001feeling between us a little room to move [Music] we got going there's just baby about doing nothing with you there's just something there's just between with us [Music] look down rocky mountains i watched the ridge up into angle glowing like a neon sign [Music] i saw your fire in the asses [Music] watch your grace fall on the mountains and turn [Music] right [Music] i wish you were here beside me watch creation come alive i saw your fire in the aspens watch your grace fall on the mountains and turn [Music] ain't got nothing on you the healing ones that comes with nothing [Music] got nothing got nothing on [Music] you might not find us on a map folks around here is okay with that we don't mind keeping to ourselves is we're the outskirts [Music] that
002is miss church [Music] now we're [Music] there's [Music] if one is weak is with hope in our eyes keep me is out of our pockets [Music] oh [Music] me [Music] okay [Music] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] wow [Music] [Applause] so [Music] so [Music] so me uh [Music] foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] hey wow feels absolutely incredible to be in front of a sea of blue and gold excellence again give these guys a round of applause one more time good afternoon and welcome to the 39th annual commencement exercises of rampart high school commemorating the class of 2021. i am pete alvarez principal of rampart high school and it is my honor to be with you this afternoon please stand for the presentation of the colors by the academy school district 20 air force jrotc color guard under the
003command of cadet colonel reed cassin and the singing of the national anthem by ramparts sensations oh stay can you [Music] twilight's last gleaming whose brush [Music] [Applause] [Music] through the night [Music] is [Applause] [Music] [Applause] good afternoon i would like to take this moment to recognize and thank all of the teachers counselors support staff who have helped the class of 2021 reach this point today their dedication to education the art of teaching and to contributing to the growth of these young adults is without equal they do what they do because of their love of students and knowing that rampart students are amongst the best and the brightest i would like to recognize one of our retiring staff members today mrs liz weatherby mrs weatherby moved to the district with her family in 1979 two years
004before rampart opened when rampart opened in 1982 she started volunteering in the attendance office and accompanying the choirs in the next few years she became the choir accompanist and auditorium director helping build sets and running stage crews for the shows as well as playing for the shows she retired in 1992 and for several years went back to subbing in the attendance office and playing for rampart shows in 1999 the attendance office position came open and she came home to rampart where she's been ever since she is retiring this year and honestly can't imagine having a more wonderful place to work her plan is to spend her days and sometimes evening within the brick and mortar with the people of rampart in her retirement thank you for your service mrs weatherby faculty if you would now
005please take your seats for the ceremony celebrating the graduating class of 2021. i would like to thank academy school district 20 for making this commencement ceremony possible and please let me extend a great debt of gratitude to all of those who have bravely served or have served in all branches of the military especially those who are currently deployed could you please stand and be recognized thank you for your service i would now like to give you your senior class president and student body president sydney jones and mitch rubin you can now sit good afternoon parents students and rampart staff my name is cindy jones and i am your senior class president we've always been told this day would come and we've spent countless years days and minutes preparing for it some of us have grown
006up together from kindergarten to now but some of us have just recently met via microsoft teams we look at each other in our caps and gowns standing at the beginning of the rest of our lives covet has been an obstacle to say the least and you may look back at your senior year with some sorrow however look at everything you've accomplished despite it all you emerged a stronger individual when we leave here today if you take anything from my speech please hold on to this whether you're going to a university community college trade school the military cosmetology school broad broadway culinary school embarking on a gap year becoming a social media influencer or going straight into the workforce follow your own heart seek what sets your soul on fire there's no set path that every
007single one of you is meant to follow i encourage you to close your eyes what makes you happy what motivates you every single day what will make you excited to wake up every single day what is your purpose maybe you don't know what that is right now maybe you're still searching maybe your purpose isn't clear right now maybe you leave here today still not knowing what you want to do next month next year or even for the rest of your life and i'm here to tell you that's completely okay i encourage you to look to the left and to the right at your classmates we've grown up together learned together laughed together maybe cried together but most importantly we've become stronger together look down at yourself look at how far you've come i know we've
008all been through times where we didn't think we'd make it where life became so overwhelming you thought it would break you but look at where you are right now all of those experiences and memories and struggles have shaped you into the amazing person you are today be proud of yourself you deserve it rampart high school class of 2021 it has been the biggest honor to grow with you and make such genuine connections with each of you i have loved serving as your senior class president and i'm so excited to see where every single one of you go please remember you're loved you're important and you have a purpose it's okay to not know exactly what's next for you but always seek what makes you happiest this is goodbye for now but not forever keep an
009eye out for our rampart high school's senior class reunion in 2031. this has been sydney jones your rampart high school senior class president signing off thank you sydney a few of you have uh asked me to use what you like to call my presidential voice for this speech so i'm gonna do my best to do that for you good afternoon and thank you all for coming to the graduation ceremony of ramparts class of 2021. look around you my friends these people these sensations this is our childhood 1383 days ago many of us walked through the front doors of rampart for our first day of high school as naive 14 year olds our biggest concerns were remembering to our pack our lunch boxes and how to get to our classrooms within a five minute passing period
