001[Music] foreign [Music] that has got to be one of the most exciting sounds I hear all years parents cheering for their kids good evening ladies and gentlemen welcome to the graduation ceremony for the MccLellan High School class of 2023. I Am David L French the very very proud principal of MccLellan High School and I want to recognize the people joining us on stage our superintendent is Scott lair followed by our incoming director of personnel and student services Chris barossi our director of curriculum and instruction Michael Jordan Chief Financial Officer Lisa Coronado and David Grimes our outgoing director of student services and Personnel is with the camera somewhere in the audience our school board is composed of board president Del Ray Pope Ford clerk Nancy Anderson board Representative Steve Bruno board member Harold Howard Ballin and
002board member Adriana Simmons Sammons forgive me and we all greatly appreciate the support that our district and board give our school all year long next I'd like to introduce our staff Kim bioni is our English teacher and art teacher Megan bence teaches social studies and electives [Applause] Chris Collins teaches science electives and PE [Applause] Ace Bill Graves teaches math electives in our ESL course [Applause] Kelly van puten better known as Miss VP is our counselor [Applause] Jennifer Winborn in the audience provides additional support to many of our students and coordinates our IEP meetings Nakia Stalter is our academic coordinator Amanda Dodson keeps our attendance records straight Lynn Jones secretly runs the school she is the school secretary Nancy Turnquist is our campus monitor and Dennis Stevens is our custodian keeps our school Shining I also
003have to mention I don't believe she's here but Carrie Knudson is our cafeteria supervisor no one goes hungry [Applause] all right with our introduction straight please stand and join me in the flag salute I don't see a flag so we will Imagine One is there a flag down the front there's a flag on this student here we'll take that you can salute and pledge 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 and if you let's take a moment and we will begin with a Star-Spangled Banner please yeah it would be nice if we were still standing sorry I didn't catch you maybe we'll do the Star-Spangled Banner [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] songs
004together [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] thank you [Applause] [Music] all right now you may be seated all right and one thing that I forgot to ask could you please silence phones if you've got them on you've got your ringer still on all right at this time we have our senior Awards our staff each year chooses students they feel were most deserving of an award speakers first no speakers after oh well I'm doing them after okay um I will hand the Mike however to miss bioni to direct the award portion of our ceremony followed by our senior speakers so each year the staff at McClellan has the opportunity to honor select students from the graduating class just as each staff member is unique each of our reasons for choosing the student we are honoring is
005unique it is all a part of what makes McClellan special I struggled this year to choose my recipient I feel strong connections with the students sitting in front of us the students I the student I chose to honor tonight showed me something about what it means to support family he walked into our school credit deficient like so many of our young adults due to distance learning once he walked onto our campus he never failed a class there might have been times when we were working with him up until the last minute to make sure he passed the class but he still followed through he even took summer school last year and completed 25 credits in 18 days by working hard at home to complete as many online courses as he was allowed to take all
006of this enabled him to graduate early if that isn't amazing enough he did all this while helping his mom support his family I am so proud to have been part of this student's Journey please let me introduce to you Freddie Isaac Horner Ramirez [Applause] thank you now I'd like to introduce Miss bence hi my name is Miss bence I am so honored to be presenting an award to this person tonight I chose him out of all of our amazing seniors for good reason he joined us a little later into the school year but he didn't let this hold him back the first class I had him in was government and he completely changed the dynamic in our class in the best way he was excited to learn as much as he could he was always
007engaged and positive even when he was tired or had a rough day he participated and took political discussions to a depth that many students wouldn't class after class the student proved his love of learning and he was consistent in the energy that he would bring into the room as a teacher this is the best thing you can ask for in a student that desire to always want to learn more I want to thank you for being you keeping class discussions interesting and always bringing your best I have loved getting to know you throughout this year and having you as a student has truly been a joy and with that being said I present this award to Cyrus Jackson Shelby [Applause] well hello there I uh I also have a a certain person that I've picked
