001crazy i'm gonna scream oh my god yeah let's give you a lot more foreign good to do sometimes i think they'll be fine check one two all right good afternoon ladies gentlemen my name is alan timming i'm the principal i'm just letting you know that we have a 10-minute delay due to traffic congestion at the north gate so we will be starting at 2 10 today thank you [Music] wow [Music] [Applause] ladies and gentlemen please rise and welcome the liberty high school class of as we play pomp and circumstance march number one opus 39 by sir edward elger [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] so [Music] so [Music] [Applause] ladies and gentlemen please remain
002standing for the presentation of colors by the academy school district 20 air force junior rotc color guard and the singing of the national anthem by the liberty jazz choir team oh say can you see by the dawn's early light what so proudly we have [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] and the rockets [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] and the home the [Music] three lancers are unable to join us today i ask that we remember all of them as part of our class of 2022 celebration fellow classmate jonathan a dangle passed away in november 2019 and jordan lee scheinert in 2020 finally our beloved math teacher head boys soccer coach and liberty high school alumnus mr chaz woodson passed away two days ago please join me in a moment of silence to remember these fallen lancers please be seated
003welcome to the graduation of the class of 2022. my name is mia thompson and i have the pleasure of starting off the ceremony today by recognizing the honored guests in attendance first the d20 school board mr thomas lavalley president mr will tembe vice president mrs heather cloninger treasurer mrs nicole kontz director and mr aaron salt director next central administration mr j thomas gregory superintendent and dr jim smith assistant superintendent for planning and engagement special guest mr brett smith the former timberview middle school principal and current chief operations officer and finally liberty high school administration mrs melissa hernandez dean and student interventionist mr jody jones dean and student interventionist mr scott manchester assistant principal and athletic director ms kelly hoyle assistant principal mr michael sibley assistant principal ms leanne thiessen assistant principal activities director and the
004class of 2022 administrator and mr alan timmight principal thank you all so much for being in attendance today as we celebrate and recognize liberty high school's class of before we move on i would like to take a moment to highlight a specific guest listed earlier who has made all the difference in my high school career ms leanne thiessen we both arrived at liberty in 2019 which was my sophomore year i imagine we were both experiencing many of the same feelings nervous hoping everyone would like us excited knowing many opportunities awaited us i don't think either one of us expected to go online just a semester later one thing i can attest to knowing however is that when fellow students and i faltered struggling to find a motivation to be engaged learners through remote classes she
005was a constant reminding me that a little bit of hope goes a long way and sure enough she was right we slowly began to return to in-person learning during which ms thiessen further proved that she was always up for the task at hand regardless of the circumstance every morning she would stand at the front doors of the school and as i approached her she would say hello mia how are you doing today it's amazing how something as small as that can make all the difference the fact that she always knew my name always smiled and always asked me how i was doing and i was not the only one she would stand at those doors until class started each morning greeting people by name and welcoming them to the school so i would like to
006extend a personal thank you miss thiessen you have been a light in my life these past three years and i know you will continue to make a difference in the lives of liberties of students at liberty high school the events of the past few days have reminded me that every moment we have is temporary every conversation could be our last and not only should we but we must appreciate the people in our lives i sat in mr woodson's classroom on friday and um we laughed about the fact that i had passed this semester with an a in his statistics class i had spent a large portion of my free time doing test corrections in his class because statistics simply didn't make sense to me but i was relieved i got an a and he told
007me that he was proud of me and that he knew i could do well in his class because i was willing to put in the work um that was the very last conversation i had with him he was the kind of person who could always brighten your day and he reminds me that we must appreciate all those who have an effect on us and we must remember to say thank you as we continue with the rest of the ceremony i'd like to thank the honored guests for their presence here today and for their service to the class of 2022 thank you hello parents family members teachers staff and graduates my name is sadie delang as a member of a military family i have moved a lot in fact when i rolled up to liberty my
008senior year that was my fourth high school in just as many years at first i was terrified about what moving before my senior year entailed but i was met with an unexpected soft landing this was due in part to all of my teachers who met with me for countless after hours after school to help me understand challenging material who gave me reasons to smile on hard days and made the classroom a safe environment and who went beyond their classroom job description and attended sporting events concerts musicals and more they aren't getting paid for that a teacher is much more than someone standing at a chalkboard drilling e equals m c squared into our heads and their impact reverberates far outside the classroom educators have helped all of us to grow both as students and as
009people and to not just tolerate learning but to love it i would also be remiss if i fail to recognize the amazing staff of liberty high school on our first day of senior year we had an assembly where in our excitement we launched powder and confetti cannons creating an unholy mess i am in debt of those who cleaned up said mess thank you custodians of lhs i must also express gratitude to our amazing office staff who greeted us with smiles even after we showed up late again to the first period and always offered candy and thank you to the dedicated coaches paraprofessionals and all other staff members who made this year possible the time our staff spent at the school after teachers and kids had left the building did not go unnoticed though today we
010are here to celebrate the graduating class of 2022. we must also take the time to thank those who enabled us to be here today so thank you to our amazing teachers including those that have passed on and to our tremendous staff we couldn't have done it without you liberty high school faculty and staff please stand to be recognized [Applause] thank you you may now be seated hello everyone my name is hannah bazoo and i have the great privilege of introducing the class of 2022 i am so honored and grateful class i'd like for you to look to your left and now to your right and truly soak in everything you've done to get to this moment we each have different stories different high school experiences but no matter the highs or lows you have earned
