More than 550 seniors graduate from John Burroughs High School
Graduating seniors at John Burroughs High recalled fond memories of their time at the school and the challenges that helped prepare them for the future, as more than 550 students received their diplomas Thursday evening on Memorial Field.
Deborah Madrigal, Burroughs’ principal, described the Class of 2017 as impressive, caring and giving, one that set high standards in the arts, academics and athletics.
Fifteen seniors had not missed a single day of school in four years, she said.
More than 150 had volunteered at least 100 hours of community service each.
Hundreds of students were headed to college either locally, across the state or outside of California.
“Parents — you have much to be proud of,” Madrigal added.
Senior Sarah Faucheux addressed the class and said that students’ failures “are just as important, if not more important, than our successes.”
The school’s greatest success, she added, is its “sense of family and community.”
During the past four years, as students faced sometimes trying times in high school, “we all discovered who we were,” Faucheux said.
Valedictorian Margaret Shi encouraged graduating seniors to live in the moment.
“Remember that we have the power to define this life,” she said. “The end of high school is just the beginning of the rest of our lives.”
Fellow senior Aubrianna Rohan, who also addressed the class, recalled how students learned to adapt to challenges such as break-ups, and to adjust their attitudes for the better to move forward.
“We’re all going to find our way eventually,” Rohan said. “We have the answers, and now, it’s just a matter of doing it.”
For Isabella Funes, Thursday marked “the day we’ve all been waiting for,” she said in her farewell speech. “After four years, we must all say ‘hello’ to the unknown.”
Twitter: @kellymcorrigan
