San Andreas High School held its graduation ceremony under sunny skies on June 2. Taking place on campus rather than in its usual location—Hollister Veterans Memorial Building—families were distanced into groups along the school’s courtyard to watch graduates receive their diplomas. 

Principal Lisa Jelinek said COVID-19 health guidelines brought the ceremony back on campus. “We just hit the yellow [tier] yesterday and the guidelines hadn’t been updated yet, so we had to be a little tighter on the guidance. Better safe than sorry.”

With 16 students graduating—less than half its normal 40-50 class-size—the ceremony was shorter, but emotions were notably higher. 

In Antonio Angulo’s address to his classmates and guests, he noted how the pandemic added just another obstacle to the ones he had already overcome in the past. After re-enrolling in San Andreas following time served in the San Benito County Juvenile Hall his junior year, he said he chose to begin focusing on his future.

“I made a promise to my grandma that I would make better decisions, and one of them was to graduate from high school,” he said. “I was on a successful path for a short time, but then the COVID pandemic hit. When the pandemic hit, I stopped focusing on school. I was going through a lot during the pandemic. Fortunately, from the support of my family, I was able to refocus and get back on track.” 

Angulo was not the only student who struggled. Jelinek said the graduating class was smaller this year mostly because students had difficulty with virtual classes. 

“The online platform can work for a lot of kids, but a lot of kids just need that personal interaction,” she said. “They need a teacher who’s going to sit down and ask, ‘Okay, where did you get stuck?’ and that’s why there were a lot of kids struggling this year.” However, she noted that many students who were just mere credits short of graduating will be taking summer school classes to receive their diplomas at a later date.

Some students, including Serena Garcia, found that online learning gave them the ability to focus on their studies without distraction.  

“This year has taught me a lot. It’s made me a lot stronger,” she said. “I really stepped up with being able to graduate and to leave all the negative stuff in the past. I wasn’t really motivated at school. So being online, being at home, and being in my comfort zone, I was able to work more. It kept me going.”

Aidan Torres told guests during his address that when he enrolled at San Andreas his sophomore year, he was distracted with wanting to fit in with other students, and he struggled to complete his schoolwork.

“The effect of COVID drastically altered my senior year,” Torres said, noting that virtual learning “allowed me to focus on my school work without having as many distractions. It was a comfortable and safe environment where I could get my work done.”

Jelinek said the school has been on a hybrid schedule since April, allowing students to attend in-person learning on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Students also had the choice to continue attending school virtually. 

“On Wednesdays, they stayed home to work on the online platform,” Jelinek said. “And as graduation approached, and students started getting nervous, we had seniors that were coming on Wednesdays to work in classrooms with the teachers.”

She also noted the school’s use of an online education program, Edgenuity Virtual Academy, which allows high school students to take individual high school classes to supplement their regular schooling, helped students reach graduation requirements.

For Torres, “Edgenuity played a major role in my graduation plan. I was placed in three online grade recovery courses. My success came from my ability to advance in classes. If I did well on unit tests, I was able to move forward in course work without having to do all of the assignments.”

In a burdensome school year, Jelinek said she and the staff did their best to accommodate the students’ wants and needs. The option to supplement course work with Edgenuity helped students become successful, as did the option of choosing the vocational classes they needed to graduate. 

Under shelter-in-place, “work study is really hard to do,” she said. “But we had a catalog of courses that were available. So we asked students, ‘What do you want to take?’” 

San Benito County Superintendent of Schools Krystal Lomanto expressed her pride in the San Andreas graduating class in the opening address.

“You survived this challenging year due to the pandemic,” she told the students. “And you survived it with courage and determination. We are extremely proud of you. No other graduating class can say ‘I made it through a pandemic, and I graduated.’”

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