011this graduation ceremony and today is all about you these four years were sure something for this class as we know copen19 hit and we suddenly went from naive sophomores to virtual juniors then came back as stellar seniors that sadly hadn't been at the school in a year and a half some of us lost sports seasons lost school plays we had to sit and watch the world break down and try to come back together we are one of the very special classes able to have proved our parents wrong we did get everything done from our beds that's why we're here this is an amazing class of students somehow after everything we went through we were able to still come back with the most spirit and excitement to be seniors and bring the pet back into the
012empty school halls i expected nothing less i know everyone will miss certain parts of high school whether that is our unforgettable first day of school grilled cheese thursdays robert the horse or the doubletree where we not only busted out some sweet dance moves at prom but we were all able to share the most important people in our lives with our fellow classmates at senior breakfast there will always be these memories we will continue to hold on to and never forget this class is truly unforgettable at this time i'd like to take a moment to recognize this iconic class of students who's really been through it all please stand class of 2022 [Applause] you may be seated good afternoon friends family and faculty my name is kylie smith and i am the student body president at
013liberty high school it is my pleasure today to introduce liberty's salutatorian mackenzie woodhead earning this accomplishment is no small task and when looking at mackenzie it's easy to see how she truly deserves it in the course of her four years at liberty mackenzie has taken 10 college level classes and five advanced placement classes because of her love for these programs she works steadily with the talented and gifted students to help them be prepared for these opportunities her work with the classes of 2023 and 2024 ensures a bright future at liberty mackenzie's involvement at liberty is not only impressive but inspiring by devoting her time to latin club she has been able to serve as latin club vice president last year and the president this year for three years she has run on the cross country
014team and has been video lead for robotics club for two due to her hard work and commitment in the classroom mackenzie was invited to join the national honor society and has been a member for two years now in her underclassmen years she even participated in scarborough fair outside of school mackenzie has many admirable accomplishments she spent a semester interning at izaguere law firm she was operations manager of the youth champion ambassador program and she is a colorado student leadership institute board member when asked what her greatest accomplishment is she said that she is proudest of the 10-page research paper on space tourism she spent an entire semester on after high school mackenzie plans on attending arizona state university's honor college barrett and she plans to study political i have had the privilege of working with
015mackenzie in many different capacities it is rare to meet and work with someone like mckenzie as her hard work and dedication to her academic career is evident in all that she does in the classroom mackenzie leads the conversation and encourages her peers to participate and to learn she is kind to everyone she meet and is quick to make connections i can't think of anyone more deserving of such an honor mackenzie to recognize you for your many accomplishments the class of 2022 would like to award you with this salutatorian medal ladies and gentlemen it is my pleasure to introduce mackenzie woodhead thank you kylie for the wonderful introduction the weather is a little rough out of course you know i wanted it to be sunny today but that didn't happen and i think that's really representative
016of our high school experience there's a lot of things that just happen unexpectedly so i want you to imagine a day like today where the weather is a little bit unexpected it's thursday after school the thursday before thanksgiving break lots of people are getting out of town it's freezing outside starting to snow and i'm outside in anticipation to watch watermelons be catapulted despite the fact that none of my friends wanted to come with me to the event and not a single person i knew was going i was still excited to go to liberty's first ever watermelon launch so i was prepared for snow or shine i ended up being the only one there well technically there were student council kids who were running it of course mr vasnellis but i was essentially the only one
017there of free will we all waited to start the event hopeful that maybe people would show up late but nobody else showed up and most sane people probably just looked at the snow and decided it would be much more enjoyable to be doing literally anything but stand outside in the cold despite my preparations i was freezing but undeterred i intentionally decided this watermelon launch was going to be the best moment it could be at some point my friend mark small who i had only known from english my english class in latin classes comes out of the school into a t-shirt and t-shirt and shorts keep in mind it's snowing i barely knew him but there was no one else there so i waved to him and he came over and together we watched the watermelons
018epically soar through the sky and guess where they would violently explode bursting into red and green pieces as they collided on the pavement when we were miserably cold we peered into the cte doors like sad cold puppies until a nice robotics kid veronica mastalis saw us and let us in and we watched more melons launched from inside initially i left that day with a good story to tell my friends a story of incredible fun in hindsight the experience reminds me of the ending of my favorite poem by taylor swift and yes it is a poem not her lyrics without your past you could have never arrived so wondrously and brutally by design or some violent exquisite happenstance here for so long my experience felt like the most random event in my life some violent exquisite
019happenstance which is quite fitting to a watermelon massacre but simultaneously i chose to be there by design such a fitting elegantly simple duality by design and some violent exquisite happenstance that exquisite happenstance brought me a good memory a realization and a friendship you've heard the good memory now for the realization it wasn't until the next year that i was actually excited to watch watermelons be catapulted because i was actually a physics kid at heart nowadays one of the most exhilarating experiments in physics is a monday slapper which is basically just two marbles falling to the ground at the same time but trust me it's awesome that memory continues to remind me of why i love physics now even the mundane monday slapper is the highlight of my day it's a joy everyone can experience learning
020beyond the classroom now the friendship i had known mark before but that watermelon smash was the day we actually became friends it is important to remember that friendships can come out of the most unexpected occurrences knowing this helps me to appreciate the experiences that seem out of place in my life at the time and there will be many ordinary moments that will blur together as time goes on yet there'll be moments of exquisite happenstance that become the start of something much more meaningful these moments are only possible when we let go of the expectations of our reputations and explore what is inexplicably compelling to us i am so grateful for that unique experience it was one of those times i felt in the moment because i did not care what anyone else thought of me
021i chose to enjoy chaos and chance i realized we don't always have to know why we want to go to an event or why we want to go do something it is enough just to be curious even if it's going to a watermelon launch and the freezing snow thank you [Music] i will you like a bridge or troubled water i will [Applause] [Music] when you're [Music] is [Music] oh [Music] like a bridge [Music] [Applause] [Music] my [Applause] [Music] [Applause] i will lay me down [Music] i will come forward [Music] darkness [Music] i will lay me down [Music] [Applause] i will lay me down [Music] when you're down [Music] [Applause] [Music] your time has come to shine all your dreams [Music] [Applause] [Music] look around [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] i'll be your [Music]
