001[Music] [Applause] Good job. [Music] Thank you. [Music] Thank you. [Music] That's probably [Applause] [Music] No one [Music] I love you. [Music] Good evening. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our high school graduation ceremony. We're honored to have you here to celebrate the accomplishments of the class of 2025. Before we begin, we ask that you take a moment to review a few important reminders. Please silence all cell phones and electronic devices now to avoid any interruptions. No air horns, whistles, and no silly strings, please. And if you have balloons, please lower them down or put them on the side. Remain seated throughout the ceremony. If you need to step out, please do so quietly and between speakers. We ask that you hold applause until all graduates have received their diplomas. This ensures that every graduate's name can
002be heard and acknowledged. You are welcome to take your own photos. The front row is reserved for this purpose. At the end of the ceremony, please remain in your seats until all graduates have exited the auditorium. Thank you for your cooperation and for helping us create a smooth and respectful experience for everyone. The ceremony will begin shortly. Ladies and gentlemen, please rise as we welcome the graduating class of 2025. [Music] Are [Music] you ready? I [Music] can't [Music] believe [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Hallelujah. Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] [Music] All right. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Yeah, [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] That's right. [Music] You ready? [Applause] [Music] Good job. [Music] Hallelujah. [Music] Good evening families, faculty, staff, board members, and honored guests. My name is Mercy Ano and I have the privilege of serving
003as the principal of AO schools and your host for tonight's celebration. Let's begin our evening by standing together for the pledge of allegiance to be led by Silus Manuel, a student council president. [Applause] I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you, sir. May be seated. It is with great joy and deep pride that I welcome you all to our high school graduation ceremony. A momentous occasion where we celebrate the accomplishments, growth, and potential of the graduating class of 2025. To our parents, guardians, families, and friends, thank you for being here tonight. Your love, your sacrifices, and your constant support have helped bring our graduates to this incredible milestone. This celebration
004is just as much yours as it is theirs. To our teachers and staff, thank you for your tireless dedication, encouragement, and belief in every student. Thank you for your commitment to shaping minds, guiding hearts, and preparing our students for life beyond this campus. And to our graduates, congratulations. You've made it. Tonight we honor your hard work, your perseverance, and your transformation over the years. High school is a journey filled with challenges, discoveries, and growth, and each of you has walked that path in your own unique way. You've adopted, overcome, and achieved. Along the way, you've learned more than what textbooks could ever teach. You've learned resilience, integrity, empathy, and the value of community. You've grown not only in knowledge, but in character. As you prepare to take your next steps, whether that's college, the workforce,
005the military, or another path, I encourage you to carry with you one powerful word. I need you to remember this word, grit. Gr i t. Grit. Grit is more than determination. It's the relentless drive that keeps you moving forward no matter how tough the road gets. It's passion combined with perseverance. It's what pushes you to rise after a setback, to keep going when others might stop, and to stay committed to your long-term goals, even when the finish line seems far away. Let grit guide you. Let it remind you that you are capable, resilient, and prepared to shape your future with courage and conviction. Once again, welcome to all and to the graduating class. We are very proud of you. Let's begin the celebration of your achievement. Each year we recognize two students who have achieved
006the highest levels of academic excellence throughout their high school journey. Tonight, we are proud to recognize two exceptional members of the graduating class who have earned the highest academic honors based on their weighted point averages. These distinctions, validictorian and saludatoran, represent a consistent commitment to academic excellence across all four years of high school. including the successful completion of rigorous honors AP and dual enrollment courses. Our validictorian has earned the highest weighted GPA in the class of 2025. This honor reflects an extraordinary level of academic achievement and personal discipline. Whether in the classroom, in extracurricular pursuits, or through service to the school community, this student has consistently set the bar high and exceeded expectations. Please join me in congratulation congratulating our validictorian Mirela Karacino [Applause] I'm a little nervous, guys. It's okay. First off, I would
007like to thank the teachers and staff of all the schools. Without your continued support and encouragement, a lot of us would not be up here today. I also want to thank my mom and dad for teaching me the skills that have helped me succeed and for always backing me up and cheering me on when I need it most. Lastly, I would like to thank Crimson for putting up with me for more than three years now. And Chloe, Lola, Kate, and Franny for making high school such a memorable and fun experience. For as long as my classmates and I have attended school here, this stage has hosted some of our proudest moments. More than a decade ago, some of us stood in the these same spots, grinning ear to ear with pride at prek graduation. Four