008out um I teach science Health PE and uh coach 4 Sports and so it's rare that you're going to find somebody that's going to stand out in every single one of those areas but um this particular person stood out in class in every class I had with them um consistently just on it like never did I have to come and say hey can you do some of this so you could pass it was just never anything besides like are you getting a b or an A that was the whole thing and then when it came out to sports I mean this person just clearly always Rose to the top as a leader not just in in the way that he played but also in the way that he cared for his teammates and his coaches
009um I I just uh it's really hard to say too many great things about Alex tomasella but I'd like to bring him up here I'll tell you that he's an amazing young man you're amazing [Applause] [Music] [Applause] and next up Mr Graves welcome okay so it is said that everyone has the capacity to make people happy some when they arrive others when they leave this student is definitely the former seeing this person always brighten my day and I'm sure there was consensus on this usually smiling may be joking always as good an attitude as possible even during trying times this student like many had occasional struggles in math but push through with a positive can-do attitude continually trying and asking the questions needed and frequently asking for just one more example to help the understanding
010I never experienced anything resembling Defiance resistance or quitting I have absolutely no doubt that this is someone who will be able to handle whatever life throws at them and use those challenges to learn and to grow and at the end of the day isn't that what successful adulting is supposed to be about it also doesn't hurt that he's a fan of the greatest football team of all time the 49ers thank you so this award goes to someone known for his smile his laugh and of course most distinctly the Golden Tones of his Rich baritone voice my award goes to the man the myth the legend George Mitchell [Applause] [Music] [Applause] they should never put me at the end of these things I get too emotional okay I'm so proud to present my award this year
011to a student who like many of our graduates faced obstacles and barriers to their success in my role as academic coordinator I'm often working with students and teachers on making learning accessible ensuring that what we do in the classroom is working with our students and for our students and because of that I've had the opportunity to work with most of you one-on-one in a really close capacity sometimes nagging you a little but you liked it right um this year I got to make the shift back into the classroom so many of you I got to have in class and we got to experience each other on a whole different level this student in particular for the last two years has brought me such Joy his laughter his smile are infectious and over the last two
012years that I've been able to work with him I've watched him grow and mature in particular at our senior dinner I watched this young man Express appreciation for his family his teachers and his own hard work and determination which propels him into new opportunities for his own greatness Roger Crawford once said being challenged in life is inevitable being defeated is optional and this student has proven that he is choosing success I watched you encourage friends and teammates even when your own eligibility might have been in question you stayed and worked with teachers you put in extra class time and these choices took away your ability to fail you remove your own barriers to success and I'm so proud of you Isaac would you please join me on stage for this award [Applause] okay so it's
013been my honor to watch the student grow into an amazing adult over the last two years this growth has often been the kind that looks like two steps forward and one step back but in that act of trying and succeeding or trying and occasionally not trying and failing there was growth always growth I could always count on this person to tell me or show me how they were feeling as they walked through my door with a I'm mad sup what or bra I will especially miss looking at my up at my office ceiling to see what they may have left stuck up there after a visit from the student what an amazing reminder to take a moment to look out from whatever you are doing or feeling to see a different perspective on things I
014am so proud you made the choice do all the things you needed to do to graduate because once you made that choice I watched you succeed with a glitter of determination in your eyes I know you're still trying to decide what your next step will be to that I will say don't sit at home waiting for the magical opportunity try something get a job go to college travel to places you've never been try something until you can do something else you'll find what you love along the way above all believe in yourself like I believe in you and you will be anything and accomplish anything you set your mind to Jose Angel Medina thank you for sharing [Applause] foreign all right I have an award to give also this student joined us as an 11th
015grader in the year 2021-22 and he had some ups and downs that year however something clicked for him and he began to excel in summer school following that year and he came back this year and earned a 4.0 Straight A's every grading period graduated early I look at this young man and I see someone who has overcome his own challenges changed his life for the better and developed an incredibly positive attitude toward himself and others I see a young man who has a great future ahead of him my award goes to Juan Gonzalez Ramirez [Applause] I also have the pleasure of introducing our student speakers we have two this year who volunteered we promised we didn't twist any arms to make this happen our first student speaker is lean gonsalves [Applause] good evening my name
