They had smiles plastered on their faces while marching into the amphitheater just after 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
They exited 90-plus minutes later with diplomas.
Central Valley High School's fourth-ever graduating class consisted of 320 seniors.
Valedictorians Alex Berryhill and Megan Farrell delivered an address entitled, "The Four F's." The four F's they spoke of were Friends, Finally becoming seniors, Facebook and Future after CV.
"Today, as we stand here on this stage looking back on the past four years, we can see how far we've come," said Farrell. "We may not know exactly where we will be in 10 years, or maybe even five years. But we do know one thing: high school has shaped who we are today."
"The stress, the laughs, the tears, the memories that will stay with us forever," Berryhill added. "Every second of our high school experience has prepared us for our future, and for that we should be grateful. To the good times, the bad times, the amazing times and the sad times, to all of you who have helped us live and learn, thank you."
"And to you, fellow graduates, congratulations. Class of 2011. We made it!" Farrell and Berryhill exclaimed together.
Approximately 88 percent of Central Valley's graduating class will attend college, with 28 percent moving on to four-year universities, Principal Amy Peterman noted in her speech. She talked about the impact her students had on her and the school as a whole. She highlighted a list of positive memories.
"The most memorable moment of all was the showcase a few weeks ago of the Class of 2011 students who earned more than $200,000 ($214,328) in scholarship and award money," Peterman stated. "Among the many memorable moments that night, I will most fondly recall Cherise Azevedo being called repeatedly to the stage-a big smile on her face as well as her mother's. I will remember Scott Myatt accepting his many awards in standout attire-his dirty CV Hawk baseball uniform-showing that he is both an athlete and a scholar. But what touched everyone in the room that night was watching Heath Sousa humbly receive a scholarship presented to him in memory of his mother. There weren't many dry eyes in the room, let me tell you."
Farrell and Berryhill achieved cumulative GPAs of 4.28 during their high school careers. Alex will major in English and minor in media studies at UC Berkeley. Megan will pursue a degree in psychology at UC Santa Barbara.
Myatt, Clarissa Ibarra, Kristian Olsen, Shanice Stine, Savannah Vershay, Nathaniel Villegas and Brittany Yeager, Central Valley's seven salutatorians, also earned grade-point averages of 4.0 or higher.
The National Anthem was performed by senior Rebecca Castrillo.
Senior Class President Nisreen Rashid gave the welcoming address.
Maria Christina Villalon and Kiara Bucio delivered a Spanish-language address. Their speech was entitled, "Camino Hacia El Futuro."
Jenna Mills sung the class song, "My Wish." Her rendition was impressive.
Farrell, Berryhill and their classmates entered the amphitheater as seniors last week and exited as graduates. They received their much-deserved diplomas from Ceres School Board members Faye Lane, Betty Davis, Jim Kinard, Lourdes Perez, Mike Welsh, Valli Wigt and Eric Ingwerson.
They exited 90-plus minutes later with diplomas.
Central Valley High School's fourth-ever graduating class consisted of 320 seniors.
Valedictorians Alex Berryhill and Megan Farrell delivered an address entitled, "The Four F's." The four F's they spoke of were Friends, Finally becoming seniors, Facebook and Future after CV.
"Today, as we stand here on this stage looking back on the past four years, we can see how far we've come," said Farrell. "We may not know exactly where we will be in 10 years, or maybe even five years. But we do know one thing: high school has shaped who we are today."
"The stress, the laughs, the tears, the memories that will stay with us forever," Berryhill added. "Every second of our high school experience has prepared us for our future, and for that we should be grateful. To the good times, the bad times, the amazing times and the sad times, to all of you who have helped us live and learn, thank you."
"And to you, fellow graduates, congratulations. Class of 2011. We made it!" Farrell and Berryhill exclaimed together.
Approximately 88 percent of Central Valley's graduating class will attend college, with 28 percent moving on to four-year universities, Principal Amy Peterman noted in her speech. She talked about the impact her students had on her and the school as a whole. She highlighted a list of positive memories.
"The most memorable moment of all was the showcase a few weeks ago of the Class of 2011 students who earned more than $200,000 ($214,328) in scholarship and award money," Peterman stated. "Among the many memorable moments that night, I will most fondly recall Cherise Azevedo being called repeatedly to the stage-a big smile on her face as well as her mother's. I will remember Scott Myatt accepting his many awards in standout attire-his dirty CV Hawk baseball uniform-showing that he is both an athlete and a scholar. But what touched everyone in the room that night was watching Heath Sousa humbly receive a scholarship presented to him in memory of his mother. There weren't many dry eyes in the room, let me tell you."
Farrell and Berryhill achieved cumulative GPAs of 4.28 during their high school careers. Alex will major in English and minor in media studies at UC Berkeley. Megan will pursue a degree in psychology at UC Santa Barbara.
Myatt, Clarissa Ibarra, Kristian Olsen, Shanice Stine, Savannah Vershay, Nathaniel Villegas and Brittany Yeager, Central Valley's seven salutatorians, also earned grade-point averages of 4.0 or higher.
The National Anthem was performed by senior Rebecca Castrillo.
Senior Class President Nisreen Rashid gave the welcoming address.
Maria Christina Villalon and Kiara Bucio delivered a Spanish-language address. Their speech was entitled, "Camino Hacia El Futuro."
Jenna Mills sung the class song, "My Wish." Her rendition was impressive.
Farrell, Berryhill and their classmates entered the amphitheater as seniors last week and exited as graduates. They received their much-deserved diplomas from Ceres School Board members Faye Lane, Betty Davis, Jim Kinard, Lourdes Perez, Mike Welsh, Valli Wigt and Eric Ingwerson.
