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Friday's Internet Edition, November 21, 2008.
Warriors ignite the dream
Class of 2008 ready for the future
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GHS class of 2008 graduates Ana Santoyo, Brian Ali, and Emily Stockman savor the emotional moment.
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By Rachael Ackerman
Herald Editor
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Even though it was a wind-whipped evening, the Galt High School Class of 2008 stood strong to ignite the dream of the future at their graduation ceremony held at Warrior Stadium last week.
The largest graduating class in the history of GHS at 437 graduates, the Class of 2008 graduation scene was a sea of red, swollen with Warrior pride.The evening began with Associated Student Body president Elizabeth Tokunaga and ASB vice president Cole Rasmussen addressing their peers, asking first for a moment of silence for fallen classmates Aaron Brooks and Eddie Leon, who would have graduated in 2008. From there, the pair took things to a higher note, offering humble thanks to GHS teachers and staff and reminding their classmates that graduating high school now means they will have to enter the “real world.”
GHS senior class officers Kaio Doxey and Terry Lanza followed up with highlights of the time the Class of 2008 has spent at GHS, recalling that some were good, and some were bad, but put all together will help everyone become the “great person we all know everybody is.”
Class of 2008 Salutatorian Eliseo Esparza addresses his friends and family with a class all his own.
Esparza shared his excitement about igniting the flame of dreams, but acknowledged, “Now that we hold this blazing torch in our hands, we have no idea what to do with it,” said Esparza, who went on to give his peers advice about what to do next.
Esparza advised everyone get a good pair of running shoes for the long trip ahead, to always keep the torch lit and never let anybody put it out, to face obstacles head on, to take the path you feel most comfortable traveling, and to always follow your heart.
Esparaza was also awarded the Audrey O. Reed Award, one of GHS’ most prestigious honors, named for former GHS head counselor Audrey Reed, for his loyalty to himself and to others, for his values as a young man, and for his goals in the future.
Leaving a legacy of caring as they exit GHS, the senior class raised funds and enrolled GHS in the “Breaking Down the Walls” program. The program is designed to help high school students understand and respect differences in people and to break down the racial walls that continue to separate students on campuses nationwide.
GHS cheerleader Tiara Temple showed she has more than the goods to fly high on the cheer squad, being named the 2008 recipient of the Galt High School Citizenship Award for her extracurricular work with crippled children at the Shriners Hospital for Children.
Class of 2008 Valedictorian Ashley Tiapon reflected on the 113,880 hours she and her peers have already spent, and wondered what the future 113,880 hours would bring.
“Now that we have finally made it, we stand here and wonder what to do with the next 113,880 hours,” said Tiapon, who impressed upon her peers the many lessons, good and bad, learned while in high school, in and out of the classroom. “None of us can deny the importance of the lessons learned out of the classroom.”
Tiapon, who earned a 4.55 grade point average, said high school was the learning grounds for self-discovery that would lead to “finding the people you’re comfortable with instead of wishing you were someone else.”
In the end, Tiapon reminded everyone, “Always remember, everything stems from a dream, and your dreams will come true if you follow them.”
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