022[Applause] when you're [Music] of down [Music] [Applause] [Music] bye [Applause] [Music] [Applause] could we give our fabulous choir another round of applause for that beautiful rendition of bridge over troubled water hi kid good afternoon honored guests liberty faculty parents families friends and most importantly the graduating class of 2022 my name is leanne thiessen and i'm an assistant principal and the activities director at liberty high school i have also had the incredible privilege of overseeing the fantastic class of 2022 for the past three years at this time it is my pleasure to introduce our 2022 commencement speaker who was selected by a panel of students and staff first a little bit of background in the spring of 2019 shortly after i was hired to be an assistant principal at liberty i came to campus one evening
023to attend a parents liberty meeting unbeknownst to me the meeting has been had been cancelled so i wandered into the commons and stumbled upon the end of the year student council induction ceremony this soon-to-be sophomore ran from across the room and exclaimed miss thiessen i know you from fifth grade high trails and i'm so excited you're at liberty i realized that i had been the high school supervisor and a counselor when he was a camper at fifth grade out high trails outdoor education camp from that point we shared a connection and i have since had the privilege of watching him grow into an accomplished graduate this young man has certainly made his mark in his four years at liberty he has been a member of student council for all four years and served as the
024student president for the chassa student leadership committee this school year he previously served on our principals advisory committee and currently serves on the school's accountability committee he is also a member of our national honor society our forensics club and was a national qualifier during his sophomore and junior year his strong involvement in our performing arts department has landed him roles in six different shows a selection as a student choreographer in our dance program and a place in our chamber singers choir he also earned a spot on the chassell all state choir group and performed a solo at the all-state performance in denver this year after graduating from liberty he plans to attend cu boulder and major in dance class of 2022 i am proud to introduce your commencement keynote speaker camden sharkey i'm a little
025tall hello everyone my name is camden sharkey and i am honored to have been chosen as a commencement speaker for the class of 2022. to start i want to thank and acknowledge those in attendance our superintendent mr gregory our principal mr timming our d20 board members other honored guests our parents but as miss season said most importantly the class of 2022 this is day one now i bet you're thinking you are about to hear another cliche speech about the start of your life but what i bet you don't expect is that yesterday was day one tomorrow is day one and every subsequent day that follows is day one see when you start a new job you are most excited for what's to come on day one when you start a diet day one is when
026you are most dedicated this idea is not new just the subject of the book this is day one by drew dudley dudley writes about how we need to be living every day as though it is the first day he also touches on how to be an effective leader for yourself he explains that that personal leadership presents itself through your edge of the bed advice let me set this up for you imagine it's the final night your son or daughter is living in your house this is going to take some imagination for our graduates you walk by their room and they call you in you sit at the edge of your bed at the edge of their bed as they ask what is your best life advice some things that i have learned in high school
027that could be my edge of the bed advice are one always live to the east of where you work so the sun is never in your eyes driving to and from work be careful on ladders but if you do fall make sure you get yourself some lightning mcqueen crocs to keep your speed up three sometimes the only way to sing the show-stopping note is upside down and what i would say is the most important is to live a lifetime as often as possible living a lifetime as often as possible does not mean rushing into major life events but rather living life as though every day is day one working to get the most from every day that you can and taking every opportunity possible making sure that in the future you don't look back and
028think about every opportunity that you missed think about every opportunity you could have filled your time with but rather filling your time with everything you needed in the moment or might need in the future to make it feel like a lifetime from my first day at liberty there have been few days where i was not busy every day i worked to fill my time with opportunities that could have just passed me by to those who know me they would tell you that i might have taken on a little too much all i can say to that is who would i be without those experiences those stories the people that i've met along the way every opportunity i took gave me something in the moment and many more opportunities to take in the future i lived
029every day as though it was day one during my four years in high school i tried to pack a lifetime into every day i could so that when i inevitably looked back i know i did as much as i could sure i could have sat back and relaxed maybe i could have studied a bit more but years from now will i remember what grade i got on an essay or will i remember the fun and crazy stories that i gained along the way will rogers once said half of our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time that we have rushed through life trying to save from the day that our extra week of spring break back in 2020 turned into us starting our junior year life has never been the
030same yet thinking back to freshman year feels so long ago on new lancer day we all wrote letters to our senior selves thinking that it would be so long until we received them since then we've gone through homecoming games dances virtual and hybrid learning our class absolutely dominating every class competition to win the spirit stick every year and having lived through the days before construction on campus when the senior hall ended with the rocky room remembering all of that feels like so long ago but isn't that such a great feeling knowing that you worked to pack as much in from the beginning of your high school career to now that the beginning feels like so long ago so my final wish to all of you is to live a lifetime as often as possible spend
031your life focusing on day one instead of saving live your life thank you but now it's time for the last joke of the day why do most smarties want to go to college i said it backwards why do most m m's want to go to college because they want to turn into smarties thank you so much for the past four years hello everyone my name is nama magnus wakuna or inna or noma whichever of those i'm feeling that day i am the president of spanish national honor society and liberty student union the club i co-founded with my best friend kaylee reed today i am honored to introduce our superintendent of schools mr gregory mr gregory has been a part of the d20 team for over 30 years starting as a math teacher at challenger in
