Pomp and development

Deirdre Newman

COSTA MESA -- Students at Monte Vista and Back Bay high schools

celebrated their independent spirit and perseverance at graduation on

Thursday morning.

The Costa Mesa schools serve a population that struggles at

traditional high schools or craves the opportunity to work at its own

pace.

Ninety-eight students wearing vibrant red caps and gowns kissed their

high school years goodbye amid applause and cheers.

Many of the graduation speakers underscored the positive attributes

the school cultivates in its students.

“We have acquired more skills than we realize,” graduate Taylor Hirsch

said. “The program fosters the development of character traits that

include self-reliance and self-confidence.”

The graduation also included an emotional farewell to the founding

principal of the school, Carole Castaldo, who is retiring after 26 years

at the helm.

Castaldo was teary-eyed after the ceremony and expressed the

bittersweet feelings of the occasion.

“It’s a mixed feeling,” Castaldo said. “I know I have to leave it to

others, but it’s my baby.”

After the ceremony, students embraced family and friends, posed for

snapshots and chowed down cake.

Shannon Smith, 18, said going to Monte Vista turned out to be a

blessing after she was injured in a car accident and had to take a chunk

of time off from her previous high school.

“I got to complete everything and recover,” said Smith, who scored a

combined $3,500 from three scholarships.

Her mom, Shawn, looked on proudly as Smith reveled in the

post-graduation festivities.

“She did well since she came out with a 4.0 [grade-point average],”

Shawn said. “She’s independent and resourceful. Between the two, she came

out with flying colors.”

Although Claudia Guerra, 17, went to Monte Vista for one semester, but

she said it was more productive than her former school.

“I wanted something more independent,” she said. “School wasn’t much

help, and I thought it was a waste of a day.”

For Alberto Vasquez, 19, Monte Vista provided a clear focus that was

lacking at his old school.

“It was more one-on-one with teachers, easier to get answers to all my

questions, and I worked at my own pace,” he said.

While Vasquez said high school was a long journey, he looks forward to

college and continuing to play bass with the band Driven.

“Now he can go on tour with us without having his parents hate us,”

joked Brandon Grewal, who is also in the band.