KING CITY — Crowds packed War Memorial Stadium on June 3 as King City High School celebrated the more than 200 graduating seniors in the Class of 2022.
“I want you to take what we all see in you and apply it to life,” said Principal Michael Gray to the class. “Be humble, be kind, make good decisions. Never stop learning.”
Gray said the journey full of twists and turns, and how it made the graduates more prepared for future life challenges. Though he characterized the journey as a “rollercoaster ride,” he said through it all, the class demonstrated Mustang pride and spirit.
“You are prepared to contribute to society, you are prepared to be successful,” Gray said.
Valedictorian Paulina Torres noted the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on student mental health, going over the stress, anxiety and depression students went through.
“We have all experienced an arduous journey to be where we are today, whether it was mentally, physically or emotionally,” Torres said. “No matter how dark and difficult the past was, remember the hardships you overcame and the valuable life lessons you acquired during your educational process.”
Through the challenges, she called her classmates commendable for overcoming the years of challenges.
“We started as young, immature kids, and here we are, all grown up,” Torres said. “Growing up in a small town, it’s safe to say that a lot of us were close to one another at one point or another.”
She added that everything the class learned in high school was a foundation to continue building stronger versions of themselves.
“This graduation marks the end of yet another extraordinary chapter in our lives, and with this chapter closed, I’m sure a lot of us are already anxious about starting the next one,” Torres said. “Unlike the textbooks, you can’t skip through the pages of life to see how the next chapter’s going to be.”
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- King City High School Military Science Color Guard presents the colors to kick off the graduation ceremony.
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- Graduating students of the Mustang Class of 2022 walk by a packed stadium on their way to begin the June 3 graduation ceremony.
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- Dylan Barmes (left) and Paulina Tores lead the northern procession of graduates as two lines march past the packed stadium seating.
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- Lindsay Monteagudo (left) and Sebastian Garcia step forward to lead the pledge of allegiance.
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- Valedictorian Paulina Torres reflects on the four years of challenges her classmates faced during her speech.
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- Salutatorian Austin Short reads haiku poems about the high school experience.
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- Candice Sanchez delivers the Senior Speech.
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- Cassidy Rodriguez sings the National Anthem at the beginning of the ceremony.
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- Senior student-athletes sing the school’s Alma Mater toward the conclusion of the ceremony.
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- Superintendent Jordan Mulder confers the diplomas to mark the graduates as having finished their journey.
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- Victoria Hamilton (left) hugs Mary Bray during the acknowledgement portion of the ceremony.
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- Principal Michael Gray congratulates the graduating Class of 2022 and thanks them for being able to be part of their lives.
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- Karla Rojas walks across the stage after receiving her diploma.
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- Giovanni Alcaraz shakes hands with Principal Michael Gray upon reception of his diploma.
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- Joshua Garcia waves to the stands after getting his diploma.
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- Seniors Diego Espinoza (left) and Jose Montoya shake hands as they return to their seats after being presented with their diplomas at King City High School’s Class of 2022 commencement on Friday.
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- Tige Munoz (left) shakes hands with Kendra Lopez as he and Jaime Cortes recognize the California Scholarship Federation AP Scholars with Distinction.
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- King City High senior Manuel Ochoa gives a thumbs up toward teachers as he leaves the stage with his diploma.
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- Fabian Camacho cheers from the stage moments after receiving his diploma.
Salutatorian Austin Short read haiku poems to represent the journey, with repeating themes of paths, storms and snow. He explained it was appropriate for “this strange generation of kids” who spent half their high school years glued to computer screens.
“Our motors spur, our lives started anew, the sun to guide us,” Short said.
With the class about to start a new life, Short said the graduates had so many paths to travel.
“We’ve so much to do and see and experience regardless of the paths we choose to take,” he said.
Candice Sanchez reviewed how the years zoomed by in her senior speech, saying how fifth-grade promotion became eighth-grade promotion, and then the high school years hit, years where the class was conditioned to see as nerve-wracking.
“As we entered high school, we faced unprecedented events, such as Covid-19,” Sanchez said. “This pandemic has truly changed us as students. We were the only class to experience a full year of high school, and yet ended up with a regular graduation, unlike the past two years.”
Sanchez said she was proud of her classmates for making it through the pandemic difficulties, from masks to hybrid learning to going back to in-person school.
“I understand how an event like this can affect each person differently,” she said. “These have got to be the longest yet shortest years in this period of our lives.”
Sanchez reviewed the past year in particular, from a week of repeated campus fights, to the lunchtime gatherings at the black gates for food deliveries, to the boys soccer team and swim team both earning new banners for the school.
“We all are here for reason beyond our knowing,” she said. “We have our whole lives to figure out our contribution to the world.”
Sanchez noted passing through the challenges of high school meant going through many new challenges of their new lives ahead of them.
“Good, bad, short, long, I remember King City High School and I hope the rest of you do, as well,” she said.
