306 seniors bid farewell to Ocean View High School ready to meet the challenges ahead
Panic took hold of one senior for just a moment as she stood two steps away from the stage set up in the center of Ocean View High School’s field Wednesday evening, seconds before she received her diploma. A flash of worry furrowed her brow as she scanned bleachers full of cheering families and practiced shaking hands by herself with an imaginary mentor.
“Wait, what am I doing?” she said. “I’m scared.”
But it was only a moment. Whatever trepidation she felt went undetected by the hundreds gathered to cheer her and her classmates on. She did not falter as she stepped onto the stage, and kept a confident grip on the leather bound document of her achievement as she found her seat among her colleagues.
She was one of 306 students who bid farewell to Ocean View High School Wednesday. Hugs, laughter and messages of perseverance accompanied their graduation.
“We may have all had different senior years, but among it all, one thing stayed the same: change,” senior class president Anh Nguyen said during a speech at the start of the event. “Change that challenged us, change that we adapted to, and change that made us question if we were simply doing enough.”
This year’s graduating class spent the first two years of high school learning remotely because of the pandemic. That didn’t stop them from forming powerful bonds, math teacher Amanda Earl said.
“Starting off apart and now coming together, it makes them appreciate the time we have together a lot more,” she said in between requests for photos and hugs with students.
“They’re ready,” ceramics teacher Zayra Favares said while helping seniors prepare in the gym before the ceremony. “They’re ready for their next phases. I can see it in their faces, all shining and bright.”
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