001please stand and join me for the Pledge of Allegiance and remain standing for a moment of silence no okay 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 [Music] [Applause] you may be seated thank you good evening and welcome to MCAT High School's graduation we are honored to have the support of our community parents and families who have shown up tonight to support our hard-working graduates before we get started tonight we have a few courtesy reminders to our audience Marana Middle School is a non-smoking facility please do not use any tobacco products including e-cigarettes or vaping devices while on school grounds or inside tonight's graduates are wearing colored sashes and honor cords to
002designate their academic achievements graduates from MCAT High School are wearing gold sashes and Miranda distance learning graduates are wearing purple additionally students who were on the principals list are wearing a white honor cord this is an academic accomplishment of all A's and B's on any quarterly report card during their time at MCAT I would like to congratulate all of these students on their honors tonight thank you at this time I would like to welcome many of our distinguished guests in attendance beginning with the Marana Unified School District governing board Mr Tom Carlson governing board member and Ms Catherine micronas governing board member also in attendance tonight are members of our district level senior administrative team Dr Daniel Streeter our superintendent Dr Carolyn dumler our assistant superintendent Miss Kristen Reedy assistant superintendent Mr Mark goligowski assistant
003superintendent and Ms Denise linsalata executive director of state and federal programs there are a lot of people who are a part of our students success at MCAT most importantly though are the teachers and staff who work alongside our students each day I have the privilege of seeing their efforts to help students learn feel confident and set goals collectively they are a committed patient and enthusiastic group of people I often reflect on how truly blessed I am to work with this talented group of Educators would you please join me in thanking the entire team at MCAT including the Miranda distance learning program Ace and the dental assisting program our MCAT team is proud to provide a quality education for this group of students and for the Marana Community we are honored that our students have allowed
004us to be part of their Journeys I would also like to take a moment to thank the parents and families who supported these graduates we know that you are an important part of their support network you have provided encouragement and motivation to these young people along the way graduates please take a moment to thank your families for all they have done to help you along the way foreign on behalf of the MCAT staff Mr Oliver Bowen will now say a few words of congratulations to the class of 2023. Mr Bowen is a valued teammate at MCAT and assists our students as one of our social studies teachers Mr Bowen is an acknowledged leader on our campus and always goes the extra mile for our students and staff he is thoughtful caring and a trusted member
005of our team more importantly though he brings an energy and enthusiasm to learning and is highly committed to helping students achieve higher levels of personal and academic success I give you Mr Bowen thank you thank you Dave well hello um uh and I'm I'm pleased to speak on behalf of this staff um it's always an honor to be asked to do this it's also a big responsibility and a challenge you know trying to sum up an entire year and what that year means in just a few words is a daunting task and before I get into it into the details I want to give a shout out to a guy by the name of Carlos Gonzalez who who can't be with us tonight but I want to acknowledge Him a little bit and go into
006a word that I think sums up this entire school year for for all of us you students we as a staff and that word is success um you know the word success just feels right um and I want you to know that success is you not just being here um success describes more than just you being here tonight it really encompasses everything you've overcome in your life to get to this point it's not the end of something it's the process it's the process every single one of you went on choosing to come to MCAT choosing to pass classes choosing to put yourself first and get to this point tonight I think that really summarizes our experience as a staff with you and I think it's more than just a simple word it really describes what
007all of you get to celebrate and what you are celebrating tonight and so here's the party in words I guess the success you've achieved at MCAT is now a model for how you live your lives you set your goals you overcome the things that challenge you you learn from them you grow and you live a successful life so on behalf of the staff I think I want to say we're happy that we've been given the opportunity to be part of your success so congratulations [Applause] tonight we celebrate an amazing group the graduating class of 2023 sitting in this space tonight are young people pursuing their dreams in every area you might imagine students who have completed career and Tech educational certifications and construction Dental Assisting or robotics programs students who have been awarded scholarships and
