Seventy three Anzar High School Hawks took their final flight June 10 as they walked across the stage for their graduation, with their friends, family, and teachers all in attendance.
Seniors proceeded one by one with a song of their own choosing, which varied from different genres depending on the student. It was one celebration of the graduates’ individuality, which also included allowing them to decorate their mortarboards.
Principal Charlene McKowen opened up the celebration with a speech in which she called the senior class a “family” that developed over the past four years. “The focus tonight is on our graduates,” she said.
Monica Martinez-Guaracha presented the class’s valedictorian, Christopher Inokuchi, and the salutatorian, Joseph Marynak.
Before students gave their speeches, McKowen offered another few words for the students, calling them “public school superstars.” She told the Class of 2015 that they are “going to amaze the world.”
Other seniors who addressed their class were Emilio Medina Salinas, Yazeem Reyes-Takaki, and Jessica Tidwell.
Each student gave a short speech about their experience at Anzar, and the recurring theme of “being a family.” Salinas explained how to him “high school was like a video game. Now the game’s over, but that doesn’t mean it’s game over. For us it’s an open book.”
Senior advisors, Dan Daniels, Vanessa McCroskey, Tom Shea, and Brian Sparling, also gave speeches to their departing graduates.
“It’s time to leave this small nest,” said Daniels, while fighting back tears.
McCroskey spoke of the importance of family: “Family, of course, is a complicated concept sometimes,” she said. “Just like the real family, you don’t always like everyone, or get along with everyone, in fact, sometimes we drive each other crazy, but we support each other with love.”
When each advisor finished their speech, the students accepted their diplomas. After the last student received their diploma, Superintendent Dr. Ruben Zepeda II announced them as high school graduates. The gymnasium exploded with cheer and applause, until the last of the students proceeded out as Anzar High School graduates.