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Going out with class
Published 5/23/2011 in Local News
GCHS graduates 369 from Class of 2011.
By SHAJIA AHMAD
sahmad@gctelegram.com
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Brad Nading/Telegram Steven Miller raises his arms in celebration after receiving his diploma Saturday during Garden City High School's commencement at Memorial Stadium. The Class of 2011 is the 124th senior class for USD 457.
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Vicky Reyes delivers one of the student senior speeches Saturday at Memorial Stadium during Garden City High SchoolÕs commencement ceremony.
When Garden City High School senior Vicky Reyes was much younger, an educator told her she would have a difficult time achieving success because she was Hispanic and female.
"I am proof that no matter who you are or where you come from, you can make your dreams happen," Reyes, the president of the senior class, told her fellow graduates clad in Buffalo brown and white caps and gowns during Saturday's 124th annual commencement ceremony at Memorial Stadium.
Reyes, who gave her short speech first in Spanish and then in English, walked across the stage to receive her diploma along with 368 of her fellow graduates in front of thousands of family members and friends who packed the stadium under Saturday's setting sun.
The graduating senior also directed the turning of the tassel at the end of the ceremony, before the band started the school's alma mater and hundreds of graduation caps went flying into the air.
At the start of Saturday's ceremony, a procession of administrators, teachers, members of the USD 457 Board of Education and the JROTC color guard carrying large flags preceded the graduates onto the football field.
As the GCHS band played the well-known graduation marching song — "Pomp and Circumstance" — the graduates made their way onto the field, and family and friends in the stands tried to identify their graduate in the sea of brown and white.
A couple of colorful umbrellas decorated the stadium seats, ceremony-goers hoping to block out the heavy evening rays of sun, and everyone stood for the national anthem. GCHS principal James Mireles opened Saturday's program. Mireles said he believed the graduates were adequately prepared with the right skills and lessons to face the challenges ahead.
"Before us you see the future. And the future is very bright," Mireles told Saturday's crowd.
Also among Saturday's speakers were Allen Shelton, a 1968 graduate of GCHS, and Dr. Michael Linenberger, a 1974 graduate of the school.
Both men were inducted this year into the GCHS Hall of Fame, an annual ritual honoring two graduates: one local and one from out-of-town. Both Shelton, chief of the Garden City Fire Department since 1984, and Linenberger, a University of Washington professor, were honored during an induction ceremony Friday at the high school.
Both shared their stories and experiences during Saturday's program.
"My one piece of advice is that you find an occupation you can be passionate about," Shelton, a career firefighter, said. "Passion alone won't get you to success. ... It also takes education, training and perseverance."
Linenberger echoed similar sentiments on Saturday. The medical doctor who specializes in hematology said he learned early on that he enjoyed science and capitalized on his passion for the field during all phases of his life.
"The goal is not to race through life. ... The scenic route also has its benefits," Linenberger told the graduates. "Experience the diversity of life and be open to diversity and failure."
Graduating senior Chelsea Koksal also took the podium Saturday, imparting a few words of advice and wisdom.
Koksal, one of two senior speakers along with Reyes, admitted to the crowd that graduation speeches are expected to be "profound" and sometimes end up being "cheesy," and that "both of those things are incredibly overdone."
Instead, the graduating senior said her fellow classmates deserved something more original as they sat together for the last time on the football field: "We've got our horns up high, and our hooves down low. And that's the way of the Buffalo," Koksal recited on Saturday at the podium.
"It's just a saying, but maybe there's some meaning behind it," Koksal added. "I challenge all of you to keep your horns up high. ... Wherever you go, don't forget who you are or where you've come from. ... And most of all, I hope we never forget that we are all Buffaloes."
The following six students were recognized during Saturday's ceremony as distinguished students, voted by their fellow classmates: Cody Bernbeck, Asher Erik Chester, Eddy A. Gomez, Raul Fabian Silva Jr., and Koksal and Reyes, the two senior speakers.
Class of 2011 officers included: Reyes, president; Joanna Rodriguez, vice-president; Silva Jr., secretary; and Russell G. Harp, treasurer.
School officials also awarded Kelsey Keosengphet with this year's 2011 Principal Leadership Award during the commencement ceremony.