008internships to continue their Education and Training Beyond High School our students interests are diverse so much so that several of them have applied and been accepted to all three major Arizona universities Dr Streeter you'll be pleased to know that at least one of them has decided to attend ASU we also have cerebral sibling sets graduating together tonight you will see them stop briefly on on the landing to my right to celebrate together the class of 2023 is a group of talented and amazing individuals the graduates tonight remind us what it means to persevere learn new things and Thrive even when life is difficult during challenging times sometimes you have to look a little harder for the good but it's still there the class of 2023 is that bright Beacon showing all of us that challenges
009won't last forever and good times are ahead I encourage the graduates tonight to carry those good times forward in spirit with our school mascot Vegeta here are some facts about cheetahs that you may not have considered that show how our students can be like cheetahs cheetahs set goals and they pursue them with intensity and speed cheetahs are the only non-domesticated cats that purr indicating their kindness and connection with others cheetahs also tend to lay around and sleep in trees when they don't have something to do but we're not going to focus on that tonight overall cheetahs are one of the most awe-inspiring land animals around when they display their strength their speed and their focus at MCAT we tried to help you keep your focus by using the Three A's academics attendance and attitude I
010hope that you will remember the power of having a positive attitude how it can help you achieve the impossible and how a belief in yourself is something no one can take away I hope you will go into the world with that same determination and belief that you will accomplish great things just like the cheat As You Are a blink of an eye ago I was sitting where you sat wondering what the future held for me while I don't know where your paths will lead you I do know that you're in for an exciting time enjoy every minute of it as we prepare to present your diplomas and recognize your accomplishments this evening go out into the world be focused and intense and more importantly believe in yourselves congratulations my little cheetahs I wish you every
011success in the world now that I've told you all about these amazing students it's actually time to hear from them yourselves so our graduates are going to join us as an important tradition in this ceremony which is to encourage any student that wants to give a graduation speech to have the ability to do so so we have some Brave students tonight that have volunteered for this honor and we'll start tonight with Nadia all day [Applause] thank you Waters right here hi everyone good evening evening and thank you for joining us graduates tonight my name is Nadia and I would like to share a little about what I've learned from MCAT and what I will take with me in life before I get into that I want to congratulate all graduates tonight because we finally did
012it it was a long and bumpy road and a lot of us hit points where we completely lost Hope on the thought of finishing but today we sit with a tassel bugging our face and that makes this more than just a diploma looking at the bigger picture the piece of paper indicates that we're more than what that we're worth more than what we imagined at some point it clicked in our head that we were going to continue with our lives and we realized what we needed needed to do and we did it we showed ourselves that we matter and we can get things done alongside we had those peoples who all those people who saw our struggles but still knew we'd make it even in the moments that we didn't I never even like school
013to be honest but when I made the switch everything changed I met amazing lifelong friends and we kindled some friendships it was like the school was for people who felt like they didn't fit in but somehow we fit in together it was a whole different environment and of course like any other school there are strict rules but that's what made it feel like we were cared for the entire MCAT staff changed my perspective about school as a whole Miss green being the first principal to know my name and engage with me on almost a daily basis Miss Wren teaching me how to read the most complex English stories Miss Binion finding ways to make reading a book fun Mr Todd that crazy cool cat who showed everyone what college may look like and it and
014if you look away for even a second you miss the entire formula and the first four problems Mr Ewing definitely had to stead your way with his teaching but he still made cash flow pretty fun and because of Miss rainierson I'm leaving high school knowing how to do my own taxes also Bowen prepared us for how heated debates can get last but most certainly not least my the most influenced influential teacher I've ever had Mr Kennedy Mr Kennedy's optimistic way of life helped his classroom become a safe space for me in his very classroom I did the most work and when I would doubt myself there was Mr Kennedy with his positive energy reminding me I'd figure it out and I'd get here thank you to all the MCAT mcat's teachers and staff because without
