life, I wanted to act, but I was always told it’s stupid, it’s not realistic, it’s a one-in-a-million chance, so I never really let myself do it,� she said. “But this year, after people were like, ‘What do you want to do with your life?� I finally realized I should only go after what I really want to do.�

She talked to her friend Emmy, who had acted with Theatrikos before and who told her they were currently holding auditions. They went together and Wyard made cast.

“It was more fun than I expected,� she said of the experience. “Everyone was way more supportive than I was expecting. It was my first time and they made me feel so welcome. It was also scarier, because it was a play, versus like a live performance, which is harder than TV or movies I feel like. And then, also, the play was set up in a way where you don’t leave the stage at all until the very last scene. So it wasn’t like I could go backstage and decompress. I had to be there the whole time and it was really scary. �

Her advice for younger students is to find their passion.

“I think it’s so important to prioritize what you like to do and not try to be a certain person to look good on college applications or for other people, because ultimately what you do is going to make you happy or unhappy,� she said. “So if you’re doing things that you like and that you’re passionate about, you’ll be happy, and if you’re acting and doing things you don’t like, then you’re not going to be happy.�

Malakai Hanson

Hanson described his time at NPA as “very chaotic.�

“Lots of sports, so never really a break, but the environment I really like because a smaller environment allows me to have a closer friend group,� he said.

Hanson plays a sport for almost every season: cross country, basketball and track.

He started early on all three, inspired by his parents. His mom was a collegiate athlete and runner who inspired him to start cross country in elementary school, he said, and his dad has been his basketball coach since he was 7. He has played all three sports at NPA since he came to the school as a sixth-grader.

“The coaches for sure have been super supportive,� Hanson said. “I’ve been around all, and a lot of them have changed throughout the years for every single sport, but it’s been really beneficial to have bonding � especially since your friends are part of it. Being a part of team sports, your friendship gets a lot closer in school and out of school.�

He advised other students to seek out these kinds of relationships.

“Make sure that you keep a close friend group and that you surround yourself with adults that that are going to impact your life positively,� he said. “Especially the coaches are the ones I would go to the most for advice.�

Hanson’s favorite class at NPA has been guitar, he said. He’s played the instrument since he was 8. NPA’s classes started in eighth grade, so after lessons in elementary school and “on the side,� he’s been part of those classes since.

“I’ve had the same kids in my class ever since eighth grade and we’ve all grown [together],� he said. “…It’s also fun to just be around them in class every day.�

Both of the guitar teachers -- Thomas Byers and Josh Moore -- "have been my favorite teachers so far,� he added.

“They’ve both had really big impacts on my instrumental life and personal experience,� he said.

Hanson said his older brother had inspired him to start playing the instrument.

“He’s been playing it for a long time and he got really good at it,� he said. “So I thought, ‘Why not try?’�

Hanson said he’s both excited and nervous for his upcoming graduation.

“I'm nervous about leaving Arizona and attending an out-of-state college, [but] I’m also really excited about the new friendships and new relations I’m gonna have,� he said.

He’ll be heading to Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, to study kinesiology and sports medicine.

His brother went to the college, and their parents had met in Colorado, so Hanson said he’d “always enjoyed� the state.

“Colorado has always been one of my favorite places, because its really similar to Flagstaff, a really good community outdoors,� he said.

Hanson’s plan is to go into some kind of sports medicine or physical therapy. He’s taking Sports Medicine this year and said teacher Jennifer Cyphers helped spark his interest in the field.

“She’s been from school to school, she really enjoys the personal side of that. It's been cool getting to know her through athletics and in class,� he said.

Hanson said he was grateful for the support he’d received in his time at school.

“I want to say thank you to my coaches, family, friends and especially my parents, for all the support throughout the years and helping this process to college be so much easier,� he said.