On the day the state of California finally reopened, American Canyon High School’s Class of 2021 couldn’t wait to bust through the door.
A capacity crowd — filling both the visiting and home stands on the state’s first day out of the COVID teir system — cheered, rang bells and blew whistles as 362 students graduated on Tuesday afternoon.
“Well, it’s nervous, you know being in the pandemic, it’s a little nerve-wracking being around so many people,” said graduate Jacob Welch. “But I’m excited to graduate, be done and get it over with. I’ve been waiting four years for this. When I got my diploma and told myself ‘I’m done,’ I’m actually done.”
Napa Valley Unified School District Assistant Superintendent Pat Andry-Jennings said that the AmCan Class of 2021 “has had challenges like no other graduating class.”
“We are thrilled that you are gathered today as a whole class,” Andry-Jennings said. “We are proud of the strength you have shown as you have lived during this pandemic. We are proud of the resilience you have shown as you have persevered in your education goals. We are proud of the lessons you have learned during your time with us. We are proud of the hard work you have poured into this point. But mostly we are proud of the young people you have become.”
It didn’t take long for the crowd to get loud on Tuesday. Just moments into the ceremony, graduate Aaron Williams had the crowd roaring with his rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner — particularly when he got down on one knee to belt out the last few lines. Later in the day, Williams could be seen cheering on his fellow students and friends while standing on his own chair in the back row.
Lila Hawes, one of 19 valedictorians at American Canyon, said the Class of 2021 gave “new meaning this year to strength in numbers” before asking her fellow students — the American Canyon Wolves — ot howl one last time.
“This is your time to think about your future and what you want the outcome to be,” Hawes said. “We all have had doubts about what we want to pursue and accomplish. But like Confucius once said, ‘We all have two lives and the second one begins when you realize you only have one.’ In life, we all crave that own feeling of self-actualization. But only when we hone in on the things worth our time like love, passion and friendship do we rise to that nirvana-like mission of introspective.”
After a year of challenges like wildfires and the pandemic, Hawes urged everyone to remain optimistic.
“I want to ask all of you to not leave this campus for the last time thinking about all the negative things that happened to you in high school,” Hawes said. “Know that you closed a chapter in your lives and that you can find yourself. But keep these lessons you have learned close to you. Acknowledge your passion and your impact you have with those around you.”
Teacher Jamie Butler got some laughs, cracking, “Oh, this is what my students look like.” Butler told the Class of 2021 they must “un-mute and turn on their cameras.”
“For the first time in 15 months we are experiencing a large community gathering,” Butler said. “The absence of community has been the reason my students have described this past year as ‘numbing.’ For it’s in our community that we find the cure to our loneliness and we often discover our mission. Your life more than matters. Your life has a mission. It is your duty to seek out and find that mission … So often we work on the ‘what’ in life that we forget about the ‘who’ we want to be in life.”
As students met up with their parents on campus and in the parking lot, Raheem Hanit said: “It hit me when we first got in the gym. I was really nervous. The nerves went away when I went out to the field and saw it wasn’t that bad. I was only here for two years, but it’s a very good environment, very good staff and very good teachers.”
Aracely Chabez was also thrilled to graduate.
“It feels good to graduate and was something I have been looking forward to,” Chabez said. “I enjoyed seeing my friends and fellow teachers again like Veronica Hernandez, who taught Spanish. I’m going to remember making memories with my friends and loved ones.”
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June 17, 2021 at 03:38AM
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Large crowd cheers American Canyon High Class of 2021 - Vallejo Times-Herald
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