015your guidance we would not be here miss long and Miss Rivera who were my biggest some of my biggest cheerleaders never made me feel like it was too late Miss Garcia and Miss Hayes keeping me in check when I had a tardy slip Miss Luna who'd write my tardy slips that she tell me but look at me now miss Luna all MCAT staff has been so incredibly supportive I always felt truly cared for and recognized at the school but after all the hard struggles I'm finally here no more tardy slips to my dad who has been waiting for this moment for years and tonight he finally gets to see his hard work pay off my son who reminds me I have somebody who loves me unconditionally and the family that found me thank you for
016believing in me to my best friend who made sure I was on track and was there every step of the way my mama and my little brother who watched me take too long to get ready then blame him for making us late hard lectures and early mornings but it's finally over with my angel above is with me daily watch me sink then rise I feel how proud he is and I'm so proud of all of us personally 2022 was the worst year of my life everything I knew slipped from under me but had it not been for MCAT I would not be receiving a diploma today I knew they were all rooting for me and waiting for me to finish and wherever life may take me I'll always remember I'm an MCAT cheetah now I'd
017like to introduce our next speaker Mariah Bowland [Applause] foreign good evening I would like to thank you all for coming here tonight and celebrating this new chapter with us my name is Mariah Bolin I am 17 years old and transferred to MCAT from Marana High School last year with the goal to graduate early before I begin I would like to thank my family because they are the reason I am standing here today with all of their love understanding and support they have given me every opportunity to succeed they have praised me along the way for my accomplishments and continue to lift me up whenever I was down or struggling with something they have helped mold me into who I have become and how I have gotten here today so thank you again I would also
018like to thank all of the other parents out there of my classmates for being the love and support for them that they needed also I would like to give a special shout out to miss ryanerson Mr Kennedy and Mr Bowen sorry for telling me every day that I entered their room that everything was going to be okay that I was fine and I was doing a great job and to just running focused on my goals I swear it sacrificed felt like they sacrificed so much of their time just to make sure that I was doing okay lastly thank you to all of the other teachers and staff for everything you have done for us and for keeping our school an easy place to move along I would have never thought that I would be standing
019in front of my graduating class speaking for many as to how thankful I am to have made it here after we have been through such a roller coaster of events in 2020 the entire world changed in the high school years I wish to have filled with bright spirits and laughter wasn't what I was expecting as too many others our in-person classes became isolated at home in kitchens online some of my friends Dropped Out Sports and other activities were put on hold I lost friends to Suicide others lost friends to drug overdose and most importantly we forgot how to socialize although these were some very challenging times and we have shared a few tiers we managed to gain strength and fight in order to be recognized here today I wanted to share a verse with you
020that has kept me going through every obstacle it says see I am doing a new thing now it Springs up do you not perceive it I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the Wasteland in other words God is always making a way and regardless of the conflict and to never give up on yourself or your goals because everything will be okay for those of you interested that was Isaiah 43 19 in the Bible to the class of 2023 our lives are just getting started don't ever give up be the light that other people want to be be true to who you are Stand Tall walk proud and remember to do a hundred percent and everything that you do remember if you can dance in the rain you can stand in any
021storm congratulations we did it next is a classmate I value and respect Melissa hartog [Applause] good afternoon everybody my name is Melissa Hartzog okay dear fellow graduates teachers parents and guests as I stand before you today I feel a mix of emotions I'm sure we all share and I'm proud that we've made it to this moment the moment that we've been anticipating for years we've all worked very hard to get here and we should be proud of ourselves graduation is a time of Celebration but it is also a time of reflection is it a time to look back on our high school experience and remember the moments that shaped us into who we are today we Face challenges overcome obstacles and made memories that will last a lifetime it's also a time to look forward