010however as i stand in front of you now i've realized that it is time to say goodbye to the kinder through 12th grade stage of our lives a stage full of silly bands dabbing pokemon go the mannequin challenge gangnam style plants vs zombies scholastic book fairs giant gym parachutes shel silverstein poems sharkboy and lava girl and club penguin of course these memories and activities will always be there to comfort us downloading temple run is after all only a few clicks away but what lies ahead is a new stage one full of opportunities successes and hopefully a little less tick-tock a close friend of mine told me about an assignment that every senior had to complete at her school to graduate it was called the good life the assignment was simple write a 20-page essay on
011what it means to live a good life i contemplated this request for quite some time and i challenge each of you to do the same what does it mean to you to live a good life what would you fill your pages with does living a good life mean making millions of dollars or does it mean doing good for the world maybe living a good life means having children or starting a family falling in love starting a business helping the environment donating to charities making friends traveling the globe or taking care of the elderly whatever your passions are follow them to live a good life i believe that all of us must understand these words stop worrying about the opinions of others people are not thinking about you they are not studying your mistakes laughing at
012your failures nor are they talking about you behind your back no people are thinking about themselves just like you so stop worrying about what others think of you and be the person you want to be our generation is arguably the most important generation of the future not only do we have to solve the pr the sorry not only do we have to solve the issues that divide our country but we also must find solutions to the problems being faced around the world there is no doubt in my mind that each and every one of us can change the world the future president of the united states could very well be sitting on this field and i cannot wait to see you on tv and say hey i went to high school with them rampart class
013of 2021 it has been an absolute honor serving as your student body president this year we have been through a lot together memories that i know each of us will value for the rest of our lives now more than ever we are in this together now more than ever we begin a new adventure class of 2021 we will change the world forever because we are rampart thank you now it is my honor to introduce the academy school district 20 superintendent mr tom gregory born and raised in academy district 20 thomas gregory has a passion for the educational process and thrives on helping others succeed he was a classroom teacher for 11 years a school administrator for four years and completed his 14th year as the leader for the business operations at academy's district 20 in
0142019. gregory became our chief financial officer in 2009 and served in that capacity into 2016 when he was named the deputy superintendent chief financial officer in these roles he identified areas where the budget could be reduced without scaling back staffing and school programming he also co-facilitated the growth and capital needs committee and pres and presentations to stakeholders that resulted in successful passage of a 230 million dollar bond measure in 2016. in 2005 gregory was named the executive director for business services during which time he led changes and revisions to many policies and practices including labor practices 403 plans full day kindergarten tuition based programs and facility rentals he was also the co-facilitator of the long-range capital facilities planning committee leading to recommendations for new school placement and construction existing school renovations technology upgrades and deferred
015maintenance mr gregory along with then cfo and superintendent was integral to the passage of a successful mill levy override tax issued in 2008. this resulted in an additional 14 million dollar annually to the school district gregory joined the academy district 20 staff in 1991 as a middle school math teacher at challenger middle school shortly after he transferred to rampart high school where he served for 11 years as a math teacher math department co-chair football coach softball coach baseball coach and finally as the rhs assistant principal and athletic director for four of those 11 years gregory earned his master's degree in educational leadership and his principal licensure from the university of colorado springs he earned his bachelor's degree in mathematics and his secondary school degree licensure from the university of southern colorado he is a member
016and actively participates in the colorado association of school executives association of school business officials international colorado association of school business officials pikes peak school business officials national association of federally impacted schools board of directors for nafis federal lands impacted association pikes peak area educational alliance and national interscholastic we would like to thank mr gregory for all that he has done from rampart high school students and staff mr gregory thank you mitchell i don't know who that guy is but that's not me i'd like to take just a few minutes to introduce to you the elected volunteers of our school board starting with president miss karen reynolds vice president mr doug lundberg treasurer mr tom lavallee director mrs heather cloninger and board liaison to rampart high school and proud rampart dad mr will tembe not with
017us today is the united our liaison from the united states united states air force academy to the board colonel andre johnson and lastly i'll speak a little bit about this gentleman a little bit later but i want everybody to know assistant superintendent dr jim smith thank you mr alvarez thank you at this time i'd like to introduce you to the rampart administrative team you know these folks back here mrs tracy cormany assistant principal mr chamberlain assistant principal miss dear dramastica assistant principal and fresh off a championship win in the state in volleyball mr andy parks assistant principal and athletic director i gotta hold on to these papers this ceremony is over so um before i start i i would just like to say it is one of the pleasures of my life to be on
018this stage with these folks these students these leaders and to be principal of rampart high school the best best high school in the state of colorado students think of the stories you will be able to tell your kids about yuri's senior year of high school i once spent 12 hours straight on ms teams has replaced i had to walk to school in the snow as the official measure of educational hardship stories are powerful they are teaching tools and they serve a multitude of purposes but maybe most importantly they are key to our survival as a species one of my favorite native american stories is about an old cherokee teaching his grandson about life he says to his grandson a fight is going on inside of me it is a terrible fight and is between two