016is Alina Gonzalez and here's the speech I Have to Give as of about as about three or four of you know I had a teacher here when I went to Center named Mr Huey and he was the theater teacher and probably one of my favorite on this stage right here he taught me to be myself even when I didn't like myself very much he taught me that even though I am unable to look at the crowd very long or speak all the words one after another that I always had the right thing to say he told me that I spoke words stronger than I could ever give myself credit for which is something I've also been told by my family my mom my dad uncles and many other I've been mature for my age a
017long time and so I have given the speech thing a chance to say a mature and hopefully meaningful speech this is the real reason I decided to give a speech today to my fellow graduates of the 2023 school year I have this to say even with the struggles we all have been through especially with covid and the effect it has had on all of us we are here graduating because we are strong we got through something that maybe some before us and some after us will never be able to and with that we are about to turn the page of our book to a new chapter that I'm not sure any of us are truly ready for from the moment we walk across the stage and out of the doors we will be saying goodbye
018to this chapter and building from it and its experiences turning the page to the chapter full of new things good or bad hopefully opportunities and growth to hardship and difficulties and possible disappointment we are about to start making our adult decisions we are about to have different circumstances than the last few years of Our Lives this will all be for the better as I am positive that we will all be doing great things so again congratulations to everyone graduating today and to the juniors in the room who may be here congratulations you're almost to the finish line thank you [Applause] our second student speaker is again Mr Juan Gonzalez Ramirez [Applause] okay all right um good evening on Juan Enrique Gonzalez Ramirez and I'm a I'm a student at McLean high school I'm a graduate
019now I'm very proud to be at the position that I am at currently although it was never part of my plan to be at this great school it turned out for the better and the reason I say that is because I've always gone by a quote in my life one or two there's a different one but we'll get to that the first one uh whatever life does at you it's just an obstacle in the way some people might have heard me say that and the reason I say that is because although I've attended Center high school and I had to get moved to this school and I thought that was a bad thing I took that as a good thing and that was a path that I had to move on to in my life
020that was an obstacle that you yourself have to move uh over and get through to proceed to that end goal that you want to have and for that reason I've kept going on in life and the next one the next uh sorry the next uh quote that I have has been told by my parents many times and they've always told me a pencil is always lighter than a shovel my parents have taught me to be a great man and I've always been that and I've been outside I've worked I've worked a hard job while I've been graduated and I would tell you guys unless that's what you want I would say take your chances take a risk and go to the goal that you want go to college and do your best and for my
021advice for any high schoolers and if you don't know what to do if you don't want to if you want to know if you want to take that risk I would say go for it that is my advice because then you won't know you won't know if that risk will turn out for the better so I would say do do what you want take that risk it'll turn out for the better and I want to thank the staff here I mean they were they've been wonderful the time I've been here and thanks to the students who are graduating here today and the amazing people who came here to watch their fan their family their friend whoever they are to you graduate and be there for them and I want to thank you guys and I
022mean congratulations to the graduates thank you [Applause] all right one of the things that we believe in very firmly at McClellan is gratitude we always want to thank those who have helped us we don't want to lose an opportunity to tell people what they mean to us to that end we conduct our Rose ceremony at graduation each year during the ceremony our graduates will take a rose from either Miss Dodson or Miss Jones we will play the song because you love me during that time graduates you will present that Rose to someone you feel has been instrumental in helping you get to the stage tonight graduates do not miss this chance to let someone know how much of an impact they have made in your life we will start the song you have till the
023end of the song to present your rose go ahead and take your roses graduates thank you just roll this on forever [Music] I'll be with the land s [Music] when I couldn't speak [Music] it wasn't me Lifting me [Music] understand [Music] I'm grateful for each day [Music] all right thank you all that always brings a little Miss to the eyes to say the least graduates families and friends I have a last lesson from McClellan for our seniors and for all of us and I want to start with a quote from Booker T Washington he said success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome graduates you are all receiving High School diplomas tonight and that is a wonderful accomplishment
