001[Music] Hey. [Music] up. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] The muffin man. [Music] The monkey [Music] I'm sorry. [Music] Tomorrow is hug. Tomorrow is your [Music] Play Good afternoon. I am Brooke Parsons, the very proud principal of Cortez High School. On behalf of the entire staff and administration, I would like to welcome you to the commencement exercises of Cortez High School, which celebrates its 64th year with the class of 2025. Tradition dictates that the audience stand during the processional. However, to enable all of our guests to view the incoming graduates, we ask that you remain seated. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the graduating class of 2025. [Applause] [Music] One, two, three, [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Hallelujah. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Hallelujah. [Music] We don't [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] 53. 53. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Heat.
002Hey. Hey. Hey. [Music] Hallelujah. Hallelujah. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Okay. [Music] Please stand for the national anthem by the Cortez. choir in the presentation and retiring of the colors by the Cortez NJC. [Music] Carlo Oh, say can you see by the early so proud we at the [Music] lasting stripes and bright stars through the fight for [Music] the gall. [Music] bursting gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. Oh, say I [Music] spangle for the land of the [Music] free of the bra. [Applause] [Music] Please be seated. To our graduates, families, friends, and staff, welcome and thank you for being here to celebrate this unforgettable day with us. It is an absolute honor to stand before you today and give this welcoming speech. I'm incredibly grateful for this opportunity and I know I
003wouldn't be here without the amazing support system I've had behind me throughout this journey. To my family, my friends, and the teachers who pushed me, guided me, and reminded me of the of my potential when I needed it most. This moment is just as much yours as it is mine. Today is more than just a celebration of reaching the end of high school. It's a celebration of all the moments that made these four years unforgettable and the times that we felt like giving up but didn't. We've grown, not just as students, but as people. We've learned how to adapt when things go ary, how to keep going when we're tired, and how to lift each other up when things get tough. We all got here in different ways, but we're all here together now. And
004that's something worth celebrating. This isn't a stop along the way. It's a milestone that reflects all the effort, love, and perseverance it took to reach this point. So whether you're a student, a parent, a teacher, or a guest here today, thank you for showing up, for supporting us, and for being part of this moment. As we move on to whatever comes next, college, work, or something still unfolding, let's carry everything we've learned here into the next chapter of our lives. And most of all, let's keep showing up with heart, drive, and purpose, making sure we win the day every day. Congratulations, class of 2025. May we always remember where we started and never stop moving [Applause] forward. The foremost responsibility of any school is to foster and promote academic excellence. At Cortez High School, we
005recognize our most outstanding scholars by conferring our highest academic distinction upon those students who rank in the top 1% of the graduating class. This afternoon, I'm honored to present two students who have earned this prestigious recognition and hold the highest academic ranking in the class of 2025. Will the following students please stand as I call your name. Carla Judith Antonio Martinez, Colby Dell Lopez. [Applause] Thank you and congratulations. We now acknowledge those students who rank in the top 3% of the graduating class and have achieved the status of high distinction. Please stand and be recognized when your name is called. Lisa Lamb, Justice Santos, Melissa Escalante Santiago, and Vanessa Garcia Vasquez. Congratulations. Finally, I wish to recognize the students who rank in the top 10% of this graduating class and have earned the designation of
006honor status. While their names will not be read out loud, they are identified in your commencement program. Please join me in celebrating their remarkable academic achievement with a round of applause. Now you will hear from our students who are graduating with highest distinction. Carla Judith Antonio Martinez will speak first, followed by Colby Dale Lopez. Following their remarks, Ubaldo Area Rodriguez, senior class president, will make a presentation on behalf of the senior class. Good afternoon everyone. Um, okay. Congratulations to our graduating class of 2025. I want to start off by thanking God for being able to stand here and give a speech, but I also want to thank my teachers and family. Thank you to all my teachers from North Point. The resilience, sincerity, and passion for teaching. you guys demonstrated is unparalleled. You guys literally
007took $13 an hour and a dream literally. I will never forget the kindness and impact you guys left on us. I didn't come here until last year, but I want to thank Cortez and his teachers for providing many opportunities that I could not have achieved previously. Thank you to Coach Lamin and the tennis team for making me look forward to the season and and allowing me to discover a new hobby I will continue to pursue. More than anything, I want to thank my parents. Dad, I love you. Thank you for providing for us and being available for us as well. Thank you for advising me and reminding me that you will always love me and support me regardless of whatever the future holds. Thank you, Mom, for your kindness and dedication to raising us. for
008keeping a smile through tough times, to your selflessness. You've been a role model. Thank you both for being open to new conversations and reminding me that I can do anything and everything. I'll continue to work hard for you guys so that eventually one day I'll be the one taking care of you guys without any worries. Um, Thank you everyone and again congratulations to the class of [Applause] 2025. I wish everyone the best. Good afternoon, class of 2025. To quote Cortez alumnist Alice Cooper, the most the two most joyous times of the year are Christmas morning and the end of school. End quote. Needless to say, this guy gets it. On a more serious note, I want to begin by thanking my family as well as the families of all the graduates here today. Without all
