Seniors from Argus Continuation and Endeavor Alternative high schools received their diplomas last week in a small ceremony celebrating their achievements.

The ceremony was held on the grassy area of the campus on Tuesday evening.

A total of 74 seniors graduated from Argus and 45 from Endeavor.

Principal speech Marianne Ashby said that the two schools were and are “built on the belief that every student deserves a place where they are seen, supported, and reminded daily that they matter. At Argus and Endeavor, our motto is simple but powerful: ‘Where You Matter.’”

Principal Ashby said: “Many people do not fully understand the courage it takes to attend a continuation or alternative high school. Some people think changing schools is easy. But all of you know differently. It takes bravery to step away from what is familiar. It takes strength to make a change in your daily life because you know you need something different. It takes maturity to choose an environment that better fits your needs, your goals, and your future.

“You chose courage. You chose to keep going. And that decision changed your path.

“Some of you arrived, carrying self-doubt. Some of you came feeling behind, disconnected, wanting an online education, wanting a new beginning, or were uncertain about whether graduation was even possible. Yet here you are tonight — walking across this stage with resilience, determination, and pride. That deserves recognition.”

She concluded with encouraging words and noting that “your past does not define your future. Your story is still being written.”

Salutatorian Vanessa Hernandez addressed her fellow graduates and those who attended.

“Every single person sitting here today has accomplished something meaningful,” said Hernandez. “We all came from different backgrounds, faced different situations, and walked different paths to get here. Some of our journeys may have been harder than others, but one thing we all have in common is that together we are stepping into a completely new chapter of our lives.

“As exciting as that sounds, I think it’s also scary. None of us are ever fully ready for the change – all the challenges, mistakes, lessons, and responsibilities that come with growing up. There will be moments in life where we miss the people around us today and wish we could come back to this exact moment. But, that is also the beauty of life and growth. We are not meant to stay the same forever. We are meant to learn, change, fail, heal and continue becoming the people we are meant to be.”

Growth, she said, “does not always happen in perfect ways.”

“Sometimes it looks like pushing through even when you are tired, and showing up when nobody notices how hard you are trying. It means continuing to believe in yourself even when other people doubt you. I think that is something special about Argus. All of us felt that doubt. Every student here has faced their own battles, criticism, trauma, pressure, fear and self-doubt. However, despite all of that, we proved to ourselves that we were capable all along.”