019wolves one is evil he is anger envy regret greed arrogance self-pity resentment lies superiority and ego he continued the other is good he is joy peace love hope humility kindness empathy truth compassion and faith the same fight is going on in you he says to his grandson and inside of every other person on this planet the grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather which wolf will win the old cherokee simply replied the one you feed the temptation this past year to feed the evil wolf strong the pandemic racial unrest socioeconomic challenges political differences and medical disagreements tested and continued to test us as a nation and a people we watched cities burned the capital breached restaurants and businesses closed questioned faxed and we argued over masks what cleaning protocols would
020keep us safe and how much distance we needed between each other the healthy debates and protests that have always defined us as a nation dissolved into contempt and hate on a level not seen in our lifetimes making the pain caused by the daily county public health dial update all the worse uncertainty ruled the day as we started the year with virtual assemblies hybrid classroom synchronous learning all online educational options and cancellation of most sports and extracurricular events a smorgasbord of non-human interaction followed that felt wonky at best even for an introvert like myself trying to sustain the spirit of our school community was hard at times it was a smoldering ember under a pile of ash but if you looked close enough it was there it never went away by the time november rolled around
021i had turned into a professional crier eating bon bons on my couch watching netflix and to combat the melancholy i turned to music friday night pool games at mrs alvarez and a lot of long conversations and adventures out in nature with steve my black lab the things served these things served as an elixir to wash away the reality of the times when i was able to disconnect from ms teams social media the internet and cable news i could pretend for a fleeting moment that things were normal but those things in those times were rare one thing that did not change during my year was my sunday phone call my mother the sunday call usually starts with her asking me if i went to church it's her way of gauging my level of vulnerability in the
022conversation to come see my mom is straight old school and she don't play however during the pandemic she's been trying to live her new life new school the best that she can she thinks mark zuckerberg is one of her facebook friends doing a zoom call with her is like an snl comedy skit and she started texting me which i really wish that she hadn't because her meme game is not strong and is super awkward sometimes my mom is from a different time a different generation she has a different type of moxie attained by living through struggles that test the human condition in ways i never understood i asked her sometimes to tell me stories about her life some of them lead to long deep laughter some will lead to new small details previously left out
023like the fact that she has a goat named stella others will leave you unable to look her in the eye because the tears may never stop because the story is so sad sunday she called and didn't immediately ask me if i'd been to church she was stoic in all business the purpose of her call was let me know that she lost her last living sister my last living aunt zia victoria dakova 19. she explained how she placed one hand on the glass outside her sister's hospital room and waved goodbye with the other her only regret was her inability to hold and comfort her sister in those final moments she ended that sunday call by telling me don't worry mijo it will all be okay we go on and life is beautiful those final words that
024she spoke to me on that call were her feeding her good wolf and in turn as she often does she feeds my good wolf she challenged me to abandon any anger resentment self-pity to let go of the dislocation and desolation that was feeding my bad wolf i realized that we only have so many minutes on this planet and i'd rather spend them rolling with steve and mrs alvarez and leave the hate into somebody else living life as if only love and hope matter is a good thing it is empowering and something i want to strive for from here on out shortly after that call things began to happen rampart held a prom and a kindness angel paid the dinner tab for a group of our students with the caveat that they pay it forward by
025doing something nice for somebody else i have no doubt that a rampart student will always pay their debt and then some bald for bucks happened reminding us that a collaboration between teachers students and the community matters and really can change the world we had a senior walk a student and staff basketball game by the way students won in spite of mr perry's mvp performance a senior barbecue rpo did a drawing with incredible prizes and mr remiss's rampart all in one day slash night and it was awesome it was exhausting from mrs lucero mrs cooper mrs wiest mr chamberlain senior sponsors a multitude of other staff members and parents but it was that good exhaustion you feel when you pull off something that people say cannot be done this whole school year was a thing that
026people say could not be done and we did it then 12 young women come along to seal the deal on a state championship with more grace class poise smiles hugs and love than i knew it still existed in the world i have never been more proud not just of a team but of an entire school community that chose to cloak itself in something that was good and pure and well earned in the darkest of times as i look out from the stage today i celebrate each and every one of you i celebrate our entire school school community that chose to to look forward and not backwards but most importantly i celebrate you the students of rampart high school that have gathered here today the students going to princeton duke the university of north carolina university
027of chicago southern california cu csu uccs unc and a multitude of other colleges and universities throughout this country i celebrate those of you with military appointments and those of you enlisted in branches of the military and i celebrate those of you who are the first in your family to graduate from high school i celebrate hin al-ghamandi who is graduating with us today in spirit from saudi arabia she is the first student i have ever had in my 26 years of education who was able to graduate high school while living in another country and she did it at rampart who does this i ask you really who who does these things and i tell you rampart does because we are a good kind smart and important community and as we celebrate this day students as you
028venture out into life i ask no i beg of you feed your good wolf it is important thing for you to do in life and it will make the world a better place i have nothing for love for you rampart and i thank you for this year and now it is my pleasure to introduce you to aaron rubin rampardo high school's class of 2021 student speaker at large you know i had a few weeks to write this speech so i wrote it at midnight the night before that's high school rampart class of 2021 it is my great honor and privilege to be on this stage speaking to all of you my friends my peers and fellow graduates you know i gotta say this we made it we are here today not as icons or some