03215 minutes i learned that he is passionate about math traveling woodworking embracing different challenges celebrations the turbulence of his job and has been an integral part of shifting d20 toward an environment of belonging and inclusivity like mr gregory i have been passionate about bringing a culture of diversity to d20 kaylee and i started liberty student union recognizing a dire need for acceptance and a culture of diversity at liberty in the short two years that i served as lsu president liberty staff and students celebrated every heritage month every awareness month and introduced student-led staff development trainings on topics such as microaggressions the black indigenous poc experience and how to actively be anti-racist often i think of how while lsu not only reshaped the culture at liberty it also redefined my ideas of friendship my definition of
033diversity and taught me most importantly that my voice and yours is powerful and we must use it to inspire change without lsu without mrs cook mrs harris and kaylee i would not have found the one place i have always felt seen safe and unapologetically me i cannot thank you three enough for the impact you've had on me while lsu is only one aspect of the hard work students and staff have directed towards learning about what it means to be an ally understand the value of inclusivity and celebrate our differences it is people like mr gregory who provide for students the opportunity to reimagine the world and its many peoples like myself he is an exemplary example of the good that comes out of change and is looked up to for his unwavering support and dedication
034to not only imagine but to act on creating a more accepting d20 without further ado please join me in welcoming mr gregory well thank you very much and congratulations liberty high school class of 2022 please take in this very special moment in celebration of your accomplishment capture the sights the sounds the smells the heat the support the pride everything you're feeling today and use that to help propel you forward into the future before i get into this i would like to celebrate two students or recognize two students from liberty high school if i could ask alexis dubose and jordan mckay to please stand alexis and jordan participated on my student advisory panel this past year i just want to let everyone know their honest feedback insightful input and engage and energetic engagement represented the liberty
035high school student voice admirably and you should be proud thank you alexis and thank you jordan today as we gather with family and friends to recognize and celebrate you i want to tell you a little bit about my uncle mike it has been nearly 40 years since i sat in your seat and nearly that long since him and i had a casual conversation yet his words of wisdom from that day stay with me in fact i believe his words have shaped at least part of my life but before i share his wisdom with you it is important for you to know for you to know a little bit about my uncle mike first my father was the youngest of five siblings and the difference between my father and his eldest sibling uh sister was 15
036years and my uncle mike who married into the family was 12 years older than my father's eldest sister so why do i say all this my uncle mike by age was born in 1912 felt more like a grandfather than an uncle uncle mike lived through the depression the great depression and experience the same poverty and hardship so many others faced during those days this experience left him a no-nonsense no frills hard-working sometimes brutally honest strict but gentle man his nickname was froggy i never learned exactly why he had that nickname but it stuck with him his entire life he grew his own fruits and vegetables in a in a garden that occupied almost all of his one-acre property in canyon city colorado when you visited his home you knew to follow his rules if you
037didn't he had a very special voice that demanded conformity it was gruff direct and short on words he had an innate ability to intimidate me he loved to fish and hunt not necessarily for sports but out of necessity for food he had a non-negotiable rule when fishing you had to eat what you caught there was no such thing as waste if you caught four fish you had better be prepared to eat for fish as a result i learned to be very aware of how many fish i was catching and may have secretly released a few back to the water out of both fear and respect as a result of living through the great depression depression my uncle mike had no trust in the banking system he was reluctant to deposit money did not use credit
038and refused any kind of debt he operated solely in cash if he wanted to invest or earn some interest on his cash he bought gold and he hid that gold throughout his house and throughout his property my uncle mike was never one who liked having a boss he was not of a personality to accept oversight or being told what to do as a result he and my aunt opened a drive-in restaurant in canyon city this is years ago remember he opened a restaurant called froggy's poor boy in canyon city colorado after a few years and some success they opened froggy's poor boy drive-ins in several other cities including walsenberg colorado durango cortez and the last one in moab utah he operated these drive-ins until he retired until they retired in 1963. he worked extremely hard
039to build his business scattered over five cities in two states customers drove miles to have a froggies hamburger and a beer for 15 cents he did hamburgers better than any competitor of his day flash forward one summer when i was home from college my mom and i went to visit my uncle mike and my aunt as i was sitting with my uncle in the small living room in the house he built we began discussing his life experiences and my future when with uncle mike i felt tremendous pressure to answer his questions in such a way that he could and would feel proud of me and i might even impress him i wanted to tell him i wanted him to tell me that i was headed down the right path making the right decisions and that
040i was going to be successful he proceeded to ask me what my course of college study was i proudly and confidently told him i was either going to major in mechanical engineering or mathematics i felt really good about my answer i felt my course of study would impress him and he would express admiration or at least some level of approval however his response was not what i expected he offered neither admiration nor approval instead he said young man that's fine that's not really what's important let me tell you something he said in his stern not a non-apologetic voice it doesn't matter what course of study you choose or even if you choose to finish your studies what is most important is that whatever you choose to do in life you do it better than anyone
041else does it it doesn't matter if you go into medicine construction law trash collection or the restaurant business whatever it is you must do it better than anyone else does it you could be a ditch digger he said if you dig ditches better than anyone else digs ditches you will be successful this is not what i expected to hear from him but to this day it stands as the most accurate important and impactful piece of advice i've ever received i've tried to live my life as he advised i've seen his wisdom play out over and over again in the lives of friends relatives co-workers colleagues my uncle mike passed in 2003 at the age of 90 but our conversation that dear that day years ago and the wisdom he shared has lived with me ever
042since i have shared his advice with my my own children and today i share it with you two degrees a life of time of learning and 32 years in a career later and still the most important and impactful learning of my life i received sitting on the plastic covered sofa from my uncle mike in his living room so my advice to you today as you leave high school and enter college trade school the military the workforce or whatever comes your way take the advice of my uncle mike success is not determined by what you do it's determined by how well you do it whatever it is you choose to do do it better than anyone else does it and success will follow these words were true at the turn of the 19th century they were
