June 19, 2008

A river of graduates make their way through the crowd after receiving their diplomas.

Saying goodbye to high school

Leland, Pioneer class of 2008 graduates

By Carol Rosen
Editor

They marched in as seniors and marched out as graduates ready to attend college, get a job or maybe both. Nearly 800 young ladies and men from Pioneer and Leland High Schools walked to the stage to get diplomas last week.

Pioneer’s graduation came first, with more than 350 young people stepping up to get their diplomas and move on toward adulthood. The graduation held Wednesday, June 11, was a merry occasion for most, although some parents could be seen with tissues as they remembered their kids growing up and taking a big step into their future.

Last week 425 seniors graduated from Leland and about 350 from Pioneer.
From left to right: Bryce, Rachel and Linda Hansen pose for a photo taken by Kyle Hansen after Pioneer graduation ceremonies. Photos by Joe Proudman

Two members of the class, Danielle Chau and Gina Quan, were named Pioneer’s valedictorians. Chau, in CDE Honors and a lifetime member of California Scholarship Federation, will be attending Brown University next fall. Quan, also a lifetime member of CSF, also in CDE Honors, is a member of the National Honor Society and the senior choir. She plans to go to UC Berkeley in the fall.

About 425 seniors graduated from Leland’s 41st commencement on the evening of Thursday, June 12. Class President Brenna Wahl spoke at the graduation, and there were few dry-eyed adults in the crowd.

Eleven members of the class were honored as valedictorians: Alejandro Arambula; Deanne Chen; Kristine Chen, Osheen J. Davoudi; National Merit Scholar Jessica L. Kwok; National Merit Scholar Roy Liu; Trang T. Nguyen, who was a lifetime member of CSF, NHS and a National Merit Scholar; Ryan P. Selness; Brian Hyungjin Taak, a lifetime CSF member and a National Merit Scholar; Anoop Ravindra Tembrekar; and Alvin John Yi, a CSF lifetime member and a National Merit Scholar.

As is typical, prior to the graduation many of the students talked about how long the four years seemed, especially during senior year, and then suddenly, it was all over, except for a few parties. The Times wishes all the seniors great luck for their future.

To view photos of the Castillero graduation and to see the last day at Bret Harte and Castillero, click here.