More than 600 students receive diplomas during ceremonies
Published in the June 26 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Marty Cheek
Live Oak High School senior Jarrod Lawrence Cerniglia acknowledges cheers after receiving his diploma. Photo by Marty Cheek
Early June is a time of transition for high school seniors. It marks the moment they step into a bigger world of greater responsibilities. Wearing cap and gown, hundreds of Sobrato, Central, and Live Oak graduating students tread to the strains of “Pomp and Circumstance” as family members and friends snapped cellphone photos and shouted their names. With laughter and tears, the graduating speeches reflect on the four years now passing as well as on ambitions for the future.
Central High School students went through the procession first on June 4 at the Morgan Hill Community Center’s amphitheater plaza. Principal Irene Macias-Morriss beamed at her group of graduating students and told the crowd that she felt proud of them for never giving up on their diploma dreams.
“I saw them reinvent themselves,” she told the audience. “It’s like: ‘What happened? You are not the same person.’ I know all of these students believe the following words, or else they wouldn’t be sitting here. This is them talking to you: ‘We are committed to taking the extra step, thinking beyond the expected, seizing the opportunity, overcoming any obstacles. We will go over, go under, go around, go through. We will never give up.’ And they did not.”
Avery Kate Conforti jumps for joy. Photo by Marty Cheek
Central’s Manuel Resendiz and Zaira Medina were announced by Macias-Morriss as the high school’s “2013 Seniors of the Year.” On hearing his name at the recognition, Resendiz leaped to the microphone to share his excitement with a cheering audience. “I want to give thanks to my mom for everything, for trying so hard, for trying to keep our family from being split,” he said. “She tried hard even though she was in jail. She did her best to try to keep the whole family together. I wouldn’t be here right now. I don’t know where I would be, but I’m here because of her.”
With afternoon breezes tugging at “congratulations” helium balloons, Sobrato and Live Oak high schools celebrated their graduations on June 5. Sobrato Principal Deborah Padilla told seniors: “You are a fun and challenging group who has challenged me throughout our four years together. So now I challenge you to take our Bull Dog spirit beyond the high school walls and into the world of college, work and real life. I hope that all of you will continue to honor the Sobrato way through the rest of your lives.”
School Superintendent Wes Smith, whose daughter Jordan graduated from Sobrato, shared a special wish in his child. “Now, I don’t get many privileges as superintendent, I get very few. But here’s one,” he said, and let out a slight sob. “To Jordan … I love you, and I’m going to miss the hell out of you.” A wave of applause punctuated the tender moment.
Mariah Taylor gives a thumbs up to the crowd. Photo by Marty Cheek
On the athletic field at Live Oak High School later that afternoon, Principal Lloyd Webb gave the graduating students some parting words of advice as they faced new challenges and adventures in pursuit of their life goals. “Getting there is hard work, but it’s really not all that complicated,” he said. “Decide who you are and what you stand for. Stick to your beliefs, and do not allow your character to shift for the sake of convenience of expedience. When challenges knock you down, get up, and dust yourself off. Refocus on your goal and carry on. Let the imperatives in which you believe guide you.”
Live Oak salutatorian Mark Holmstrom explained to his fellow classmates his realization of what it means to be “a Mighty Acorn.”
“At first, I thought an acorn was a silly mascot. Compared to the typical fearsome predators that most schools use to represent themselves, an acorn seems inadequate. Realistically, what would win in a fight… a bobcat, or an acorn? And don’t get me started on all the ‘nut jokes’ I’ve heard in the last four years,” Holmstrom said to audience laughter. “Lately though, I’ve begun to appreciate how unique and symbolic the acorn is. An acorn is the seed for a large, magnificent oak tree. Likewise, we the students are the seeds of the great people we will become. In this sense, the acorn is a very accurate representation of the potential in all of us. At this moment, we are at a crossroads in our lives.
Armando Soto speaks to the crowd during the Central High School graduation ceremony. Forty-eight students graduated in early June. Photo by Marty Cheek
“Now that our senior year in high school is ending, we will go out as adults in a plethora of directions — acorns falling from the tree.”
At the end of each high school’s graduation ceremony, at the instant cap tassels were moved to the side and cheers and tears filled that magic moment, each graduating senior took an important step from childhood into adulthood.
In Morgan Hill at Central, Sobrato and Live Oak high schools, early June is a time for transition.