022to the future we're about to embark on a New Journey one that will be filled with new opportunities and challenges we'll face new experiences meet new people but regardless of where life takes us we must remember that we are the future we have we have the power to make a difference in the world and we must work hard and stay true to our values remember the importance of hard work determination and perseverance and never give up on our dreams I want to take a moment to thank our teachers and parents for their support throughout our high school Journey without them we wouldn't be here today they've helped push us to do our best and they've been here to pick us up when we've Fallen we owe them a debt of gratitude that could never be
023repaid I'm thankful we've had a place like MCAT to continue our education at our own pace it's important to remember we are all on our own Journey with our own problems and obstacles to overcome that money does not mean success self-worth does and success comes at different Paces for everybody finally to my fellow graduates I want to say we made it we've accomplished something that not everybody has the opportunity to do we've proven that we have what it takes to secede and we should be proud of ourselves as we move forward we must remember to take with us the values of Integrity respect and kindness and use them to make a world a better place congrats class of 23 we did it thank you sorry now I'd like to introduce my friend Jamie k [Applause]
024foreign but MCAT changed me a lot um made me realize life is going to make me want to do uncomfortable things but I'm better for it so bear with me after a concussion left me unable to finish my junior year over at Mountain View my time at MCAT started in a way MCAT gave me a chance to get back on track with graduating but unfortunately for me my senior year happened to be in 2020. online learning just really wasn't for me coven made me feel like my high school career was over when I had only three credits left I was still unable to graduate on time at the time really felt like everything was against me and so I had decided to take a break from school but in January of this year I was
025given the opportunity to finish what I had started I did it with more support from my family my friends and teachers than ever before and I'm so proud of myself and everyone who's graduating today we finally did it whether we're here earlier late we're here and I cannot wait to see how far we all go congratulations class of 2020 and we have Danae pasina next thank you [Music] I tend to get emotional so bear with me my name is Danae and if you would have talked to me six months ago I would have told you that I simply wasn't gonna graduate this was until I made the move to MCAT when I made the move my mindset was just get it over with but in a short time I realize that's not how the world
026works this school has truly showed me what it means to be a responsible successful adult in society now I can't give all the credit to the school my support system throughout high school was amazing and I would not be standing here without them but that being said one person who truly inspires me to be the best version of myself and has stuck by me my entire life and that person is my theoderic he pushes me to do better for myself no matter what and I cannot thank him enough for that that's right to wrap this up I just want to say thank you to all my teachers for being there and always thank you to miss green for making it possible for me to create these relationships lastly congratulations to all my fellow graduates we
027did it our last speaker tonight is the one and only Michael Rogers [Applause] big crowd I'm nervous you know someone once told me someone once told me this and I never understood it but Imagining the audience naked was never was never is supposed to make you less nervous but honestly I just feel pretty uncomfortable right now especially with Mr Bowen right here [Applause] fellow graduates staff parents and faculty my name is Michael and I'm here today to stand before you and convince the school board that I actually was a good student no but in all seriousness before I indulge more into my speech first I'd like to give thanks to myself I mean there's no way in a million years that I thought I'd ever be standing here today I always thought I'd end up
028dropping out of high school or be in high school forever which I don't even think is possible it sounds like the plot of an Adam Sandler movie I would also like to thank the teachers staff and staff who helped me throughout my time here Mr parag for having to deal with me since Mountain View boy that must have had been fun um and I like to thank my mom for all the love she had to give me and my dad for all the tough love he had to give me I would also like to thank the internet Google grammarly copy and paste and the people I sometimes copied work off of y'all came in clutch for real but in all seriousness we made it we survived the years of high school the years of drama