009of you, we wouldn't be here. Your support, encouragement, and belief in us made this moment possible. What we've achieved today is real, and it matters. Though Cortez might be a small school, we've made a big impact. Being part of a team my sophomore year, coming off of a five-year 50game losing streak, and watching that streak finally break, not by luck or by fluke, but through sheer palpable devotion to a cause from a small group of kids against all odds, taught me lessons in overcoming adversity that no textbook ever could. And it's filled me with nothing but confidence and what this class is capable of. At a time in history when it's easy to fall into apathy or indifference, we kept showing up. We pushed through. And today we get to celebrate not just our individual
010achievements, but what we've accomplished together. That said, while we should all be ecstatic, I urge you to let this be a starting point, not a finish line. The world we've known for the last 13 years is coming to a bittersweet end. But our lives are just beginning. Over these years, we've gathered the tools we need. And after today, we finally have the materials to build something bigger, something incredible. It's been a privilege to grow with all of you these past four years. As Coach Hop would say, together as one. No matter where life takes you, college, work, the military, or places still unknown, be bold, be kind, and most importantly, live long and prosper. Congratulations, class of 2025. Thank you. As the senior class president, it is with great honor that I get to stand
011here and speak to you all today. I'd like to thank everyone who helped me get here. My parents, family, teachers, anyone that knows they helped, and even military recruiters. Without them, I wouldn't be the person I am today. I am so proud to say I'm graduating with you all today. Whether or not our paths cross again, I hope everyone here accomplishes great things. And it is with great pleasure that I get to announce this year's senior gift, which is new scoreboards for the baseball and softball field. I know these new scoreboards will help light up the games held in our improved baseball field. I hope that these teams make great use of the scoreboards and bring the community together at the games held at Cortez. Congratulations, class of 2025. I hope you all carry this
012momentum to the next chapter of your life. and for my [Music] parents. Thank you, [Applause] Ubaldo. On behalf of the students and faculty of Cortez High School, I want to thank you and the senior class for the thoughtful and generous gifts. Thank you. At this At this time, please enjoy the Cortez Concert Band's performance of You'll Never Walk Alone. [Music] Hello. [Music] What do you mean? [Music] At this time, I would like to introduce two special guests. Mr. Mr. Brian Capistran, superintendent of the Glendel Union High School District, and also Mrs. Patty Kennedy, governing board president. Patty Kennedy, a dedicated member of the GUHSD community, was elected in November of 2010. Having graduated from Moon Valley High School, she shares a strong connection with the school as her two children and several other family members
013also attended. Patty generously dedicated her time as a volunteer for Moon Valley's theater program. Apart from her active involvement in the educational realm, she is an ardent gardener with a special passion for cacti. Leveraging her extensive experience as an accountant, Patty has served as a CFO for a local law firm, bringing her financial expertise to the organization. Please join me in welcoming our governing board president, Patty Kennedy, to the [Applause] podium. Good afternoon, Cortez High School class of 2025. I'm really excited to be here to celebrate with all of you, your families, and your friends. Before I address the graduates, I first want to thank those who have helped them get to this important day. Parents, families, and friends of today's graduates. Thank you for your support, your assistance, your guidance, and maybe most of
014all, your patience during these high school years. faculty and staff and administration of Cortez High School. It is due in no small part to your dedication and your support that these students are well on their way to being productive, well-educated, and active members of our community. Thank you so much. [Applause] Graduates, you are standing at a precipice. You are now adults with all that entails. The world is calling on you not just to show up, but to shape the future. Today, I want to talk to you about two things that may not seem flashy or like they even necessarily go together, but they do. And they are very powerful. Kindness and civic responsibility. Currently, maybe always, the world is loud. Opinions fly, tempers are flaring, headlines blaring, social media beckons. Amid all that noise, it
015is easy to think that strength means shouting louder and winning every debate. But real strength, it often looks quieter. It is the courage to listen when it is easier to shout. It is the decision to show empathy when it is easier to be indifferent. It is making the choice to care even when the world feels cold and uncaring. Kindness is not weakness. It is nothing less than revolutionary. It is a vote for the kind of world in which you want to live. And every time you treat someone with respect, lift someone up, or even just hold back a harsh word, you are casting that vote. But it doesn't stop there. Civic responsibility is kindness on a grand scale. It is realizing that you are not just individuals. You are members of your communities. You can
016choose to give back, to speak up, to vote, to volunteer, to build bridges rather than walls. Maybe you're thinking, "I'm just one person. What can I really do?" But I'll tell you that every movement in history, every real lasting change started with someone asking that same question and then going ahead and doing something small that changed the course of history. So as you step into adulthood, I challenge you, be civically responsible and be kind. Not just when it is easy, but especially when it is hard. be involved not just when you're told to, but because your voice matters, your choices matter. Your vote matters. And most of all, you matter. Kindness and civic responsibility are not just ideas. They are actions. And they start with you. Congratulations, Cortez, class of 2025. Now go out there.