043true at the turn of the 20th century and they will remain true in the 21st century congratulations liberty high school class of 2022 i wish you a hopeful fulfilling and successful future be well and be safe thank you very much [Applause] so [Music] my [Music] so [Music] foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] ladies and gentlemen one more round of applause for our award-winning band mr gregory dr smith and members of the district 20 school board it is an honor to present to you the liberty high school graduating class of and to certify to you that every senior who has presented a diploma has at minimum met the requirements established by academy school district 20 board of education and therefore will be recognized as graduates of academy district 20. now i honestly wasn't sure what
044this school year was going to look like after all we were starting school while the coveted pandemic was still very active the class of 2022 didn't really have an upperclassman experience i didn't really know that these students because they didn't have a chance to lead the last time they had a true school experience was when they were freshmen we kicked off the 21-22 school year with our traditional welcoming assembly i was impressed with the amount of enthusiasm the entire student body had on that first day our students engaged in our competition chair called the party cheer the freshman did pretty good because we practiced it the day before the sophomore struggled because they never got the chance to do it as freshmen therefore they never had a chance to learn anything the juniors did a
045great job and they were loud then it rolled over to the seniors and well let's just say i'm still coughing up blue and red powder from the confetti cannons that was probably the most spirited group of seniors i've ever seen in my 20 years at liberty [Music] it was at this point that i knew this was going to be a magical year and the senior class the class of 2022 was going to be the leaders we needed to bring liberty back to the cultures and traditions that we had enjoyed prior to the pandemic and this group never disappointed the entire year now for you i want you to all understand in the stand a little bit more about the class of 2022 first they're the smallest class at liberty high school there's about 380 of
046them however this is important 76 of them are graduating with a 4.0 grade point average or higher 78 are graduating with a 3.5 to 3.99 grade point average i like math just a little bit and that's about 41 of this class graduating with honors or high honors [Music] liberty's motto is give me a place to stand and i will move the earth this motto has been in place since the doors first opened in the fall of 1987. never had this motto had more significance than this year for the first time we've been able to have a full year of career and technical education classes in automotive technology building construction certified nursing assistant and emergency medical technician many of our seniors participated in these programs and what they do well the cna and emt students will
047be taking their state board exams in the next couple of years we have had over a 95 percent pass rate in both the programs and we expect that to continue our automotive program students worked with a local business to repair and rebuild cars for people that had financial needs additionally many of them are working in the field at local shops and dealerships around town and our construction program built a 1200 square foot modular home on our campus in the past four months and the shed that's built next to it it was planned that way okay i want to make sure you understand that it was done that way on purpose we call it the whoville shed and i will tell you this folks if you've never driven by liberty's campus go take a look at
048it it's built with no square angles on purpose looks like something i would do on accident next year's group is going to continue and finish that house and that house will be pulled off our property moved on to a lot sold and all the proceeds will come back to build the next house and we will keep doing self-sustaining programs like that for the future now this last this class has led outside the classroom as well members of this class literally flew through the air and walked upside down in the spring musical mary poppins in fact every play scarborough fair and spring musical performance was either sold out or nearly sold out we have honors and all-state musical performers award-winning artists district state and national competitors in multiple clubs and activities including members of this class
049earning top honors in speech and debate national history day knowledge bowl and best robotics just to name a few oh and we're the district champions in chess just saying members of this class raised money through our amazing dance program clinics charity events sanchez staff versus student basketball game walk for life and numerous restaurant nights to donate to harvest of love food bank make-a-wish foundation and the american cancer society and this class unleashed their physical talents on the fields courts ice and swimming pools individual and team events from the class of 2022 made it to playoffs i'm sorry individual and teams from the class of 2022 made it to playoffs and state qualifying events in nearly every sport including students competing at state track and field this upcoming weekend about 20 of these athletes will continue
050to play sports at the college level and we even have one member of this class that is sponsored to race professionally in a mountain and trail running beginning this fall oh and there's members of this class that are on district 20's first ever boys state championship volleyball team [Applause] [Music] so in looking at just a few of the highlights of this incredible clash you wouldn't think there was a pandemic that robbed them from about 15 months of their life that's the magic of this group of students nothing defeats them seniors before you graduate i was thinking of what pearls of wisdom i could share with you as your principal it was very difficult to think of anything because you've already been through so much during your high school career you've already learned that life isn't
051fair you learn that you have to click off the mute button if you want people to hear you and you discovered what it's like to not spend physical time with your friends and family although you got pretty good at communicating through zoom teams skype and facetime except for with your teachers where you kept your cameras off what i would like to do is give you two pieces of advice that i hope will resonate with you just as has resonated with me over the many years of my adult diet my adult life look at the banner right up here it says congratulations but see what it says beyond that be the change you wish to see in the world that came from mahatma gandhi if you truly want to make a change you can't stand on
052the sideline you have to lean in and get involved don't be the victim and let things happen to you rather be the victor and take a stance to make those changes since we teach latin at liberty how about we use the term carpidium translated to seize the day every day we need you to seize the day number two comes from former first lady eleanor roosevelt she says no one can make you feel inferior without your consent each of us has value and talent that you should cherish and be proud of you should never compare yourself to anyone else because you are unique no one is quite like you and that's a wonderful thing don't let anyone treat you poorly not ever you have innate worth and the world is better because you are a part
