Armondo Pavone

Mary Clymer 

 Haven Sagdal

What are Renton High School graduates doing now? Well, we have interviewed 3 people: Mary Clymer (a deep rooted Renton community member), Haven Sagdal (a recent graduate from RHS), and Armondo Pavone (also deep rooted in the community and current Renton Mayor for 5 years now). We asked them what they’re doing now, and what their lives look like now. Here’s are how they responded:

Did you graduate from RHS? If so, what year did you graduate from Renton High School?

Mary Clymer: “Yes I did, 1996.”

Haven Sagdal: “Yes, I graduated in 2023.”

Armondo Pavone: “Yes I did, 1980.”

Did you attend Renton High School for all four years?

They all attended all 4 years at RHS.

What is your current occupation?

Mary Clymer: “I work in the health and wellness field.”

Haven Sagdal: “I am a student athlete at Wenatchee Valley College.”

Armondo Pavone: “Mayor of Renton!”

Do you think your experience at RHS helped prepare you for this occupation  or helped you make your way to this position? 

Mary Clymer: “No I don’t, that being said, I think my time at Renton helped me make connections in the community as I got older.”

Haven Sagdal: “It helped me in some ways but I worked for most of it on my own.”

Armondo Pavone: “I would say all of your experiences prepare you for the future, RHS prepared me for many things but not the mayor in specific.”

What do you know now that you wish you knew during your time at RHS?

Mary Clymer: “I wish I would have been more aware that the people sitting next to me in class are a part of my community. We would be building our city together in the future. I also wish I would have paid more attention in math!”

Haven Sagdal: “I wish I stayed in the moment more, appreciated the little things because once you’re out of highschool life gets busy and hard.”

Armondo Pavone: “I wish I would’ve taken high school more seriously, I didn’t have great study habits. I wish I would’ve taken more advantage of the opportunity.”

What extracurricular activities did you participate in and why? How did your involvement in these activities help you in your post-high school path?

Mary Clymer: “I was on the swim team all 4 years. I did it because I had done the swim team previously and it was my community at the time. I was the ASB vice president my senior year. I chose to do that to create the school spirit I wanted to see. I also did theater for fun and to lean into my creative side. I think being involved with ASB and the theater program really helped me grow my confidence to speak to and in front of others, swimming gave me confidence in being strong.”

Haven Sagdal: “I did a lot of sports because it helped me get active and helped me stay motivated to do well in school. It helped me get to college to be a student athlete because without doing the extracurricular stuff I would just be a student.”

Armondo Pavone: “I was on the soccer team, I started the ski club which is probably still in the records. I went to the ASB at the time and started it. Honestly, the ski club helped me in my post-high school path because I had to create it out of thin air and I used the student government to create it, which relates to my position currently. Soccer taught me teamwork and how to get along with others.”

What advice would you give current Renton High School students?

Mary Clymer: “Give up. No, haha. I would say try to recognize that the people sitting next to you are your community. It’s up to you, the youth, to get involved with your community. You are the future of the city and the world.”

Haven Sagdal: “Enjoy your time because high school goes by very fast.”

Armondo Pavone: “If I could go back to tell myself something, I would tell myself not to stress about what my future will be and the path I will take because it’s just not worth it. Last but not least, take care of your knees before they’re gone. Oh, and wear sunscreen.”

After talking to these RHS alumni, something that we can all take away and apply to our overall life is to be aware of where you are in this world. Like Haven said, “be in the moment.” Highschool is important, but it is just a small blip in the radar of life. Appreciate those around you and trust that you will do great things in this world. Also, seriously, don’t forget to wear sunscreen.