Hollister
– Inside a packed Veterans Memorial Building, San Benito County
Superintendent Tim Foley addressed the crowd.
Hollister – Inside a packed Veterans Memorial Building, San Benito County Superintendent Tim Foley addressed the crowd.
“I present to you the San Andreas class of 2007,” Foley said.
The students transferred their yellow tassels from the right side of their graduation caps to the left, while the audience whooped and applauded and camera flashes went off.
They were officially high school graduates, ready to take their next step into the adult world.
San Andreas Continuation High School honored 68 seniors at its graduation ceremony Wednesday afternoon. The future plans for the students varied: Some have set their sights on college, and others on careers or the army. But regardless of their futures, receiving their diplomas marked an important moment in the students’ lives.
Before the ceremony, the students lined up outside the memorial building. Many of them held onto their white caps as the wind picked up, cooling the heat from the afternoon sun. The students chatted excitedly about their plans and which graduation parties they would be attending.
“I’m happy and excited and nervous,” said Michelle DeLeon, 18, only moments before the official “Pomp and Circumstance” music began to play.
The students were addressed by several school officials during the ceremony, who congratulated them on their achievements and wished them luck as they moved forward in their lives.
Foley encouraged the students to take plenty of photographs with their friends and family who were present.
“In about 20-some years, you’ll show those pictures to your kids. They will see that graduation from high school was important to you,” Foley said.
Graduation marked an important day not only for the students, but for their families as well.
Mercy Torres, who already graduated from San Andreas, attended the ceremony to support her sister, 17-year-old Luz Arroyo.
“We’re very proud because she was having some difficulties, and we’re just proud she got through,” Torres said.
Arroyo said she could not have succeeded without the support of the staff at the high school.
“They’ll back you up and help you with what you need to succeed,” she said.
Graduate Carlos Magallanez, 17, said he felt privileged to have attended the school. He plans to attend Gavilan College in the fall.
“I’m very excited and ready to start college,” Magallanez said, juggling an armful of flowers and graduation balloons.
Magallanez was surrounded by a large group of family and friends there to support him.
“He’s the third one in the family now to graduate,” said Maria Altamirano, Magallanez’s aunt. “So it’s a good thing; it’s a start. We’re heading in the right direction.”