008years ago, many of us sat here six feet apart. And although we wore masks, we still smiled, mostly out of relief from leaving behind the difficulty of our eighth grade year. Now, it's as easy to smile as it is to cry. It is surreal to know that tonight will be the last time we cross the stage. Every year we've had we've had the comfort of knowing that things will be the same when we come back in months. Same gopher holes in the football field, same sketchy fire alarm, and the same post lunch speedwalks to class at 12:34. But not this time. Stepping into the next chapter of our lives, some of us have a clear path to follow, and others plan to go wherever life takes them. Either way, we're all making a big big
009leap towards adulthood and saying goodbye to the place where we spent some of our most formative years. It's scary to know that everything changes from here. But it's also exciting. There are endless possibilities waiting beyond these auditorium doors. Decades ahead that are completely undetermined right now. I'll miss the chilly football game nights I spent cheering until I lost my voice and the car games I played in class with friends, mostly to avoid doing our work. But I know that there are plenty more great memories to be made in the future. When we're older, we'll probably feel nostalgic for these years. But the good times are far from over. And for some of us, they just they've only just begun. It took a lot of work to make it to this moment. Graduation has always seemed
010like the ultimate goal. And now that it's completed, it's hard not to look ahead and worry about what comes next. Watching each senior senior class graduate over the years, it never quite sunk in that it would be us up here one day. But here we are and I have no doubt every one of us will have a bright future in store. Congratulations class of 2025. Thank you. Look gorgeous. Our saladan has earned the second highest weighted GPA in the class of 2025. This students record speaks for years of focus and responsibility. Please help me welcome and congratulate our saladian Chloe Cotay. [Applause] Thank you, Miss Mercy. Good evening, everyone. Family, friends, teachers, staff, and of course, the graduating class of 2025. From the day I stepped into preK at all schools, I've grown with this
011town and its people. I've watched classmates become lifelong friends, teachers turn into mentors, and a community shine brighter than ever. This town has shaped who I am, and I'll always carry a piece of awe with me wherever I go. Standing here, graduating as your saludiatorum is surreal. It feels like it was just yesterday we were in this very auditorium, dancing to a million dreams from The Greatest Showman, completely dramatic and probably with two left feet, but most importantly, happy and youthful. We were younger then, couldn't wait to grow up and explore the world, even if we didn't fully understand what that meant. And now we're here on stage in our caps and gowns, flooded with memories of laughter in the hallway, stressful planning, and random texts in our class group chats. Today is a celebration
012of how far we came individually and together. To my best friends, two who stand with me today in caps and gowns, and two who graduated before me, thank you for being my laughter and my safe space. I've been truly blessed to have people like you in my life. I'll miss the memories of walking to the coffee shop for lunch freshman year or dressing up as Mr. Worldwide and having Kate tell me, "Wow, I love your confidence. I would never wear that." In all seriousness, every day I woke up and went to school, looking forward to being with all of you. To my family, your unconditional love and support has been the greatest gift I could ever wish to receive. I would not be here without you. Mom, you have always fought for what was best
013for me. Dad, you are kind-hearted and have helped me through the darkest days. And my sister, who is graduating nursing school this year, you have always been my biggest inspiration. For my family, you are the best family I could ever dream of having. Thank you for everything. Congratulations, class of 2025. It's time to close this chapter and begin the next. I wish the best of luck to each and every one of you. Thank you. Thank you. As we celebrate this incredible milestone for the class of 2025, we are honored to welcome a very special guest. He leads our district with vision, dedication, and a deep commitment to student success. Please join me in welcoming our superintendent, Dr. Roman Sult, who is here to share a few words of wisdom and encouragement with our graduating class.
014[Applause] I might be biased, but she's my favorite principal. She does a great job. Let's give hero in her first year. She done a great job. dedicated, motivated, and you heard what she said, grit, and she has a lot of it. Good evening, board members, students, staff, families, and our entire Aaho Unified School District community. I am Dr. Sautterero, the proud superintendent of AUSD. Thank you for being with us tonight for this incredibly special celebration of our high school seniors as they move on to college and career readiness opportunities. Teachers, you set the tone with your guidance and dedication. Mr. Chi, Miss Mr. Fernandez, Miss Scio, Mr. Ningle, Miss Lopez, Mr. Bor, Mr. Romo, Miss Queeny, Mr. Delara, Mr. Estinetta, Miss Bautista, Miss Delara, Mr. Roger, Miss Garcia, and Mr. Casey. Thank you so much.