029background chatter created by our unmuted mics but as ourselves as graduates it's been a journey getting here one that has taken four long years and countless angry visits through the morning drop off it's time we say goodbye to those days and say hello to the future and even longer car lines at the coveted vaccination centers i know you've heard it a million times that were the covet class of 21 and how our year was impacted by the pandemic countless hours of eye watering and battery draining online classes riddled with technical difficulties jokes left unlaughed at and those awkward periods of silence after a question is asked where you know somebody is asleep am i right just like that we've sat through recorded assemblies and watched countless crash course videos but we've been the only class
030in ramparts history that's gotten to wear mass at school during halloween yet covent only marks one and a half years of our high school experience how about the other two and a half the year is filled with sweaty adrenaline-filled mosh pits at school dances half days to enjoy and spend the afternoon with your buddies and sneaking off campus for lunch as an underclassmen only to watch yourself be caught on video in the next week's kram episode grilled cheese thursdays at the church next door and constantly hearing about the chicken in the backpack story from the class of were just a few of the amazing experiences we've all shared throughout our years at rampart high school the memories that we have made since we first stepped foot in ramparts halls will stick with us forever as
031well the lip dub video together we have raised thousands of dollars to support research for balfour bucks in the process donating and shaving countless pounds of hair we have founded new clubs and participated in state and national competitions for fbla deca and world quest to name a few we have dominated in sports triumphing in tournaments and season competitions and we've all had to sit in the most ridiculous positions for school photos as i sit out and look across this field at a sea of eyes and foreheads i'm reminded of the laughs friendships handshakes elbow bumps study sessions cry sessions and after-school hangouts each and every one of us have experienced high school has marked four years of our lives and now here we are ready to move on to bigger and better things nobody knows
032what the future holds but whatever it may be just know that it can't be worse than trying to squeeze all your gym courses into the last semester of senior year thank you all for the hard work and dedication you have exhibited over the years because of you the class of 2021's legacy will forever be known at rampart high school thank you teachers for sharing your passions with us allowing all of us to explore interests and adapting so well to online schooling thank you administration for all the work you have done to keep rampart running and for always being a smiling face to welcome up to the building even on the coldest of days and finally thank you parents for your continued support and for graciously adapting to our pandemic learning this year rams as we
033move on to the next chapter of our lives let's remember the good times we've had in high school and never forget the friendships we've forged over the past four years look to your left and now to your right do you feel that that's the feeling of no summer reading homework enjoy it good luck in all your future endeavors rams you can leave the meeting now at this time i would like to welcome the rampart high school sensations as they perform may the road rise to meet you by victor c johnson so [Music] the me be always at your back may the sun upon your fears [Music] is [Music] others [Music] may the sun upon your face [Music] may the sun [Music] is [Music] oh [Music] of his wife [Music] ah and now it is my
034pleasure to reinvite to the podium the academic school district 20 superintendent mr tom gregory thank you aaron i'd like to start by acknowledging dr dr jim smith and all of our high school principals for their continued efforts to plan re-plan and plan again our graduation ceremonies over the last few months keeping up with ever-changing guidance their focus was always centered on developing a traditional graduation ceremony with as few restrictions as possible dr smith and mr alvarez on behalf of the district 20 community thank you for making this day of celebration possible i also want to recognize and thank class of 2021 student atharva vispute for participating on my student advisory council this past year atharva not only did you represent the rampart high school student voice with honor and pride your perspective regarding issues such
035as our website effectiveness online learning coveted frustrations equity and inclusion graduation ceremonies and many other topics was valued and constructive thank you atharva well class of 2021 congratulations you've made it you navigated some of the most difficult circumstances faced by students in decades you sacrificed the end of your junior year and continued that sacrifice through your senior year and your senior year has been like no other remote learning in-person learning online learning and hybrid learning that is a lot of learning and all that learning included a host of new norms such as mask breaks cohorting social distancing quarantines hand sanitizer more quarantines more hand sanitizer and more quarantines you endure shortened athletic seasons online concerts and plays outdoor proms numerous cancellations an era and dare i say it not one single snow day this was
036not all your senior year was marked by some of the most contentious social and political events in history your senior year has been one of historical proportions you made history in 10 20 and even 50 years students and teachers will read about your journey in history classes but through it all you persevered you were patient flexible and you showed grit in short you demonstrated resilience resilience is described as the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties or the ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape or most simply put being elastic resilience is now part of your dna and frankly that is a good thing because resilience is a characteristic characteristic you will need to lean on throughout the rest of your life i wish i could tell you life will get easier
037and resilience is a trait only needed in and 2021 but the truth is whether through your job your education or future relationships you will face challenges you overcame the challenges of your senior year and you will continue to overcome future challenges because you are adaptable you are persistent you are resilient and you are creative problem solvers an article in the journal of medical science from 2016 reads resilience is an individual's ability to adaptively respond to hardship stress and adversity it is the ability to bounce back that describes each of you that same article reads individuals who report high levels of resilience typically portray an optimistic outlook positive emotionality curiosity and openness to new experiences they are able to emerge from a challenge stronger wiser and more powerful resilience correlates strongly with success interpersonal satisfaction happiness
