Charlie Denison SCN Editor
May 3, 2025
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
This quote, chosen as the Rapelje High School Class of 2025 motto, came to life in spectacular fashion at the May 2 graduation ceremony. In one of Montana’s tiniest towns, where the graduating class consisted of just two students, something extraordinary happened.
When Violet Herzog and Rylie Tinsley approached their senior year, they decided to aim high. Rather than settling for a typical graduation, Rylie took a chance that would make their ceremony unforgettable.
“When I set my mind to something I usually make it happen,” Rylie declared in her graduation speech, and those weren’t empty words. Months earlier, she had written to freshman U.S. Senator Tim Sheehy’s office with an audacious request: Would the Senator consider delivering their commencement address?
The day Rylie received confirmation, she ran straight to her mother’s English classroom, excitedly shouting, “The Senator’s coming!”
“The worst thing that could happen was he’d say ‘no,'” Rylie told the Stillwater County News.
For Sheehy, the decision to attend was simple. While explaining why he accepted the invitation to speak at this tiny school with no prior connection, he said, “When there’s two people graduating, I’ve gotta make it there because that’s a pretty important day for those families.”
The Senator arrived in style, landing his plane in a hayfield just north of town, thanking the owner. “I’ve got to land in my hayfield before it gets dark,” he added, explaining why he couldn’t stay for the entire ceremony.
During his 12-minute address, Sheehy spoke shared personal insights about life’s unexpected turns and the importance of following one’s moral compass.
“God works in mysterious ways, and forks in the road of life show up when you lease expect it,” Sheehy told the graduates. “You can’t always make the most educated decision. You don’t know where the fork is going to take you, but you can always do what feels right in your gut.”
The Senator reflected on his own journey, noting that at 16 – and even 37 – he had no idea where he’d be in five years. This uncertainty, he suggested, is a normal part of growing up.
“It’s amazing that God gave us those instincts to really know what the right thing is,” he continued. “You might not like it. You might prefer to do the easy thing, but you pretty much always know what the right thing is.”
Drawing from his military experience, Sheehy spoke about how battlefield decisions crystallized his understanding of gut instinct. “I saw some ugly things,” he said of his deployments overseas. “The decisions I’d make on the battlefield would have life and death impacts on those around me… it hit home pretty quick that decisions I was making would determine if other people lived or died.”
He also touched on family life, mentioning his four children and how their personalities reflect different approaches to life’s challenges. “Remember how much of you is reflected in your kids and how much your flaws are magnified,” he advised, mixing humor with wisdom as he described his five-year-old son who “never wears pants anywhere.”
In his closing remarks, Sheehy expressed appreciation for communities like Rapelje: “I appreciate the hard workers, the real people of Montana who make the economy run; the people who drive tractors, trucks, weld the pipe, feed the country. America’s greatest superpower is to feed ourselves and the rest of the world.”
Following his speech, Sheehy was presented with a gift basket containing homemade items from various members of the Rapelje community, a fitting token of appreciation from a town that values connection and craftsmanship. He apologized for leaving early, saying he wish he could have stayed but he had to land in his hayfield before dark.
In a ceremony filled with emotion, both Violet and Rylie served as co-valedictorians, delivering heartfelt speeches about their journey through high school and their hopes for the future.
Violet reflected on the challenges she had overcome, noting how she had been “so fixated on the things that stressed her out” that she “became blind to all the good things.” She spoke about learning to push through difficult times and finding the silver lining in challenging situations.
For her part, Rylie emphasized the importance of faith in navigating life’s unexpected turns, referencing Jeremiah 29:11 (“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”) and the Serenity Prayer. She acknowledged the unique bond she shared with Violet, emphasizing their bond, as was evident from the get-go with an emotional slideshow even the Senator said made him teary-eyed, as he has two daughters who really aren’t too far off from this magical time in their lives (the oldest is 11).
As the celebration wound down, it was clear that this wasn’t just about two students finishing high school. It was a testament to small-town values, youthful initiative, and the power of reaching for dreams that might seem improbable.
Both young women are headed to the University of Montana-Western in Dillon this fall. Violet plans to pursue a business degree, while Rylie will study sports medicine with a coaching/nutrition minor. There is a lot that prepared them for this next step. Their teachers, yes, and FFA and athletics, absolutely. But more than anything, Rylie and Violet credit the unwavering support of their families and their community.
It is the people of Rapelje that encouraged them to live accordingly to the class motto. That’s what inspired Rylie to invite Senator Sheehy to their graduation. By making it happen, she proved what Eleanor Roosevelt once said: “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”