The Irvine Bowl at the Festival of Arts grounds was filled to the brim last week when parents, other family members and friends turned out to watch 256 seniors graduate from high school.
The sky sparkled with stars, the temperature was mild, rare at the bowl even later in the summer. The high school band, directed by Jeremy Chung, set a traditional mood with “Pomp and Circumstance,” the graduation march composed by Edward Elgar. The most hoots and hollers, even the bleat of a bullhorn, came from the crowd standing in the nosebleed section. Assistant high school principal Bob Billinger served as a very professional-sounding master of ceremonies.
Joanne Culverhouse, high school principal for the past three years, has watched most of the graduates grow since their first day of school as she rose in the school district’s administrative ranks. She started with the district as El Morro Elementary principal in 1999. She became principal at Thurston Middle School five years later, where she made it a point to greet every child as they arrived at school. An avid cyclist, she’s gained notoriety with her students for her ability to ride a unicycle, and has been known to cruise around on one at school events.
“My thoughts come back to the unique bond I have with this class of 2014,” Culverhouse said in her closing speech with a voice clearly stretched from end-of-school activities. “In a small community such as ours, there are very few principals who have had the good fortune to transition with their students from grade level to grade level.”
Rory Saunders, class valedictorian, kept the mood of the evening buoyant and yet somewhat serious. “You are about to graduate from Laguna Beach High School, the greatest high school in all of Laguna Beach,” Saunders joked about the only high school in town. He then acknowledged Billinger, describing him as “our kind and understanding disciplinarian…not.”
The crowd was in for a few more barbs and plenty of laughs courtesy of Saunders. He even threw out a few innuendos, leaving those not-in-the-know wondering if he was a bit bitter about being dissed by a former girlfriend. He then brought his slightly off-key tenor down to reality.
“My goal tonight is to get through this lengthy speech without a voice-crack, but, as many of you know, I hit puberty late last year. I’m not going to make any promises,” he said. “I don’t consider myself particularly profound nor particularly experienced. Yes, my GPA was narrowly higher than all the guys on the tennis team, but I’m not going to pretend to be some prophet who will shape your life with a moving speech.”
Saunders said he thought about writing a speech that would “plumb the depths of the human condition to inspire all of you,” but took the more humble approach of just being another high-schooler “who has absolutely no idea what life is about….
“To be a member of this class has been enlightening, frustrating and everything in between. The ups and downs and lefts and rights of high school jarred me, shocked me and ultimately matured me. In sum, the last four years have been quite a ride. I’m glad to have shared this experience with the extraordinary young men and women sitting in front of me.”
Jim Garvey, Spanish teacher, English language development teacher and boys’ JV basketball coach, gave the Graduate Address, and was clearly emotional.
“As the students are graduating this year, so are two beloved friends and colleagues of mine.” Garvey noted retiring teachers Rod Ortiz, who is leaving the district after 27 years, and Joanie McKnight, who is taking an early retirement and continuing with a lawsuit, alleging unfair treatment by administrators. Our school is losing over 70 years of experience between the two of them….I love you guys,” he said, choking back tears.
He continued by thanking his students for “picking me up and helping me through the loss of my mom and her illness through the month of March.” A photo of Garvey with his mom at his college graduation was projected behind him. He then told the students to follow four lines in a rope:
G: Give of yourself.
A: attitude over aptitude.
I: initiative; it won’t go unnoticed.
L: Love; “Love what you do and you’ll never work a day in your life.”
His mother’s name was Gail.
Culverhouse concluded by using doors as a metaphor, recalling how she opened classroom doors and car doors for each of her students over the years. “Our shared experiences allowed me to see into many of your hearts and, many, into your minds. You have grown into the caring and compassionate individuals who now sit before me. You learned the lessons well in elementary and middle school: always share, play well with others and treat everyone with kindness.”