Class of 2011 graduates include: Aaron I. Adame; Guadalupe Adame; Angela Adler; Roberta Aguilar; MeKayla C. Aguiniga; Laisa B. Alcantar; Lesly Alcantar; Alexa Victoria Aldaco Ana Belen Aldama; Julio C. Alvarez; Said Alvarez; Theresa Amante; Aaron Benjamin Anguiano; Mariana Quivet Arevalo Caro; Maria De Jesus Arrieta; Alexandrea Jean Asebedo; Liberty Lynn Asebedo; Izzai Salvador Avalos; Jose Ayala; Reed Baier; Malerie Renea Barnes; Amanda Renee Bazan; Austin Darrell Beck; Belen Barragan; Wendy Vanessa Benitez; Jonathan J. Bernasky; Cody Bernbeck; Thomas Biernacki; Devin Blackwood; Kimberly Lea Bogner; Nailea E. Bonilla; Ashley Anne Booker; Ryan E. Bordewick; Kristina T. Bouddhara; Angela Kay Bridges; Cydnie Shanae Brown; Jalan Alexis Brown; Jacob L. Brungardt; MacKinzie L. Brungardt; Raymundo Bueno; Carmen Cecilia Montoya Bushey; Virginia A. Cabrera; Roxanna Camarillo; Thuy Cao; Valeria I. Carmona-Pastrana; Ana Laura Carrillo; Jose S. Castillo; Isaac Chairez; Isai Chairez; Cassondra Rose Lucille Champ; Victoria L. Charles; Betty Chavez; Ciro D. Chavez; Asher Erik Chester; Wyatt Lynn Chestnut; Mary Clifford; Victoria Ann Collazo; Shanice LaChelle Connell; April L. Covington; Ileana Cruz; Kayla Faye Cruz; Victor A. Cruz; Kassy Culver; Keith Davis Curran; Julie Damian; Lester Humberto De Paz; Brooke Catherine Dechant; Dylan Dechant; Aaron N. DeLeon; Jonathan Patrick Dennis; C. D. DeSalvo; Alex Diaz; Crystal Dominguez; Cassandra Nicole Escobedo; Cristina Alejandra Escobedo; Fito Espino; Desteny Abigail Esquivel; Elias Fabian Esquivel; Isaac Emilio Esquivel; Richard Everett; Ahmed M. Farah; Luis F. Fausto Guerra; Judith C. Felix; Rigo Ferrel; Melissa Renea Fischer; Brenda E. Flores; Gilberto Flores Morales; Oscar Homero Flores; Kelli Marie Ford; Giselle Fraire; Karen Edith Franco; Juan Fernando Galan; Angela Yaritza Galaviz; Joselyn Marie Gallardo; Shandell Lynn Gallardo; Melissa Galvez; Jose Alonso Garcia; Juan Antonio Garcia Flores; Mario Alberto Garcia Jr.; Vanessa Mercedes Garcia; Amber Lynn Gardner; David Garrés Rivera; Jaris Elaine George; Trever George; Jeremy Michael Gill; Kayla N. Glenn; Cory Goeman; Eddy A. Gomez; Larry Jonathan Gomez; Paula Kristen Gonzales; Andrea Patricia Gonzalez Velasquez; Andrew Gonzalez; Erica Gramajo; Jorge Gramajo; Bradley R. Griggs; Moises E. Guerra; Alison Nicole Guerrero; Leeana J. Guerrero; Ana Laura Guevara; Maylen Elizabeth Guevara Ramirez; Danny Guillen S.; Alex Guitron; Dylan Edward Gutmann; Ileana Thi Hang; Wesleigh Ian Wadel; Haley Theresa Harbour; Russell W. Harder; Russell G. Harp; Misty Nicole Hawkins; Jorge Hermosillo; Andrea Hernandez; Antonio Hernandez; Ben Hernandez; Iliana Hernandez; Juan Antonio Hernandez; Lesley Hernandez; Mariana Hernandez Ramirez; René I. HernaÅÑdez; Tiffany Marie Herrada; Amanda M. Herrera; Jessica R. Hickman; Linda Flor Hinojos; Jairo Rueben Holguin; Chris Hornbeck; Anna Marie Horyna; Devin Arnaz Howard; Brittanie FayeJane Huber; Fabian Jalomo; Kéeri Anne Johnson; Paige B. Johnson; Matthew Johnston; Burton S. Jones III; Ashley Marie Kells; Ellie Anne Kennedy; Amy Keokhampho; Kelsey Ann Keosengphet; Dana Marie Kessler; Steven R. Klaus; Stephanie Alyssa Knoefel; Blake Harland Koester; Chelsea Elizabeth Koksal; Brittney Dawn Kuhlman; Fidelix Kyaw; Peter Nguyen La; Daniel Joseph LaMastres; Brittany A. Lance; Edward Landeros; Morgan Elizabeth Landgraf; Ivan Leal; David D-Lo Leiker; Nuvia Lemus; Grant Linenberger; Maria E. Lobatos; Jose Alberto Loera; Bianca I. Lopez; John Lopez Reyes; Melissa Anne Lopez; Rebeca López; Juan Lozano; Sofia V. Lozano; Miguel I. Lucero; Vianeit Lugo; Juaquin