This year’s Homecoming was extra special as we welcomed back the Class of 2016 for their 10-year reunion. It was the first time they were able to return for a Homecoming game on our very own football field—something that didn’t even exist when they were high school students.
Erin Weller and Sierra Banner, both former PHHS soccer players, reminisced about pulling giant rocks from the field before practices and games to keep teammates safe. Seeing how much Providence Hall has grown in just 10 years left the alumni amazed. They were especially proud to see traditions they helped start—like Patriot Cheer, naming “The Riot” student section, and our annual graduation Insomnia Night—still alive and thriving today.
Adding to the celebration was another milestone: our very first Legacy Patriots. Members of the Class of 2016 have now returned as parents, with their children starting kindergarten this year. Paisley Phelps (daughter of Hayden and Mariah Phelps, both Class of 2016 graduates) and Adonis Mortensen (son of Dallin, Class of 2016 graduate, and Shem Mortensen) are officially the first “students of students” to begin their journey at Providence Hall. These two cuties are expected to graduated in 2038!
Mariah made history as the school’s very first Dance Team captain her senior year. Looking back, she shared that what she loved most was the small, close-knit community she experienced as a student, and it’s that same sense of connection she hopes her daughters will enjoy between classmates and teachers. As of now, Mariah and Hayden fully expect their daughters to graduate from PHHS one day, unless life takes them in a new direction.
Dallin is now serving as Providence Hall’s boys’ high school basketball assistant coach, and is raising his children with the same Patriot pride he carried as a student. During his time as a PHHS student, Dallin was an integral member of the cross country, basketball, and baseball teams, and he looks back with gratitude for the opportunities that athletics provided him. Today, as a parent, he describes watching his oldest son walk the same halls as a surreal and deeply rewarding experience—one that fills him with pride as his child begins a new journey at the school he once called home. With confidence and excitement for the future, Dallin shares that he is committed to seeing all of his children graduate from PHHS.
Having taught Mariah, Hayden, and Dallin during my very first year at Providence, it is incredible to now see them return as both parents and leaders, carrying forward the values and traditions they helped establish. They were outstanding students and contributors to our school community, and I have no doubt their children will do the same.
The return of the Class of 2016 for their reunion—and the arrival of their children as Providence Hall kindergarteners—shows that the Patriot spirit continues to grow across generations.