The 2014 graduates are:
Abarca, Johana
Abney, Allison
Adams, Joshua
Adams, Anna Marie
Allan, Ava
Alter, Ashlyn
Armstrong, Dana
Arredondo, Camille
Askaryar, Aria
Atherton, Rian
Atkinson, Cyanna
Baptista, Christopher
Barker, Emma
Barkley, Rufus
Barnes, Courtney
Barnes, Clayton
Baskevitch, Kayla
Bekken, Zachary
Bell, Britten
Berri, Mariam
Black, Stephen
Blanco, Briona
Blanton, Noah
Blaser, Bridget
Blue, Dreeana
Bo, Nina *
Bonetti, Kevin
Borkovec, Cara
Broomer, Charlotte
Brown, Max
Budroe, Brielle
Bunting, Jessie
Burk, Garrett
Burnett, Haleigh
Cant, Lola
Capobianco, Lucas
Castillo Alonso, Maria
Cavanaugh, Megan
Cham, Tristan
Chamsi, Christopher
Chiocchetti, Greta
Christie, Drew
Church, Jonathon
Cirignani, Nicole
Clancy, Veronica
Clark, Zoe
Cockrell, James
Cogan, Rylynn
Coinon, Savannah
Colburn, Nathaniel
Collins, Trevor
Connor, Lucas
Cosby Braselle, Clay
Crivello, Gabrielle
Cunningham, Sean
Curras, Eric
Curtis, Audrey
Davia, Anthony
Davidson, Taylor
De La Rosa, Andres
Delgado, Armando
Demilly Otteson, Nadia
dePfyffer, Cameron
Dial, Amanda
Dixon, Kimberley
Doiron, Nicole
Donahie, Paul Michel
Donavan, Spencer
DuAmarell, Philip
Duncan, Jamie
Duong, Alexander
Farnes, Emily
Feldman, Michael
Feldman, Alexander
Ferguson, Caris
Flores, Yujin
Freeman, Traer
French, Joshua
Gallegos, Giovanna
Gallo, Joseph
Galmiche, Ines
Gauthier, Colin
Glazer, Ashleigh
Glick, Danielle
Goson, Josie
Gossett, Andrea
Grams, Kailey
GrandPre, Preston
Graves, LG
Green, Jared
Greenwood, Paige
Gromet, Danielle
Grosher, Marlee
Guido, Elizabeth
Guthrie, Makena
Haines, Kyle
Haines, Carly
Hall-Byrne, Holly
Hampton, Sean
Harrington, Stormy
Harrison, Steven
Hartman, Jordan
Hayes, Alexandra
Hays, Mia
Heitmann, Anna
Henderson, Hunter
Hendrickson, Jamie
Hexberg, Jakob
Hinmon, Veronica
Hockaday, Bridget
Hopper, Tessa
Howell, Clair
Howie, Madeline
Huffer, Brian
Humphries, Kyra
Hunt, Nicole
Ibelle, Codey
Jackson, Victoria
Jensen, Katherine
Johnson, Brooks
Jones, Matthew
Jones, Conner
Kahlon, Vickram
Kaplan, Katie
Karpinski, Christopher
Keces, Maya
Kent, Megan
Killian, Claire
Kirkbride, Lauren
Kluver, Zachary
Knott, Jenna
Koprowski, Casiano
Krafka, Avery
Kravitz, Nathan
Kruger, Samantha
Kunkel, Jacob
La Tendresse, Cody
Ladislao Ramirez, Vincent
Lancaster, Nathan
Landsiedel, Andrew
Lange, Gabrielle
Larsen, Anika
Law, Anna
Lee, Jennifer
Levinstein, Adam
Lindsay, Alexandra
Long, Morgan
Ludloff, Bryan
Markman, Nicolas
Martin, Hannah
Martin, Alexander
Martin, Mia
Martin, Dogen
Martinez, Keaton
Martinez, Jacqueline
McCombs, Connor
McCullough, Alexis
McMahon, Jacqueline
McMillan, Spencer
McQueen, Caitlin
Meier, Nicholas
Metez, Tyler
Michaels, Brooke
Miller, Anya
Miller, Elizabeth
Moore, Tatum
Mooshian, Carly
Murray, Nicole
Myhan, Michael
Nederlander, Sarah
Needham, Justin
Nguyen, Timothy
Nielson, Perry
Nunis, Richard
Oberndorf, Sarah
O’Brien, Caitlin
Papa, Eric
Patchell, Jordan
Pattillo, Noah
Paul, Shikira
Pike, Kailar
Pitz, Makenna
Potter, Jasper
Quigley, Hailey
Rackemann Smith, Ryan
Radach, Noah
Rand Luby, Cameron
Rhyner, Jake
Ring, Ian
Robison, Savannah
Rodriguez, Audrey
Rogers, Preston
Romatoski, Taylor
Romero, Eliza
Ross, Sara
Ross, David
Rubow, Alexandra
Rydstrom, Wyatt
Saadatkhah, Nasim
Salvini, Gian
Sanders, Sydney
Sandler, Sarah
Santana, Michael
Sarhad, Brandon
Sasaki, Kevin
Saunders, Rory Scharf, Marielle
Seebass, Vann
Segall, Alexzandra
Shin, Isaiah
Shoemaker, Brock
Siegrist, Sean
Siegrist, Erik
Slater, Marisa
Sofferman, Michael
Spitz, Jeffrey
Spring, Taylor
Stalker, Hannah
Stiles, Charlotte
Strickland, Sarina
Sullivan, Ryan
Summerour, Caroline
Sweet, Nathan
Tat, Stephanie
Tellez, Christopher
Thomas, Troy
Thornton, Barrett
Thornton, Kira
Tomczak, Danielle
Toro, Paige
Trefethen, William
Vera, Liliana
Von Schimpf, Karl
Walker, Ethan
Wallin, Jane
Wang, Iris
Webb, Abigail
West, Daniel
White, Monica
Wilhelm, Grant
Willhoft, Austin
Wilson, Matthew
Winson, Darby
Wisbaum, Mandi
Wogulis, Samuel
Wold, Katie
Wollam, John Paul
Wong, Garrett
Woods, Madeline
Wulff, Alec
Wyett, Jack
Yang, Shawna
Yarchever, Sierra
Zarate, Stephannie
Zarrabi, Sharlene
I loved Rory Saunders’ speech. His combination of wit and humor, with just enough sincerity, was one of the best speeches I’ve heard at the dozen or so graduations I’ve attended. Congratulations.