024that is a symbol that you have successfully completed the program of Education outlined by the state of California you have spent 13 years of your lives in school and you have passed all the required courses your parents and family have helped you your teachers and School staff have helped you your friends have helped you but most important you have put in the time and done the work yourselves now you are joining the thousands and thousands of students across the country who at this time of year are also receiving their diplomas you have succeeded however as I look out at you I see successes even greater than diplomas I see young men and women who have overcome their own obstacles I see people who rose up out of depression who fought against anxiety who won out
025over distraction who pushed themselves past lack of motivation who knocked aside frustrations and fears who beat bad habits and who found a way to win out over difficult circumstances I see people who have changed their lives for the better those are truly exciting successes your diplomas are indeed a great achievement you will go on to more milestones in life but succeeding against your own barriers is a life-changing victory graduating high school will stand as proof that you can achieve despite challenges you are able to stop saying I can't and shift to asking yes I can how can I that is truly a powerful Victory and with that how can I mindset you can look forward to more and greater achievements in your futures at our senior dinner last week several students stood up and encouraged
026their classmates to find what they love follow their dreams and live their best lives those things are only possible when we overcome our own obstacles graduates your success tonight is the result of getting past roadblocks in your lives the ability to do that is the same ability that will lead you to Future successes and greater achievements it's my hope one day you'll be able to step back from your lives and see not just the joys and the victories you have but also the barriers you've broken through to reach them your diploma is again a symbol of your current achievement but it is also a predictor of your future successes with that recognition of success I would like to begin calling our graduates to cross the stage into this next phase of their lives as they
027receive their diplomas Mr Collins will be reading the life statement each graduate wrote earlier this year so I have a huge favor to ask of our audience and I know we have a very enthusiastic audience tonight I'm very happy about that but we want to hear what each graduate wrote so if you will be so kind as to hold your applause and cheers until everyone has cross-staged so we can hear we'll give a huge monster cheer at the end of the audience at the end of the all graduates passing can we all do that please thank you so much you're wonderful I appreciate it all right let's have our first row graduate stand all right Alina Gonzalez what are you kidding After High School Alina plans to go to Sacramento City College to pursue a
028career in cosmetology Elena's dream job is to be a hairdresser and a makeup artist Alina would like to thank her parents for believing they were capable of making for making it this far the advice they would give to new students is do not think of being here as a punishment instead see this as an opportunity to grow and learn Juan Gonzalez Ramirez After High School one plans to go to college it is dream University to obtain a law degree his dream job is to become a lawyer one would like to thank all of his teachers throughout the years but especially the teachers and staff at McClellan most importantly he would like to thank his parents for keeping him going the advice he would give to new students is just do you no matter what others
029say Evron Anderson After High School Evan plans to go to college and follow through with a long-term personal goal that was a promise made to someone special evren's dream job is to open a cafe and sell their art on the side everyone would like to thank their family who has been there for them time and time again and their friends who made the days more tolerable tolerable lastly evren would like to thank the teachers for having faith in them and their work the advice everyone would like to give to the new students at McClellan is focus on your goals your happiness and those peaceful moments in life appreciate those while you can and never take them for granted Jacob Arroyo After High School Jacob plans to work in construction and go to college his dream
030job is to eventually own his own company Jacob would like to thank his parents family and Mrs VP for never giving up on him he would also like to thank all of his teachers for their help along the way the advice Jacob would like to give the new students a McClellan is to stay on top of your classes McClellan is a great school if you are falling behind every teacher will help you as long as you ask Jocelyn Avalos Cortez After High School Jocelyn plans to attend Community College her dream job is to become a diagnostic medical sonographer Jocelyn would like to thank her parents and her siblings for their support the advice Jocelyn would like to give to new students is to encourage them to build relationships with their teachers Madison buckholtz After High
