Some 450 new graduates, draped in navy blue and gold, took their big walk across the stage Thursday at Dos Pueblos High School’s Scott O’Leary Stadium during the campus’ 50th-anniversary commencement.
Students and faculty celebrated graduation with an emphasis on respect and interconnectedness.
“As we move on, I challenge all of us here today to choose kindness in everything we do,” graduating senior Kiernan Ringer told his fellow Chargers on the stadium’s football field. “Accept the new people who cross our paths as they are. Celebrate their differences. Take note of their humanity. And support them as they need it.”
Principal Shawn Carey, who served as the graduates’ principal from their first days of high school until Jan. 1, said politically charged tribulations and divisions at the national level challenged her students during the year.
“We need to be careful. We don’t want a league title we’ve been chasing for years — or something even more important down the road — to slip through our fingers because we don’t pay attention to the wounded dignity of our peers, even as we exercise our cherished right to free speech,” she cautioned.
“Being a member of this school community for 20 years has convinced me that the outcomes of our efforts are only as good as our recognition that we are all in this together.”
— Noozhawk staff writer Sam Goldman can be reached at sgoldman@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