038and hope as you leave here today prepare to make your mark on this world i ask that you use the events of the last 16 months to propel you forward no matter how much the world tries to hold you back challenge you or knock you down always continue with the belief that what you want to achieve is possible do not lose hope stay confident believe in the possibilities channel your curiosity seek solutions to problems that others do not see you can find your hope through many means hope can arise from simply taking in new information or gaining new knowledge sometimes it may be just the smile of a trusted friend the friend who trusts in you or in your ability to find a creative solution to a new problem as described in the story of
039the lone shark and the daughter the story goes in a small italian town many years ago a small business owner owed a large sum of money to a loan shark the loan shark was an old rough looking guy that just so happened to fancy the business owner's daughter the loan shark offered the businessman a deal that would dissolve the businessman's debt however there was a catch the catch was that he would only forgive the debt if he could marry the businessman's daughter needless to say this proposal was met with disgust however as the story goes the lone shark proposed that he would place two pebbles into a bag one white pebble and one red pebble the daughter would then have to reach into the bag and pick out a pebble if it was red the
040debt would be forgiven and the lone shark would marry the daughter if the stone's selected was white the debt would still be forgiven but the daughter would not have to marry the loan shark so standing on a path strewn with red and white pebbles in a businessman's garden the lone shark bent over and picked up two pebbles as he was picking them up the daughter noticed that he picked up two red pebbles and placed them both into the bag he then asked the daughter to reach into the bag and pick one naturally the daughter had three options one refused to pick a pebble from the bag which would not help her father two take both pebbles out of the bag and expose the lone shark for a cheater which again would not help her father
041or three pick a pebble from the bag full well knowing it was going to be red and sacrifice herself for her father's financial freedom so she reluctantly drew a pebble from the bag but before the color was discovered she appeared to accidentally drop it to the ground undetectable from the other pebbles on the ground she had quickly engineered a fourth option after a short pause she said to the loan shark oh how clumsy of me but sir if you look into the bag for the pebble that is left you will be able to tell which pebble i dropped the pebble left in the bag is obviously red and knowing the lone shark did not want to be exposed he had to play along as if the pebble the daughter dropped was in fact white her
042father's debt was cleared and the loan shark defeated her creative solution saved the situation in an instant the father and daughter went from feeling hopeless to hopeful as a result of a short moment in time when she saw solutions others did not as martin luther king jr stated we must accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope you are graduating today from a great school in a fabulous district in a terrific community in a wonderful state in the greatest country in the world you have every reason to be hopeful and optimistic as you reflect and celebrate on your time in high school remember you did not make this journey alone please at some point in the near future take time to thank the friends teachers parents grandparents and or anyone else who pushed or even
043had to pull you to this day congratulations rampart high school class of 2021 i wish you a successful hopeful and fulfilling future be well and be safe thank you at this point i'd like to welcome assistant principal deirdre mastica to the podium thank you mr gregory class of 2021 friends family and colleagues it is my distinct privilege to now draw your attention to the academic achievement and other distinctions of our graduates the board of education and the district administration would like to recognize those students whose parent or parents are currently currently deployed in service to our nation these students received a red white and blue cord would those students please stand we now acknowledge students with a blue cord the blue cord is indicative of those students having participated for at least three years or
044more in a-f-j-r-o-t-c would those students please stand we now acknowledge students having received a red cord these students have earned straight a's at rampart high school over the course of seven consecutive semesters would those students please stand we acknowledge those students having received a blue and gold court these students are inducted members of and have completed the requirements for membership in the national honor society would those students please stand we acknowledge students having received a red and gold cord these students are inducted members of and have completed each of the academic requirements for membership in the spanish national honor society would those students please stand we acknowledge students having received the blue and white court these students have completed the requirements for membership in the distributive education clubs of america would those students please stand
045we acknowledge students having received this silver and light blue cord these students have completed the requirements for long-term inclusion in future business leaders of america would those students please stand we acknowledge students having received the purple cord these students have completed the requirements for rhs journalism and yearbook would those students please stand we now acknowledge students having received the orange thespian court these students are inducted members of and have completed each of the academic requirements for membership in the international thespian society would those students please stand we acknowledge students having received a white cord these students have been active participants in and completed the requirements of the avid at advancement via individual determination program would those students please stand we acknowledge students having received a green and blue cord these students have been active participants
046in and completed the requirements of the teacher cadet program the teacher cadet program is a two-year commitment for academically talented high-achieving high school students with exemplary interpersonal and leadership skills these students have worked on an academically challenging curriculum as well as worked with children for 150 hours in a school setting the students have built two portfolios of work which would they will take with them as they pursue education careers would those students please [Applause] stand we acknowledge students having received a white ivy stole these students have participated in and fulfilled the requirements of the international baccalaureate diploma program in both grades 11 and 12. would those students please stand finally we acknowledge students having received a gold collar these students are our honor graduates and have achieved an overall grade point average of 3.85 or