Luna; Donna L. Madrid; Julie Mai; Karla Gabriela Manriquez; Taylor Marez; Adrian Martin Saldaña; Alfonso Martinez; Alicia Martinez; Ashley N. Martinez; Blanca Martinez; Christina Paula Martinez; Elizabeth Martinez Ortiz; Emmanual N. Martinez; Hector J. Martinez-Rosales; Marisa R. Martinez; Mayra I. Martinez; Rita N. Martinez; Traci Danielle Martinez; Yvette Jasmine Gonzales-Martinez; Theresia Marie Matthews; Stephanie P. May; Alexander J. McDowell; Dominique S. McDowell; Laura McDowell; Colt McElroy; Wendy McLinn; Kasey McMurphy; Whitney A. McMurphy; Amy McVey; Noemi Medina; Timothy A. Medina; Edgar Eric Mejia; Adriana A. Melchor; Dante A Mesa; Alejandro Samuel Meza Mena; Luis Enrique Meza; Steven Ross Miller; Marlene I. Mireles; Anthony Moncada; Yazmin Montes; Karen Morales; Maria Guadalupe Morales; Freddy Muñoz; Briteny Moreno; Taylor N. Morrow; Erika Danielle Motley; Kaitlynn Chavonne Muñoz; Kelsi Brooke Muñoz; Stephanie Marie Munoz; Karla Murguia; Rebecca Murillo; Trenton James Nevola; Kathy Nguyen; Kimdona Nguyen; Quan-Ha Nguyen; Quan-Son Nguyen; Sara Thuy-Linh Nguyen; Thao P. Nguyen; Zackerie Allen Nichols; Charla Rose Norquest; Bethanee Mae Ochs; Robert Ornelas; Cecilia Ortega; Mark Ortega; Arely Ortiz; Jose Antonio Ortiz; Manuel Ortiz Jr.; Lewis Padilla; Angelica C. Palacios; Ashley Nicole Palomino; Cody Palomino; Brianda Yazmin Pardo; Eric Parra; Mekimbe Patterson; Keirstyn Rhea Peitz; David Joseph Peña Jr.; Justin Levi Perez; Amanda Grace Perkins; Harold Lee Perkins II; Laura Barbara Peter; Mark Allen Petersen; Reece Pfenninger; Cindy Pham Nelson; Sadie Ann Pile; Jyonatan Porta; Elias Prieto; Carla J. Ramirez Olivas; Miguel A. (Mikey) Ramirez; Amparo Ramos; Elias M. Ramos; Cecilia Mae Ramsey; Antonio Rangel G.; Erick Lynn Requenez; Daisy Reyes; Ismael Reyes; Karla M. Reyes; Martin Reyes; Vicky Yanira Reyes; Nolan Richmeier; Martin Riggs; Raul Alejandro Rivas Ochoa; Yvette Rivera; Gabriela Rodriguez Garcia; Joanna Rodriguez; Liandro Rodriguez; Moises Rodriguez; Norma Jean Rodriguez; Yovany A. Rodriguez; Jorge Rojas; Angela Marie Romero; Ismael Rosales Jr.; Vanessa Yadira Rosas; Hunter Rowland; Ruben Rubio; Erick Ruiz; Aron Rutiaga; Maricella Ruvalcaba; Daisy Annette Saavedra; Alexis Rene Saenz; Melvin Noel Sagastizado; Leonard B. Salazar; Oscar Salazar; Melissa Saldaña Fuentes; Matthew Shane Salyer; Alexandra Sanchez; Juan L. Sanchez; Kahlen J. Sanchez; Ashlyn Sanders; Nancy Sauceda; Angie Elizabeth Schieber; Matthew A. Schneider; Megan Nicole Schurle; Aleeyca B. Scott; Madicella Lorena Segovia; Katie R. Sexson; Jacob Brandon Seyferth; Amanda J. Shadrick; Molly Shaw; Hunter Showalter; Esteban Silos; Raul Fabian Silva Jr.; Brandon James Smith; Dayvon M. Smith; Vanessa D. Solis; Jorge Soriano Hernandez; Erika R. Sotelo Lara; Fredy E. Sotelo; Aaron Soto; Justin Dale Soukup; Jalayne Jeanine Speer; Kodi Steele; Kelsey Nichole Sterling; Ian G. Stone; Brittany Stornetta; Heather Strand; Ryan S. Strasser; Taylor Strong; Sarah Ann Stucky; Taylor Shae Sullivan; Alberto Tamayo; Francisca Berenice Tena; Andi Thammavongsa; Wendy Marie Thiel; Lucas V. Thomas; Marisol E. Torres; Samantha Maria Trejo; Carley Rea Trentman; Dalton Wayne Truelove; Taylr Lynette Twiss; Cindy Valadez; Norberto Valdez; Iliana Valencia; Thalia B. Viana; Mathew Viera; Jasmine Maire Villarreal; Christopher C. Virgil; Chase W. Vo; Emily Rose Walter; Tyler K. Warren; Rachael Marie Wedel; Elizabeth Weinacht; Amanda Michelle Whatley; Kassandra Ranae White; Savanah Woods; Dustin Craig Worden; Jesus A. Zamarripa; and Jonathan Zapata.
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