017Make the world better. One small step, one kind act at a time. Congratulations, President Kennedy. It is my pleasure as principal of Cortez High School to certify that these students have met the requirements for graduation as set forth by the Glendel Union High School District. Accordingly, I present this class and I respectfully request that you accept these graduates and that you and Mr. Capistran confer diplomas upon them. As a member of the governing board of the Glendale Union High School District and by the authority vested in me by the constitution and the laws of the state of Arizona, I accept and confirm that the Cortez High School class of 2025 has met the requirements for graduation. Mrs. Parsons, please present your graduates to receive their diplomas. Seniors, will those of you seated in the front
018row please rise and prepare to receive your diplomas? [Applause] How you doing? How you doing? [Music] Noelia Santos Ventura Esmeralda Sandival Alamante Carla Judet Antonio Martinez, Skyler Joy Starman, Kobe Dale Lopez, Rowan Alice Drummond, Ubaldo Urea Rodriguez, Camila Carmealito, Rosa Monteo, Connor James Crutcher and Eliza Morales Flores, Kaylee Elizabeth Vasquez, Lena Laura Stevens, [Music] Vanessa Adali Garcia Vasquez, Joseline Iet Santana, [Music] Ayana Yavan Lawler Jesus Omar Rasilo Mata Justice Idalia Santos Albert Junior Peralta Kayla Lynn Tolman Joel Ramirez Lisa Lamb, Dominic Christopher Lavar Tucker, Sophia Gloss, Larry Rodriguez, Barios, Rafka Aldu Jay Lee, Daniel Alejand, Rodriguez, Estraa, Melanie Resendez, Cario, Angel Miguel Sanchez, Gina Hernandez, Santiago, Anthony Sanchez, Morrow, Melissa Escalantes, Santiago Junior Lopez Gimenez Rosahare Guadalupe Garcia Roas Angelie Gloria Corola Pantalon [Music] Bonire Bazira Cynthia Guadalupe Mendoza Rescendes [Applause] [Music] this Yamad Jetsimmani
019Solis Gomez Christopher Martinez Rodarte Carlos Manuel Leon Miguel Ramirez Lopez, Judith Guadalupe, Sanchez, Guarramama, [Applause] Janetsi, Nita Cesar, Samantha Toledo. Got it. All right. Good. Miriam Tariq Hashim Subahawi, Abigail Barita Mendoza, Marlene Ian, Ivan Ramirez, Santiago, Javijawa, Aumani, Roberto Danielle Ramirez, Tokalal Abuhanar Ernesto Hime Tahhara Jr. Hanan Hussein Albadiri, Vicente Paul Sanchez, Flores, [Music] Renee Areli, Basol, Arian Khan, Diazi, Yanelli, Eskea, Christian Joshua, Quesada, Ameliano Contras, Martin Ivan Lopez, Sto Martin Tado Baras, Kamacho, Ariana Angel Silva, America Vion, Delgado Nunees, right here. Wait a minute. Emily Grace Wickard, [Applause] Jaden Jadea George, Miam Subihawi, Cordell Ryan Glover, An Baya Nine, Jose Maria Gos Jr. Winwin Tay sign Abram Eduardo Brumil Lily Anna Rodriguez Stephanie Michelle Chi Juliana Marie Maldonado Alicorn Gabriel Javier Diaz Aina Ukitch, Hussein Ali Mandir, Alzawir, Zara, Monnique Rogers, Carlos Garcia Martinez,