029the years of homework and the years of cafeteria food that looked like it was made in a prison facility I mean seriously my breakfast sandwiches were as hard as rocks but we made it nonetheless we made it throughout the awkward freshman year the rebellious sophomore year the stressful junior year and the senioritis ridden senior year and now we're here finally to take on are finally ready to take on the world but before we do that let's take a moment and reflect on the past remember when we thought that high school was going to be like High School Musical but it turned out to be more like super bad or Mean Girls remember when we thought that we were trying we were going to be best friends forever with everyone but we ended up having more
030enemies and less friends remember when we thought that prom was going to be the best night of our lives but it turned out to be just another dance with awkwards with awkward tensions and sweat and a sweat-filled crowd well despite all of that we made it we made it through the late nights studying for exams the early mornings rushing to catch the bus and the endless hours spent in detention for pranks that we probably shouldn't have pulled and other unspoken reasons we made it through the heartbreaks the failures and the disappointments we made it through the worst of times and the best of times so as we move on to our next chapter of Our Lives let's remember to never take ourselves too seriously now let's remember to always find the humor in every situation
031let's remember to never forget the friends we made and the memories we shared and most importantly let's remember to always be ourselves even if that means being the class clown so as you all walk out of these doors tonight remember that you were leaving you were leaving behind the days of being a caterpillar and entering the days of being a butterfly except instead of growing wings you'll be growing student loans thank you and congratulations to the class of 2023. these are very brave students they've shared a diversity of stories let's give them one last round of applause so now the moment we've been waiting for joining me tonight for the presentation of diplomas is Mr Oliver Bowen Mr Bowen will be reading the names of our graduates as diplomas are awarded it is now my
032pleasure to announce that the MCAT High School seniors who sit before you have met all the requirements set by the Marana Unified School District to participate in this ceremony it is my privilege now to ask the seniors to come forward to accept all of the honors which they have earned as graduates foreign [Music] [Applause] Boland [Applause] Lindsay bunting [Applause] iyama Burns [Applause] Amanda cahoe [Applause] Alec George chacona Devin Heavenly Cleveland [Applause] Dylan James Cooper [Music] [Applause] tressy Michelle Cordova [Applause] Angie Maria Quinn [Applause] Noah Isaiah cuestas [Applause] [Music] Sydney Renee Daniels [Applause] [Music] Hayden star Dempsey [Applause] Jaden Riley Dempsey [Applause] Caitlin Lacey de Souza thank you Ethan J Devon [Applause] Ryan Evans [Applause] Juan David Galvan Noriega [Music] Joshua Allen Parker [Applause] Jacob Gilbert [Applause] Kristen Lynn Blanche gossner [Applause] Kendra Nicole Graham [Applause]
033[Music] Faith Elizabeth griggers [Applause] Amor Damita Guzman Gutierrez daram Jesus Aros [Applause] [Music] Melissa Nicole Hartzog [Applause] Jonathan Hernandez Alvarez [Applause] Hannah Elizabeth Holt [Applause] Amina Rose Johnson [Applause] Jamie concholo carenza [Applause] [Music] Caleb Robert lay [Applause] Haley Brianna Leslie [Applause] Patricia Guadalupe Lopez Tapia [Applause] Christian Mateo Maldonado [Applause] Alexis Mendoza Qualls [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Danae Elizabeth passina [Applause] Karina Danielle Anton Murphy foreign [Applause] [Music] Victoria Ortiz [Applause] Aaron Ortiz [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Alejandra Pedrosa [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Leon Plaza [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Ryan Lloyd the plum [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Valerie Quinones cariaga [Applause] Amaya Leanne Luhan [Applause] brazel Guadalupe Rivera [Applause] [Music] Michael Anthony Robert Sotomayor [Applause] Anaya Jasmine Sanchez [Applause] Ayanna I'm sorry Ayana Jasmine Sanchez [Applause] she made me call her AJ her whole time at ncat Jacob Wade Shipley
034[Applause] [Music] Michaela Lanai cypus Lanae Zoe Embry Ingram [Applause] [Music] Elijah Francis Thomas [Applause] Harley Hunter Wagner [Music] [Applause] so hard Ryan Michael Webb [Applause] [Music] Alexia ray lynn West [Applause] [Music] okay a poignant Tradition at the MCAT Graduate Ceremony reminds us that there are those Among Us who do not take their diploma for granted therefore with those students who are the first in their family to earn a high school diploma please stand and be recognized [Applause] all right foreign middle school for letting us use their Auditorium and for their assistance in setting up this facility the administrative team at Marana Middle School led by Miss Dixon has been incredibly supportive in helping us plan the event I would also like to recognize the effort put in by the maintenance team to set up the
035facility and the assistance with the Sound and Lighting from Miss Sweeney in the back so mcad high school graduates please stand please turn your tassels [Music] ladies and gentlemen I present to you the MCAT High School career [Music] yep thank you [Applause] [Music]