Spartans of 2010 march on
While the cheers that usually come from La Cañada High School’s football stadium bleachers are for a touchdown or a Spartan victory, the air horns and screams on June 16 were to commemorate the end of an era.
There were more people than seats at LCHS’ graduation, as the stairs were lined with reclining spectators who gave up on finding a seat. The crowd was determined to catch a glimpse of the Class of 2010.
“During our high school years we have distinguished ourselves as one of the most talented classes to ever come through this school,” ASB President Mary Young said. “High school has been the best time of our lives, but it will only get better.”
The soon-to-be graduates were adorned in robes bearing the school colors of maroon and gold as they entered the stadium from two sides. Some waved to their fans in the stands, screaming their name. When the students took their seats and turned their back to the crowd, some proudly displayed their future collegiate destinations as different school insignias and colors showed on the back of their caps.
“Our lives up to this date have consisted of searching for who we are,” 2010 Class President Robert Moldafsky said. “Today marks the transition from us being that kid in high school to the adult in the real world. We can be whatever we want to be.”
Moldafsky went on to say each individual has the opportunity to determine their own identity and success. He encouraged his fellow classmates not to play it safe, but to take a risk in the real world and follow their passion.
He then presented the school with the class gift, which was to give their teachers what they had asked for: funds to buy their supplies for the coming school year in a time of increasing budget cuts.
The ceremony’s commencement speakers were fellow classmates Alexandra Van Wie and Gabrielle Badie. Van Wie called her class to let go of the past and look toward the future.
“We must decide to accept the new situations lying before us,” Van Wie said.
Badie shared how her years from La Cañada Elementary to La Cañada High School shaped her into the person she is today and who she wants to be in the future. She offered her class the key to a successful collegiate experience too.
“Have fun, make new friends, learn something new,” Badie said. “This is the advice my mom gave me on my first day of kindergarten, and it’s the advice I leave with you today.”
LCHS Principal Audra Pittman spoke about the wide range of talents the students from the Class of 2010 offered. More than 220 colleges will be opening their doors to the 2010 graduates of LCHS, and more than $3 million in scholarships and grants have been offered to them, Pittman said.
She went on to say how they exemplified the characteristics of a true Spartan and hoped they would continue to exude upstanding character in the next phase of their lives.
“How we act today and for the rest of our lives will define who we are,” Pittman said. “Character is doing the right thing when no one is looking. I believe these graduates will do just that.”