020Musa Fahim Watts, John Laroy, Favier Gonz, Gonzalez, Stacy Sanchez, Mo Ali, Liliana Isabelle, Santiago, Alicon, Ulyses, [Music] Espanosa, Jesus, Antonio Vobos, Arzate, Christopher, Esql, Diaz, Yenia Roas Hernandez, Demetrius Anderson Jr. Careful, careful. Uezo Pendleo Jazelle Contras Rodriguez Vantha Parr Leon Anthony Jr. Mary Sweet Chin Carr, Alexis Gonzalez, Evangelista, Megan Ruth Walters, Elijah Cooper, Ryder, [Music] Tanner James Morris, Stephanie Jocelyn Gonzalez, Garcia, Yeah. Harro Eden Vetel Gonzalez, Adani Laureli Gomez Garcia, Jaden Steven Moore, Ulyses Cvantes, Soro, Jaden Christopher Smith, Brian Brennan Etica, I Stephan Thor Olsen, [Music] Jose Barza Mendoza, Zakaya Ljenberg, Fabian Hernandez Gonzalez, Deari Michael Lynch, Yan No. Castro Garcia, Luise Keno, Angelene Vasquez, Morales, [Music] Victor Elias, Jimenez, Yamalith Samantha Selen Reyes, Joseph Armando, Elgado Escobario. Okay. Jasmine Loren Salorio. Henzel Hanoa Guerrero Oi. Brian Robles. [Music] Sean Anthony Rogerio. Chelsea Morgan, Adrien
021Jacob Garcia, Katherine Nant, patience hymana, twin nine, Harris Kjek, Jelle Mario, [Music] Jonathan Anthony Carpio Diana Paulina Lopez Arias Natalie Leen Aragas Perez Amanda Paulina Yamlet Garcia Zueta Flora Valeria Sigura Diaz, Alexa Cardinz, Giralba, Andreas Es Ruiz Caro, Yarexi Hernandez, Escarga, Caleb Matthew [Music] Starchman, Liza Carrera, Andre Carmelo [Applause] [Music] Shepard, AA You Sarah Rose Tommen, Nicholas Doe, Esmeralda, Salgado, [Music] Sadiki, Guom, Sai Santos Rodriguez, Luke Aukulu, Caitlyn Hope, Lenhard, [Applause] Dolores, Felix, Eric Joelle Perez, Belran, Jennifer Naomi, Jacone, Angelina Nicole Manga, Dominic, Eli, Cordova, Abraham, Asai, Yamz, Nora Al-Nasar, Joshua Valencia, Mia Jordan Bailey, Diego Santana Santiago, Kimora Ne Coleman, Anthony Serrano, Cortez, Emily Salaz, Cardinas, Isaac Martinez, Monzone, Kavia Beay, Wilbur Rivera Jr. Daniel Barcenzas Orvina, Trayvon Amar Wiggins, Haley Lena Balak, Si Sto Alandra Fuentes, Kevin Javier Macaro Montiguro, Vivian Marie Dominguez,
022Daniel John Yep, [Applause] Joxlyn Herrera Castro, Brian Reya Hernandez, Alysia Barbosa Mara, Sergio Jael Sanchez, David Barbosa Mara, Anthony John Many goats, Tylen Lionel, Hunter, Ameliano Alfredo, Antiveros, Rojas, Joshua Jimenez, Carbajal, Jonathan Roas, Bernell, Maya Naglay Johnson, Denise Elizabeth Molon Garcia, Angelus De Jesus Air Montreal, Fernando Sanchez, Trey Anthony Harris, Bryson, Gustavo, Angel Morales, Poco, Kira Caroline Brown, Alise Uho, Beth Anne Grace Cook, Leslie Morales, Ancenez, Nicholas Jose Kovar, Rubio, Gabriel Ricky Torres, Devil Jayen Fowler, Carlos Fernando Roas Gomez, Janette Ruth Franco, Kobe Eli Thompson, Adonz Alberto Barantos, Valasquez, Emerald Esparalda, Nikai, Alan Lonel, Bhutan, Bonitez, Kylie Salant, Devin Allan Beasley, Nigel Tay, [Applause] Lindsay, Jelmquatch, Chalden As our graduation ceremony draws to a close, let us take a moment to reflect on the past four years while our choir performs Over the Rainbow. [Music]
023Oh, heat. [Music] land that I dream of. Once [Music] love the [Music] rainbows that you dare to Dreams really do come [Music] true over the rainbow. [Music] I wish the clouds are far [Music] behind [Music] where [Music] that's where you'll find me. [Music] Somewhere over the [Music] rainbow [Music] fly over the rainbow and wide. [Music] Oh, [Music] [Applause] Seniors, please rise. You may now move your tassels from the right to the left side of your cap. Parents and guests, may I present to you the graduated class of 2025. [Applause] Throw your hats. [Music] [Applause] [Music] I don't know what [Music] C X C H C H O C H O You guys did awesome. [Music] everything. All right, I will see you next week. All [Music] right, guys. Got a lot. [Music] Let's go.