031School Madison plans to attend Sierra Community College and figure it out from there her dream job is to become a commercial pilot Madison would like to thank Dutch Brothers for giving getting her through high school and her family for funding that addiction the advice they would give to new students at McClellan is to be respectful and have fun four years might seem like a long time but it's not so make the best out of it Isaac Davison dondanios After High School Isaac plans to get a good job and go to a community college his dream job is to be an automotive engineer Isaac would like to thank his mom for all the motivation Mr Collins for being a good human being and always willing to listen the advice Isaac would like to give to new
032students at McClellan is do not procrastinate with your work complete the work on time so you do not fall behind dinard After High School tagay plans to go to American River College to become an electrician his dream job is to become an electrician and an entrepreneur would like to thank his family and the staff at McClellan for helping him stay on track and not losing focus the advice he would like to give to new students at McClellan do not give up and stay focused Carlos Duffy proud of you brother After High School Carlos plans to go to state college or possibly a trade school his dream job is to work for the state and become an engineer Carlos would like to thank his family and friends and the advice he would like to give the
033new students is to make sure that you show up manual Duffy After High School manual plans to go to Sierra college and continue working part-time his dream job is to own his own business Manuel would like to thank his sister and Mom for always supporting him and pushing him to do better and the advice he would like to give to new students is to try your best and you will succeed Carlos Guzman III [Applause] After High School Carlos plans to work and go to college He is uncertain of his dream job as of right now but plans to keep working Carlos would like to thank his friend Cyrus for helping him during his Hard Times throughout High School his advice to the new students at McClellan is to stay out of trouble do your work
034and get school over with Freddie Horna Ramirez After High School Freddie plans to work hard and grow as a person his dream job is to be a firefighter Freddie would like to thank his mom for always recognizing his efforts and the advice Freddie would like to give to the new students at McClellan is to be nice to your teachers they're here to help you you guys are being so good about hanging onto those cheers thank you so much Cyrus Jackson Shelby [Applause] After High School Cyrus plans to go to college to become a respiratory therapist his dream job is to become a real estate investor and eventually start his own company Cyrus would like to thank his friends family and teachers for motivating him to do his best and the advice he would like to
035give the new students at McClellan is do all of your work it is pretty easy and you can potentially graduate early like I was able to Adam Johnny After High School Adam plans to enroll in college and expand his education his dream job is undecided as of now Adam would like to thank his family for being there and supporting him the last few years congratulations you're welcome Angel Medina Diaz after graduation Angel plans to get his license and get a new job his dream job is still undecided but we'll explore his options Angel would like to thank his parents for always being there for him he would also like to thank Mrs VP for making sure he always completed his work and passed his classes the advice you would like to give the new students
036in McClellan is just do your work and stay focused if you do this you will be fine Alyssa Mitchell welcome man After High School Alyssa plans to get a part-time job and figure out her next path in life her dream job is to work in music Alyssa would like to thank her mom grandma and all of her teachers at McClellan for never giving up on her the advice to new students is not overthink things take your time and do not be afraid to ask for help George Mitchell [Music] After High School George plans to continue to work he would also like to pick a trade and go to trade school he does not have a dream job as a now but says only time will tell George would like to thank all of his teachers
037for putting up with him since he transferred to McClellan he's thankful for all for all of your help and for your hard work you all put into all of your students every day the advice George would like to give to new students at McClellan is to stay on top of your work if you pay attention to your notes and focus you will do good you'll be good to go Jasmine Munoz hey buddy After High School Jasmine plans to become a dental assistant her dream job is to be a dental hygienist Jasmine would like to thank her family for supporting her and for cheering her on for all of these years the advice Jasmine has to give to new students is to be yourself do your work and be respectful to the staff not only will
038this get you through school but you can also apply this advice to your future Daniel pugach After High School Daniel plans to go to college and continue working on his photography and videography his dream job is to own his own business so he can be his own boss Daniel would like to thank his mom for everything she has done for him he would like to thank his sister for always being supportive the advice Daniel would like to give to new students is to enjoy school because as all seniors say it truly goes by very fast Michael Ray [Music] After High School Michael would like to attend college his dream job is still a work in progress Michael would like to thank his teachers for helping him whenever he needed it the advice he would like