047above over the course of seven semesters would those students please stand it is next my pleasure to prese present this year's valedictorians and salutatorians the international baccalaureate valedictorian is peyton smith payton is joined today by her parents stephen and tanya smith and her sister riley lynch during her time at rampart payton was involved in knowledge bowl knitting club both president and founder and school volleyball and academic world quest payton will attend princeton university as a quest bridge scholar and joining the quest bridge network her area of study will be a concentration in politics payton is also the recipient of the ib arms scholarship the valedictorian is kiara kasmer here to celebrate with kiara our parents scott and susan kasmer sister jordan and grandparents ted and penny kasmer in her time here at rampart kiara participated
048in yale young global scholars deca future business leaders of america women's lacrosse field hockey the colorado springs youth symphony national honors society and key club kiara will attend the university of north carolina at chapel hill and major in business and political science minoring in computer science kiara is the recipient of the national merit northrop grumman scholarship [Applause] the international baccalaureate salutatorian is amenity car braar amini celebrates her graduation with her parents kamal jeet and push pinderbrar grandparents rajinder and gurdashunbrar and oh sorry i lost my place her aunt and uncle gonchit and jaz gruwal and siblings gurneet and manja in her four years at rampart amunit has been part of cross-country national honor society future business leaders of america key club knowledge bowl and the pre-collegiate cup program at uccs omni will attend the university
049of colorado at boulder and major in molecular cellular and developmental biology with the hopes of pursuing a career in medicine ahmanid is the recipient of the joseph joseph a sewell award and the new orleans scholarship the salutatorian is valentina maria ischenko valentina is joined by her father vladimir ishenko mother anita eid and brother andre aschenko in addition she is joined by family and friends vincent lopiccolo sydney mckenzie abigail madison finley poole and anna daimoff over the course of her high school career valentina participated in varsity swim altitude performance swim team colorado springs youth symphony key club future business leaders of america national honor society was a mac lab tutor young champ involved in the young champion ambassador program and was a lifeguard at the united states air force academy valentina will attend grinnell college and
050major in political science with a minor in french and arabic arabic and a concentration in global development studies after completing her bachelor's degree she plans to go to law school and hopes to work as an ambassador for the united states embassy valentina is the recipient of the grinnell choice scholarship the harry hopkins grant and the grinnell founders scholarship i would now like to welcome to the podium our valedictorians we will first hear from the international baccalaureate valedictorian peyton smith and then valedictorian kiara kasmer welcome rampart high school class of 2021. since the beginning of the pandemic in our class hasn't faced incredible uncertainty until recently we did not know if we would be able to attend our graduation in person thankfully today we are able to share this important milestone with each other and with
051our loved ones i would like for i would first like to thank our teachers friends families and administrators all of whom have been incredibly important and supportive during these past four years i would also like to recognize the ib program which has created a close intellectual community for so many students including me i will be forever grateful for the amazing education rampart has provided me five years ago i remember attending my sister's graduation at the air force academy i remember the large arena with metal bleachers the neat arrays of blue chairs down below the large flag black drop on the stage i remember the frequent cheers being echoed off the walls the proud faces of my parents the glee mixed with the deep finality after the ceremony and the frequent flashes of cameras and for
052me i realized throughout that day how happy i would be to one day be one of those blue robe seniors i want to achieve that same maturity and a community that could only be achieved through going to school for over 12 years in particular through the final four years of high school never would i have imagined how drastically different our high school experiences would be throughout this year i'm sure we have all had the pandemic looming in the back of our minds and we've all constantly asked ourselves what if our school year was normal it's sad to think out that we missed out on so much of the so-called high school experience but at the same time i think the pandemic hasn't been as intrinsic to our own individual high school experience as other in-person
053events would have been in any other regular school year for instance we have had to step up and help our peers navigate each teacher's different organization system on schoology optimize our morning routines from rolling out of bed to our nearby desk so we can be an exactly on on microsoft teams at exactly 70 45 and even pursue friendships solely online with nightly face times that can continue until unhealthy hours on the surface these experiences may not be traditional high school struggles but we've all had to change gain flexibility and try new things which are integral in any high school experience although life may have had the illusion of stagnation our experiences have had an unlikely degree of dynamicity so although it is normal to grieve the loss of many benefits of a normal senior year
054we have forged our own collective experiences and memories that we can someday still tenderly reflect upon perhaps in future high school reunions we will have the we will be able to reminisce on the real ones who told us we were unmuted the awkwardness of the initial unmuting of breakout rooms and the glee on teachers faces when we all turned our cameras on the pandemic has all affected us in vastly different ways but there is no doubt that we have all personally changed and grown from our experiences over these past four years while i have not had the same experiences as the class of 2016 i look out and still see the same maturity community and pride that i saw five years ago at my sister's graduation to all my to all my fellow graduates take
055all you have learned during the pandemic the good and the bad with you as you move forward in life during these unprecedented times we've had to develop incredible mental flexibility and a deep compassion with others both of which will serve us well as we move successfully forward in our lives i for one i'm excited about what everyone will accomplish in the future thank you good afternoon faculty members family friends and of course the class of 2021. today is a day to acknowledge the accomplishment of over a decade of education and to celebrate the perseverance demonstrated not only in the trials of this year but of the trials set before us and the years leading up to this moment and in the life laid out before us i hope that you all carry the words of