015Families, your support was was critical. Your supporting caring was extremely critical. Leadership team, you set the tone and expectations. And most importantly, Red Raider students, you did the hard work and brought the energy and enthusiasm every single day. And I truly admire you for that. You guys motivated me. Maybe I didn't tell you enough, but I'm telling you now. You are my motivation every single day. And I thank you for it. Much gracias. Our focus this year in AUSD was directly to the point. Make each day your masterpiece. And what is your why? Students, all year you showed what your why should be. Pride, personal responsibility, and daily excellence. Enjoy the moment every second of every minute of every hour of every day of every week of every month all year. Work to improve 1%
016every day for the next year at the end of the next year. That is tremendous growth 365% and also to make AUSD the best district in Arizona. Very soon you're going to be Aaho High School alumni and will carry on the tradition of proud Red Raider alumni with the strong legacy that you have left for future senior classes. Some of your legacy includes Aaho Unified as a B-rated school district. Lady Raiders softball making it to the state playoffs of softball for three straight years. Give it up for our Lady Raiders. Our home high school cheerleaders. Our whole high school cheerleaders. State champions in three categories. The most successful sport on our campus. Give it up for our cheerleaders. [Applause] the first AO High School student council to attend the University of Arizona Eller College of
017Management High School Ethics Forum. The top three places in the individual high school ethics contest as sponsored by the Better Business Bureau and CEO Miss Arin Copa. Out of 200 I want you to hear this. Out of 200 high school students from Tucson Unified School District, Sunnyside Unified School District and the Tanker Unified School District, the top three places went to third place college scholarship, Northern Arizona University, our vice president, Ariana Valdez. Second place college scholarship, University of Arizona, Marina Martinez. [Applause] First place college scholarship must kingdom in Ohio. He is our president, Mr. Science Man. I have to tell you a quick little story I shared with Angelina today. We called him to the office cuz I wanted to get the spelling of his of his college right. So he came and told us
018then he left out the district office and I went to the boardroom to look out the board door and and I just looked and it took him about 15 minutes to get from the district office to building two. Not one of the school office, building two. Along the way, I counted about 10 students who came up to him, shook his hand, he shook their hand a few times and gave him a hug. They picked him up. They took a selfie with Silus. And then about three or four elementary students came up to him and they wanted him to sign their shirt. Long story short, that's heart, that's pride, that's dedication. Situs Manuel. There's Mama Silus. I know that she's Where are you? Right there. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve you,
019senior class of 2025. I am extremely humbled to have served as your superintendent these three years. You taught me so much. You are the best students in Arizona. I will take you seven days of the week and twice on Sunday. [Applause] High School class of 2025 and college graduation class of 2029. Congratulations. Let's go. You got this. Let's do it. [Applause] One last thing, please. [Music] [Applause] Mercy. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. [Applause] Sa. At this time, I am honored to officially present the graduating class of 2025. Members of the Aaho Unified School District's governing board, Superintendent Dr. Romanotero faculty and distinguished guests. Each of the students seated before you has fulfilled the requirements set forth by the OW Unified School District and the state of Arizona. It is with immense pride that I present
020to you the class of 2025. [Applause] Now I invite the governing board president, Mr. Rodney Hopkins, who will accept the class of 2025 on behalf of the district. [Applause] Thank you, Mr. Good evening, everybody. It is a privilege to stand before you on this momentous occasion. To our graduates, today marks the culmination of years of dedication, perseverance, and growth. You overcome challenges, embraced opportunities, and built memories that will last a lifetime. You leave Aaho High School not just with a diploma, but with the spirit and the strength to shape your future. And now, by the authority vested in me by the Aaho Unified School District Governing Board, I proudly accept the class of 2025 as graduates from Aaho High School. Congratulations. We can't wait to see the incredible things you do. And I want to
021remind you that wherever you go, let them know you're Red Raiders. Thank you. We will now begin the presentation of diplomas. Diplomas will be presented by Mr. Hopkins and the names of our graduates will be read by Mr. Via Senor, senior class sponsor. [Applause] Kabir [Applause] Aeno, Kayen Andreas, Aligeria [Applause] [Music] Eisner Daniel Alvarez, [Applause] Kiana Arono [Applause] Kaylin Alexander [Applause] [Music] Arenas Lola Mia Renee P Maralia [Applause] [Music] Calon, Mirela Camilleino. Chloe Rihanna, Emilio Gustavo. [Applause] [Music] Jai Ruen Rosario. [Music] Har Ali [Applause] Garcia, Melissa Ariana Gonzalez, Aal [Applause] [Music] Derek [Applause] [Music] Himenez near [Music] [Applause] Leon Princy Leonard. [Applause] [Music] Silence. Isaiah night. [Applause] Ashley Ni Mendes Martinez, Jacob Onipro, [Applause] [Music] Molina Heredia Martinez. [Music] Kate Rose. [Applause] [Music] Miss Hya, [Applause] Brian, Olivas, Munos, [Applause] Manuel, Nidia, Ves, Kubari. [Applause]
022Laosa Mateo [Music] [Applause] Sandovalina Romina Daniel Tamayo [Applause] Love you, Ariana. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Marier John Jr. [Applause] [Music] Now that congratulations graduates for receiving your diplomas. [Applause] And now to officially mark this moment of transition, I invite the student council vice president Abriana Valdez to the to lead the turning of the tassels. [Music] Graduates, please rise. On the count of three, one, two, three. You may now turn your tassels. [Applause] [Music] Ladies and gentlemen, I now present to you our graduates, the class of [Applause] [Music] 2025. Graduates, this is it. is now the beginning, the first chapter of the rest of your story. Congratulations once again. You have made us all very proud. Thank you for joining us tonight. Please remain in your seats as the graduates exit the stage. [Music] [Applause] [Music] I
023can see it clear as day. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Looking for the answer. [Applause] at the [Music] office. Thank you. [Applause] [Music] There you are. [Applause] [Music] You canow. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] stand. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] We can find [Music] [Applause] reason. You're [Music] It's okay.