039to give to new students is just do your work and school will get done quicker than you think Kyla Roberson [Music] After High School Kyla would like to get a job and save up for a car Lo also plans to go to college for technology or communication her dream job is to work on computers she would like to make games and create new technology Kyla would like to thank all the McClellan staff for always being there for her when she needed the advice she would like to give the new students is do not be afraid of asking for help when you need it or even if you are feeling down and just need to talk Ayanna Delilah Rodriguez [Applause] you're welcome After High School ion I would like to attend Paul Mitchell cosmetology school her
040dream job was to become a cosmetologist Ayana would like to thank her parents and her teachers for motivating her to do work so she could graduate two years ago she was told she would not be able to make up her credits but here she is now getting her diploma and moving on to the next chapter of her life the advice she would like to give to new students is do not ever give up because anything is possible if you work hard enough aliciana Rodriguez After High School aliciana plans to attend culinary school her dream job is to own her own Bakery Cafe aliciana would like to thank her mom and her grandparents for helping her graduate the advice she would like to give new students is enjoy it because the time goes by too fast
041Tyler Savala After High School Tyler would like to continue working for Walmart for a few years and eventually become a manager while he works on deciding which college he will attend his dream job is undecided for right now Tyler would like to thank all staff and the principal at MccLellan High School and his mother for being supportive and always challenging him the advice he would give to new students is to keep perfect attendance and turn your work in before it is due do not wait until the last minute congratulations Julie shishkin After High School Julie plans to live her life to the fullest accomplish goals and follow her dreams her dream job is to be a singer she's been singing since she was a little girl and has always wanted to pursue her passion Julie
042would like to thank her best friend and her sister they have always been her biggest motivators in life and she could not have done it without them the advice she would like to give to new students at McClellan is to stay positive and it is okay to ask for help you're not alone so keep at it even when it seems hard remember that hard times never last thank you Stephen Slater After High School Stephen plans to finish building his truck and get his dream job his dream job is to get on with Sacramento County as soon as he turns 18. Stephen would like to thank Mrs Susan Roddy Mr French and all of his teachers at McClellan for helping him get through his high school years the advice he would like to give new students
043is to stay off your phone and Miss bione's class and always be respectful to all of the teachers and staff [Applause] After High School Alex plans to continue his education at Sacramento City College and he plans to major in business his dream job is to be a music therapist Alice would like to thank his family friends and the staff for helping him to stay motivated to achieve his goals the advice he would give to new students is to come to McClellan with an open mind and good intentions work hard and keep yourself motivated remember you always have people who care for you I know that God Thomas takave langman [Applause] After High School Thomas plans to join one of the United States Service branches his dream job is to be a medical technologist in the
044Navy Thomas would like to thank all the staff at MccLellan High School for making his senior year a blast thank you for believing in him and pushing him to be better version of himself the advice you would like to give the new students is figure out who you are and focus on being yourself now that you're in high school it is time to become the best version of you so keep applying pressure you've got this Jonathan Vitale [Music] After High School Jonathan plans to get a job his dream job is to be a graphic designer Jonathan would like to thank all of his teachers for helping him get this far and not giving up on him the advice he would like to give to new students is to try and listen to the teachers because
045they want to help even if at times it does not seem like it All Right audience [Applause] all right we'll have our people on stage have a seat graduates all right graduates if you would now stand you can grasp the tassel on the right side of your cap and you can move it to the left and I have the opportunity to make the best announcement I make all year long I hereby certify to the center Joint Unified School District board to our District administration to our families and friends that these 2023 McClellan high school graduates have completed the state and District district mandated course of study required to earn a high school diploma they are now officially graduates of MccLellan High School [Applause] all right let's all stand and respect our graduates as they file
046out of the building [Applause] [Music] not bad [Music] All Right audience done you can go out and meet your graduates