053of it you may struggle with this every now and again we all do but in the end don't ever and i mean never let anyone steal your sunshine of course i cannot end my speech without sharing 12 important words that has resonated with me for the last several years they came they come from hip-hop artist drake because i'm cool like that please listen to these 12 words very carefully as are the last times i will say them live without pretending love without depending listen without defending and speak without offending liberty high school class of 2022 i wish you joy and peace and i thank you for allowing me to be a part of your experiences i mean this with all my heart once a lancer always a lancer mr salt i proudly certified the liberty
054high school graduates of 2022 and present them to you for your acceptance on behalf of the school board thank you lancer nation on behalf of the board of education of academy district 20 i accept with immense joy and pleasure the 2022 graduating class of liberty high school mr timmig thank you and your staff for an outstanding job with these graduates who wants to graduate yeah [Applause] [Music] junior attendance go ahead and get the first row up and moving as we clear the stage and get ready to present the diploma covers nope i'm afraid they're gonna trip on this thank you that was so kind thank you so much naomi jeannette aguilar montano christian taylor adams graduating with honors carolyn reese alexander [Music] graduating with honors luis geraldo alamo graduating with high honors raceland in d'alessio
055elvis marilyn may allen graduating with high honors abraham owen anderson [Music] kailyn and kay emmons graduating with honors sydney jade andrus graduating with honors cole thomas anderson [Music] joe louis austere [Music] corey allen applegarth graduating with honors noel grace baker graduating with honors quentin michael paul bailey haley elizabeth barratti isaiah nathaniel ballard graduating with high honors tierney claire barlow jared kent barthes graduating with high honors hayley ray barrington alexander stephen barros graduating with honors emma baxter deshawn isaiah baron i got it nor walid bell cyrus ken amakin belisario christabel bianca perrado bonrastro nicholas edward takas bennett graduating with honors anthony james ambroso graduating with high honors ethan parker bergeron graduating with honors william davis bennett joven lane beaker graduating with honors jack carl bergeron veronica marie blanco carter matthew black [Music] harrison sunberg bliss harrison
056davis bliss jacob christopher book another easy one oh molly denise bolton liam gabriel boyce [Music] graduating with honors lauren deanne bornstein brendan alexander bradley andrew craig boyangs graduating with high honors natalie and briggs [Music] graduating with honors rachel hope brooker [Music] patrick michael bromley [Music] ryan charles bromley [Music] graduating with high honors blakely lauren brown lily anna rose buckley kylie elizabeth brown caleb ethan bullard connor matthew buehl graduating with high honors nathan james burns graduating with high honors keana maria burden graduating with high honors avery faith bird graduating with honors kyle jonathan bigness graduating with high honors anna clarissa carlson [Applause] tate erskine byrom graduating with honors bailey jane cuddle graduating with high honors jason michael carey [Music] jaden genevieve chaviria elizabeth clayton graduating with high honors james anthony chapman graduating with honors jacob ryan
057coffey graduating with honors rebecca angelique clark graduating with high honors leah evelyn comfort [Applause] hey cook i like that graduated with high honors zachary william cody trevor landon cook ethan john collier graduating with honors isabella dream coram hayley elizabeth comstock christopher warren cote graduating with high honors amelia lorraine creighton graduating with honors aiden michael coughlin graduating with honors caleb matthew crouch [Music] emily ann chrysostomo krysovska waverly elysir bella helena krauss graduating with honors allison grace davis graduating with honors elise valerie b graduating with honors morgan alyssa davis alexander ronald demolino marina alessandra del rey graduating with high honors joshua stanley denny sky denmark [Music] graduating with honors jayden jesus leo diaz ashton carlos de vargas graduating with honors tyler ray josh [Music] garrett connor dorray graduating with honors samara jay drager graduating with honors joshua
058timothy downes bo garrison dorsey [Applause] alexis grace dubose graduating with high honors sarah may dunn it's like best do the basketball announcer brayden mitchell dunn graduating with honors landon andrew devorsky graduating with high honors jeremy dunyan graduating with high honors mary margaret echols graduating with high honors zachary robert eanes riley thomas edwards graduating with honors jacob murray edwards madison faye english connor michael enright brennan ray evans graduating with high honors justice emmanuel keowet falcon quade ryan fenske all right graduating with high honors graham leo fleming [Applause] graduating with high honors luke christopher ford follow that one lillian audrey ford caleb aaron falks donato anthony garcia elijah sydney garcia graduating with high honors jeremy brian garcia julian thomas garcia cassidy lorraine garcia graduating with honors makaila lena foster [Music] [Applause] graduating with honors charlotte juliet garcia
059metzger graduating with honors trenton corey garcia nicholas robert garcia graduating with honors corey angeline garnhardt graduating with honors lily marie garrett [Applause] adriana jade guyer [Music] joshua frederick gomen brayden alexander goodwin william kelly grants savannah raven groundburg maximilian utaro gwynne graduating with high honors kai mitchell hagler [Applause] graduating with honors ryan nicholas hanson eli paul hank [Music] chloe aurora harness matthew john harding [Music] dylan andrew harrell braden isaac willard haar tanner frank hecker [Music] carson jacob harrop sienna marie hernandez peyton whis heinemann [Music] graduating with honors ethan arthur johnson graduating with honors tatiana love hernandez cj wesley hill [Applause] robert dylan haywood [Music] peyton allen holcomb [Music] graduating with high honors amber rose hodgson golden robert hopster emma ruth hopkins [Music] alexis riley jacobson graduating with high honors breyer elizabeth ergang landon james chance graduating
060with honors amanda alexis james jonathan alan scott jimenez dylan thomas jarvis graduating with honors melissa michelle jones jasmine philippa pyro johnson rika justin cameron nathaniel jumper graduating with honors abigail lynn corman grace danny kelly dawson keith klein max wesley kron graduating with high honors dionna kotrikaze tyler lewin law graduating with high honors taylor madison klon [Music] graduating with honors riley kalia lancoir galvan benjamin cole langenbon damien edward lee graduating with high honors cooper dale langenmann samantha gail lee [Applause] graduating with honors derek kent langenban [Applause] graduating with honors elizabeth ann leishman zachary thomas langenban [Music] emerson paige lindbloom david jonathan lee graduating with honors anna lee ruth loosely jordan cristiano lista graduating with honors madison grace lujan roberto lopez magain jillian luanne maloney alexander robert lund [Music] emery charles marble kyle andrew mansfield [Applause] joshua