056me and my peers up on this stage with you after you leave today the class of 2021 is unlike any before it we're lucky enough to be here today sitting shoulder to shoulder to walk the stage to receive our diplomas to turn our tassels as one because at the beginning of this year that possibility was one of many questions we all had would we have school in person will we have our senior prom our senior walk would we be able to continue on with life would we be able to graduate in front of our families among our classmates that we have grown up with without the barrier of a screen this year pulled us apart as we went our separate ways half of us took all of our classes online trying to learn through the
057obstacle of our screen as we did everything we could to find solutions to the pandemic many of us felt unfulfilled and anticlimactic and to our educational journey our journey to grow up our years of hard work friendship and memories were left unfinished until today we won't get the opportunity to make up for the losses of the last year but we can move on stronger than we were before we adapted to the challenges before us and still kept going where do we go from here this question is what defines the path ahead of us each of us has to ask this question and each has a different answer than the person at your right shoulder at your left this question will set you on your journey into the life ahead of you where do we go
058from here we can sit and watch the world around us hoping for change in despair about the state of the world it's uncruel unfairness where do we go from here we can go from here looking forward only to the end of the day not enjoying the little things throughout it waiting for the distant future to be happy because you can be happy once you get there right where do we go from here we can surround ourselves with individuals who don't have the same goals the same values as us never moving forward never reaching our potential as they limit us confine us no this is where we will go from here we'll stand up walk off this stage off this field away from the school that has been our home for the past four years and
059we will move forward we're the class that will take the lessons learned from this past year and apply them through the rest of our lives this is where we will go from here we meet those that have the same goals as us who push us to be our best selves we have goals and dreams that align with ours we surround ourselves with individuals who want the best for us just as we want the best for them all of us together we've supported each other supported ourselves through this year we've learned the strength in numbers unbreakable when together working towards the same goal we move forward together that we may take separate paths we won't forget what we've done here we've experienced firsthand tragedy struggle sacrifice and we're better for it the bonds that we've built
060over years of playful competition friendship and hurt have demonstrated that have demonstrated what we can accomplish not even a global pandemic prevented us from getting here today to this stage where we take what we've done the past decade and make it into an accomplishment a milestone our bonds got us to this point through a global pandemic to where we now have the strength to part ways to share the lessons we've learned with others as they share theirs with us this is not a tragedy this is not the loss of truck loss of childhood you will go from here carrying all of that with you it's a part of you that makes you who you are nothing can rip that from you unless you wish to part with it it's up to you you get to
061choose your path the journey that you will take when you walk off the stage flip your tassel and become not a student but a graduate don't dwell on the past but choose to move forward continue to push past what slows you down never let others define your limits because then they define you instead find those in your life who will pick you up when you fall won't let you idle in comfort but rather push you let you find your worth without making you sacrifice your dreams and values together we will move forward we are the class that persevered the class that found strength in each other and our community we are the class that moves forward from here not letting the past drag us down we are the class of 2021. thank you thank you
062peyton and kiara now for the presentation of the class mr pete alvarez and mr will tenby admin team you're ready to read some names hey bet mr tambie it is with the greatest of pride and pleasure that i present to you members of the class of 2021. i hereby certify that these young men and women have met the requirements for graduation from rampart high school and academy school district 20 and are recommended to receive their diplomas good afternoon ram nation on behalf of the board of education of academy school district 20 i accept with pride and pleasure the 2021 graduating class of rampart high school mr alvarez thank you and your staff for an outstanding job thank you mr tenby administrators if you could please uh take the mics and we will begin the reading
063of the names of our graduates for the class of 2021. oh is aloysius mystica avalar annalise maria acosta julio alfredo aleman emma christine eleverest jennifer adriana alfaro stephanie joy armstrong marissa renee ompran zoe elizabeth bars there ernest juan armijo michaela rose belandrin william nathaniel bailey shawn don bannister janice arapita balraj emily elizabeth barber audrey ann banks elijah porn tap barker michael allen barber kayla renee barr emma eleanor barker andres benitez iv emma nicole battles kyla alexis blatnick andrew joseph bennett abigail margaret bolt hayley alexandra bowley bowl cherish faith borjas bradford riley borjas cole marcus bowen celyn page bordeaux craig andrew brinkman thomas joseph boyle [Music] joseph arlen brophy sophia aliz brokaw skye bailey brunell craig deshawn brown maggie lynn buckley caitlyn elizabeth bryant barker coleman wesley caldwell destiny marie bystroff matthew shangyee ciao grace and
064camp field deja mariah kaisan katana ann carter alexander jeremy sedatol kelly leanne cecil landon thomas chance antoine jeremy sedatel samantha elise christensen robert antonio chartier emily victoria clark abigail gisela clark carson lee clifford bethany caitlin claudi daniel james coleman colton john cochran nicholas allen coleman [Music] gabriel alexander coleman ashley june colossimo kenisha latrice collins [Applause] benjamin alexander conlon [Applause] sydney rayne custain [Music] dylan cora cowan kendall jane kalasha sydney hontiah doll emma rose dale grace barbara michelle dolland paul huang [Music] kayla marie davis paige marie dowdy [Music] mckenna ray dedrick ashley gabrielle delva sidney lane denman [Music] patrick henry bailey devine jack maxwell dixon joshua james dobridge antigone sabet dodge bo jason donlin taylor marie donahue megan hope dodie leo dimitru jonathan nathaniel dunson hayley nicole edge phillip june finley edinfield michael eugene edwards ii