061george martin kaden william marginimi graduating with high honors veronica marie mazdalis isabel rose martinez joshua thomas mcbroom [Applause] tristan elliott mathison aven wesley mccrary marianne joy mcconkey nathaniel adam mcguffin emily grace mcgregor graduating with honors megan and mcmahon jordan christian mckay [Music] graduating with honors kylie ann mcpherson griffin justile mcmurray graduating with high honors andrea melger hannah catherine meckler brook techy mels karsten andrew melhouse [Music] matrina gabrielle miller dawson joseph miller [Music] graduating with high honors macy ray mitchell cheyenne lee miller stevens graduating with honors emma ray molnar reagan marie mize graduating with high honors john mark naftanell james robert mulcahy [Music] graduating with high honors christopher james nambiar graduating with honors skyler michelle maggie emily nicole ness graduating with honors rebecca lynn nelson [Music] blade hideo nishimoto graduating with honors benjamin elias newman [Music]
062madeline jezebel o'neill graduating with honors miles hampton norwood [Applause] graduating with honors addison michael orr [Music] patrick omahoni graduating with high honors summer rose owen [Applause] graduating with honors emma meredith hanbury ordway graduating with honors kendall lynn patton graduating with high honors riley patrick owens [Music] logan scott peck [Applause] graduating with honors thomas henry osborne caleb michael penrod graduating with high honors maya christine patterson [Music] graduating with honors nathan jasper perkins graduating with high honors joshua ryan pister jonah david perry luke joseph pelletier graduating with high honors carter david phillips [Applause] samaya marie pereira graduating with high honors benson hunter louis pierzotti graduating with high honors sydney joe perriere graduating with high honors kristin shay poteet alexander douglas peterson [Music] vaughn michael scott raffelson [Music] graduating with honors lauren lutrice phillips cody nathan reed colin
063jackson pope lily marie reinhold thomas wayne purvis [Music] renee reyes leila margaret ragland [Music] grayson reed rigby graduating with honors kaylee elizabeth reed amelia ayanna taylor rodriguez [Applause] jeannette k wrightmeyer [Music] victor javier rosado graduating with high honors alexandra marie rice nicholas lewis rublecaba graduating with honors alexander ethan ringelheim [Music] anaya yasmin salgado [Music] graduating with honors isabella grace rogers clayton russell schaefer damien adrian romero graduating with high honors cody don scheider ahmed hayden joseph schultzy graduating with honors savannah lynn sand graduating with honors chloe christine seto graduating with high honors melody yvette scharbach [Music] graduating with honors leighton tyler schaefer graduating with high honors caitlin paige schreiber thomas william shepard graduating with high honors miles joseph seminario logan koran singh mckenna briley sexton mark houston small [Applause] joseph charles shaver [Music] graduating with high
064honors emily grace motrisky kathleen brianna sermons barrera [Music] with high honors jennifer elizabeth snyder addison yoon smith evelina eleanora soderland malena anne marie smith [Music] sydney marie stanio graduating with honors emma lynn snyder trevor stephen stewart caleb michael snyder sofia fay summers shelby and spencer graduating with honors aiden alan swanson [Music] justin james steinberg ruby rose schwartz trevor michael stulk [Applause] caleb orion spencer thomas eliana nevaeh sutton barnes josiah anias thompson [Applause] graduating with high honors abigail and thomas [Music] james ryan toller jared david thomas [Music] benjamin todd townsend kiara shanae tolls corbin adrian troncoso [Applause] sydney rose torbet lacy and tucker graduating with high honors courtney lee tran cole michael turner walker logan elliott truestol [Music] sarah k morgan omer graduating with honors robert brian tune claudia graduating with honors claudia kimberly valdez dewitt
065eli joseph tyra isabella rose velez graduating with high honors evelyn nicole up church graduating with high honors savannah lee vossman kate elizabeth vasquez graduating with high honors shane liguo walsh [Applause] [Music] vincent j vomer schultz [Applause] [Music] graduating with high honors julia marie waters graduating with honors sadie lynn walgren [Applause] graduating with high honors trinity dala west bay aiden matthew ward [Applause] angelina renee whaley graduating with high honors bailey matthew watson [Applause] graduating with honors samuel charles white [Applause] graduating with honors jordan amelia westerman madison brianne whiting wagner [Music] hiram daniel wheeler [Music] brandon ross williams william matthew white graduating with high honors abigail alona wilson benjamin carver wilderness joshua david yokum rebecca stephanie raeanne williams [Music] graduating with honors cooper michael zeeman graduating with high honors sierra paige willison matthew charles baron william john
066winters [Music] riley elise young shelby wilson thunderbirk [Music] graduating with honors madison elizabeth zollers [Applause] giovanni antonio matissic [Applause] and john bond alex stuka [Music] jillian elizabeth goodwin graduating with high honors mia soleil thompson alyssa renee moore graduating with high honors na thelma magnus wacuna [Music] nuvia celeste marquez graduating with honors camden miles sharkey [Applause] chase michael thomas riley graduating with high honors mackenzie aspen woodhead graduating with high honors rowan metzger block [Applause] graduating with high honors alex juan howe choi [Applause] graduating with high honors kylie lewis smith [Applause] graduating with high honors hannah diane bazoo [Applause] graduating with high honors sadie virginia delaney [Music] all right let's hear it one more time for the classic 20-22 [Applause] oh all right hello my name is rowan block i have the honor of introducing my friend
067alex choi as our valedictorian [Music] alex has maintained a 4.77 gpa throughout high school been a captain of the swim team for two years competed and lettered in knowledgeable science olympiad and fbla and is planning to attend williams college the number one liberal arts school in america according to u.s news in the fall [Music] i have been friends with alex throughout high school but we have grown much closer this past year as i've got to know him i've seen how people treat alex many people act as if alex is just a genius robot often only asking about his grades or his class rank this is a disservice to who alex really is so let me leave you with three things that can paint a better picture of who alex is number one no matter how
068big of a basketball fan alex is he can't pick a march madness bracket to save his life finishing 8th out of 10 our friend group granted i finished 10th number 2 alex loves photography whether you are leaving a concert or the state capitol he might suddenly stop directly in front of you and you will awkwardly walk into him as he takes a picture not only embarrassing yourself but making him retake the photo number three alex is a great friend throughout our friendship alex has always supported me whether we are debating where to go eat or running a presidential campaign in our ap government class but most importantly alex always makes me feel like my voice is being heard it doesn't just tell me what i want to hear but what i need to hear through
069this alex has helped me become more focused accepting and forgiving but not only that alex has made me a better friend alex to honor honor you for all your hard work and effort on behalf of the liberty class of 2022 i award you with this valedictorian medal [Music] [Applause] [Music] we gotta take a selfie give me a second [Music] i was trying to make him cry and he didn't cry i have failed i am proud to introduce my friend alex joy [Music] i'm sure i gotta adjust this give me a sec i'm nervous like my my hands are shaking all right let's get it i appreciate you rolling for just such a great introduction and uh before i begin like blabbering on about graduating class there are some people that i like to thank and