065tyler michael edwards logan alexander elkins jeffrey stephen eldard victor alexander elliott victoria elliott [Applause] michaela elizabeth fabie declan patrick everett joshua christopher feikert anushay for rookie [Music] alicia mae fesgen hayden wayne feltz carlos lorenzo baldwin flores darien vincent fiske jackson david flynn dallin and aceto flores kiera rose franz [Music] james gregory floyd bonner nicole menendez taylor clarissa ford berkeley katera garcia emma carlota frazier haley mia gardner christopher noah gandly marissa danielle garza catherine joan garcia ambry corinne gilbert [Music] jeremiah james michael garatano emma lindsey gilman devin michael genova eshontagus gohil asha paige gilman frank lawrence grimaldo the third katie elizabeth girardo ashton joseph hammer veronica guadalupe gomez ortega isabelle avril harrison charlotte frederick grega caden gray hatfield colleen pang hanley rania heavenly heard eric samuel haslett [Applause] kaden joe hess natalia marie healey olivia rose
066hollinger jacob ryan henning haley rose hornbaker chase levi higgins [Music] helen elizabeth huang bryce hixson [Music] siobhan vijay hircuti isaiah edward holt lindsay nicole eimel [Music] emily elizabeth holtmeyer calvin timothy jenkins audrey elizabeth hauser [Music] kaley michelle jones isaac matthew hunter maddox danelle jones [Music] [Applause] rachel elizabeth hutchison dominico sasha jordan jessica mckenzie emel [Music] [Applause] amaz azad kadir [Music] anella kainoa james [Music] blake mitchell kincannon brianna elizabeth jennings gracie lynn clemeck alyssa ryan jones miranda ruth coaches jameel taiwan jones cole ruben kosovsky [Music] kimberly laina jones tavian tape cornerboat nicholas michael lapiano jillian elise layton natalie carroll leaper brianna skye lewis michael james loyzos angel marie kratchen ariana marie lucero [Music] taylor elizabeth jones marcus clinton lions andrew nicholas calaveshi taves miles maciel jr brian archer kennedy megan louise magoon marissa augustina manzanares [Music]
067aurez azad kadir [Music] [Applause] inicia amelia mary martinez jordan jack kitzman talia amani massey gabriel andrew knapp [Applause] [Music] jeannette marie mauricio rivera jason casey kamrovsky morgan preston mcdowell serena kayton satisari kosuri nathan mejia [Applause] haley lucille larosse johanna katherine miller joshua nathaniel least emmy rose mitchell aaron christine lochus [Applause] skyler titan lynn morgan carly and loparco naomi alexis nassi caleb ray lopez elijah andrew nelson dylan michael lucero catherine michelle newberry william nile mcdonald v oliver ty nguyen lopez [Applause] emily elizabeth madol jacob alan nori adrianis joelli martinez alicia marie o'brien janelis nicole mauricio rivera kellen michael o'donnell jacob david mcclure emily noel olson christian elias mcglynn morgan elizabeth ortiz rhea rose mead ethan quaid overton jenna michelle myers dylan michael palmquist noah kenneth brian [Music] jordan hunter moore [Applause] ye rim park laila zion
068morrison probnor sing paul luke sorry you stay no you yeah got em not your hand luke robert pavlika alicia piercy kennedy rose neary chloe and pence katie hung no levi uriel perry isabella coutite nix me tuna pumalot adri grace nasaman leonato pisimenti connor ricoux odell emma may pollock daniel paul oliveiras matthew alistair poole madison page omdahl john j powers nova renee pacheco armando ramirez nathan isaac pantoja cassidy emily raywin ratliff congratulations victoria elizabeth pappert [Applause] zachary dante reeves william gabriel parsons dot suey rem lauren elizabeth paulie tristan adam ringstrom kennedy and peek malachi nicasio alberto rivera andrew steven peltier emily ruth robertson janisia alay perry aaron michelle roderick [Music] emma gini persky josiah artemio rodriguez tristan alexavier phillips maya love rosa [Music] william lawrence plumber shams hider samir isabella alessandra palumbo bianca isabella satay sarmiento
069emily grace pope alexander michael provost ashley jo schmidt thomas tang rainey ashlynn rose schreiber jada alexandria randall harrison scott sears owen matthew reeves noah andrew sen amy jane riley colby james shepherd catherine eileen sherkey liam colin keough richardson riley racquel simpson caleb robert ritter ellis adam smith natalie rivera paige rhianne samantha smith molly emma rhoden alyssa christine soper ariana isabel rodriguez joanna marie southcott martin alberto rodriguez abigail lynn spalding allison rain rothy ethan david spencer [Music] winter marathi salido angelina nicole stark [Music] anora delphine sanders robert charles steele marshawn laurent sales broderick reed stenhog landon jacob schill devon r patrick stickney addison marie schneider evan stephen strong eric hastor selvig the third fiona summer tamblyn phillip mason schermersheim keira alexandra taylor ashlynn marie schilling levi nathaniel templeton zachary michael joel simons taryn landis thomas dalton
070anton slaughter [Applause] bailey joy todd nicole gene smith marcus aaron tolman tyler anthony smithson david xavier tony adrian diego sotelo jonah charles torkelson [Applause] aaron christopher spalding gabriella tovar is zoomy rachel sparrow [Music] gracie marie spend love abraham mohaved vargas cervantes cameron trevor steck atharva pankaj dispute aaliyah genevieve stegman [Music] christian adrian waif cunningham alexis christina stewart cordell isaiah watts [Music] jade marianne stone morgan michelle west hanna tamarez calliste jamina white mason don wilkes amelia may tembe cindy nguyen wilson ashley nicole thomas hayden jacob winkelmann aaron michael tony rachel ann yates silas anthony tong jaden craig young madison lorraine young michaela j omer oh i'm it i'm it elvis leonel ventura lopez go ahead kaylee ann von haney kaylee kaylee i was messing with you rihanna fallon wall on the black curiana amelia joel weldon
071jessica lee white ashland faith wilcox go ahead gabriel zion williams sarah beth wilson tristan joseph winters kennedy joe reed autumn grace yolk kobe javon young caitlin grace zeiger sydney madison jones kiara nicole kasmer amenite cor braar peyton alexis smith aaron edward rubin and mitchell charles rubin oh my god thank you so much readers graduates let's give them one last huge rampart round of applause i i know about you all that felt good that was awesome thank you um just real quick before we dismiss our seniors um guess if you could please uh both in the stands and on the field um allow the graduates to to uh recess uh and just not kind of interfere with their their flow out of the stadium and then graduates once you pick up your diplomas you can reunite
072with family members and and loved ones um you know wherever in in the stadium so class of 2021 we wish you nothing but the best if you still have your uh your mortar on please go ahead and move your tassel from the right side of your motorboard to the left class of 2021 you are now alumni congratulations have a day good day and thank you for attending our ceremony from my [Music] my [Music] foreign [Music] one [Music] you