070this might take a while so give me a sec i'd like to thank my mom and dad who are over there hi they've been me with every every step of my education whether it's giving me rise to school in the morning and chatting with me or listening me listening to me complain about essentially anything and everything over the dinner table and i truly don't know what i could have done without you guys and i love you i'd also like to thank all the teachers that i've had throughout my four years of high school and my tasks will just fell out that's fine i'd i like to thank all my teachers but especially mrs gohan for all she's done for my four years of high school [Music] from running around balancing seemingly every club at the
071school or welcoming me into her office when i needed a place to rest i truly would not be where i am without your support i can't thank you enough and finally i'd also like to give shout outs to my friends who have made high school an unforgettable experience jared barthis you've been a real one since day one don't clap it's going to take like 10 minutes jack bergeron who i can always rely on if i need to laugh rowan block who keeps me set on the right path joshua downs who constantly lifts my mood up even though i can't tell if he's laughing with me or at me half the time tati hernandez who is always open to conversation and puts up with my dry humor chris nambiar frick you i don't like you he's
072my voice of reason and he tells me if i'm being an idiot which happens to me often and josh pister whose laugh and long coat always make me smile miles seminario who i look up to for his relentless work ethic and finally sam white who i can always rely on for the best hugs you all are the best friends i could have ever asked for and i'll be forever grateful gotta catch my breath that was a lot class of 2022 i think it's safe to say we're all here for one thing and one thing only and we just got it but it's that one piece of paper that we can wave around and say that we made it through 12 years of schooling with blood sweat and tears but mostly tears and maybe not that
073much blood unless we're counting nosebleeds and probably not that much sweat unless we count pee but you know the kind of excitement that i saw today couldn't help me but remind remind me of our freshman year when we were eager for our own high school experience it was our enthusiasm and spirit that shined through in our very first class competition beating out all the other classes even the seniors to claim i rightful place as first and not only that every year we have had a class competition we came out on top with our relentless persistence and that's what i admire about our graduating class we don't shy away from any challenge we aren't intimidated by what's in front of us we move forward unfazed to overcome the obstacles presented to us and our greatest obstacle
074and i know we're kind of sick of it because we've said it like 20 times today it was a global pandemic which i'd personally say was kind of a big thing despite a spring break that stretched into a summer break our sophomore year and despite dragging ourselves out of bed at 7 30 a.m our junior year and despite a cloud of uncertainty that surrounded our senior year we persevered we grasped that for that tiny sliver of motivation nearly impossible to find and we push forward although i will admit it was an incredible coincidence when like a lot of us got sick that monday after prom or like we had a lot of appointments to the last day of school kind of strange but you know that's why i'm confident that our class will succeed thrive
075and flourish in all our future endeavors no matter the tests and trials we face we won't back down and we've proven that after all if a global pandemic can stop us what can and i also want to give a quote now um it's from one of my favorite characters is winnie the pooh we didn't realize we were making memories we just knew we were having fun and hopefully high school as much as it may have had as low lights was full of laughs and happy moments and that way later down the road we can reminisce and smile upon the fact that we were all a part of liberty's high school's class of 2022 and also while we reminisce let's remember the people that were with us in high school who helped us get to where
076we are all of us already know but mr chaz wilson passed away earlier this week to some he may have been just the math teacher but to others he was an incredible coach and leader in the locker room and on the field who never gave up on his players and to still to so many more others he was an amazing teacher and an even better person personally i'll miss his obsession with the martian manhunter laughing at his fit checks and having him as a deciding foe in an incredibly biased disney movie bracket in statistics we're also missing two classmates who should have been walking with us across the stage today jonathan dangle and jordan scheiner to anybody they met were great friends the best anybody could ever ask for they were genuine people who made
077genuine connections they were bound for great achievements and accomplishments in their future so let's remember that j stands for kindness in remembrance of mr chaz woodson jonathan dingle and jordan scheiner please join me in a moment of silence thank you as your graduating class let's work harder to fulfill what they would have done and carry on their legacies we all have an incredibly bright future ahead of us now let's make the most of it but for now we're all just high school graduates let's live in the moment bask in it our hard work has paid off congratulations class of 2022. we did it [Applause] before we complete today's ceremony i would like to recognize our liberty retirees for their dedication to this valuable profession i'd like to ask each of these heroes to please stand
078to be recognized first i'd like to recognize mr john lennock for 25 years of service next i'd like to recognize mr scott manchester for 31 years of service with 34 years of service i would like to recognize mrs kerry rookie [Music] and for me i'm happy to complete my 30th career or third year in this career with the amazing class of the lancer nation and the staff thank you for all the support over my 20 years at liberty high school [Music] at this time i like to ask our staff to go ahead and move back through the tunnels so that we may form the gauntlet one last time now for those of you who don't know what the gauntlet is we did this when they came when the lancers came in as freshmen on their
079very first day we were at the stairs on the main landing and down into the gym and we ran the freshmen through and we applauded for them and scared most of them to death it was a lot of fun for us and just as we welcomed you we now say goodbye to you as a staff so when you get ready to leave today they will be applauding for you one more time at the conclusion of today's graduation lancers and families please depart to your vehicles and enjoy your celebration at home while we clean up cloon arena and prepare for discovery canadian campuses graduation senior when this event ends you will depart through the back tunnels to pick up your diploma envelopes and then depart out the east doors before you leave i want you to
080know that i left something in each of your graduation envelopes as a piece of advice that i've been giving out to graduates for the past 30 years and is printed on a business card it was the same piece of advice that was given to me when i graduated from college the bottom line is to live with no regrets and make every moment count because nothing's ever promised i also hope our small token of appreciation will be the key to helping you to your own successful future so with that do it well seniors here we go please rise [Music] [Applause] thank you i love that please turn your tassels from right to left to signify your status as graduates congratulations [Applause] junior attendance please dismiss the class of 2022 [Music] [Applause] [Music] okay [Music] so [Music]
081[Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] you