The Class with class

They did it with thumbs up to family and friends.

By David Richards

(Updated: Wednesday, June 18, 2008, 5:11 PM)

They did it with artistic expression using their caps as a canvas. They did it with speeches about cold Ramen noodles and creating bonds that will perhaps last forever. And they did it with such a packed house at Badgers Stadium that one might have thought Sierra was in town for the annual football rivalry.

In their own ways, the Yosemite High School Class of 2008 graduated June 11.

The class, which numbered 259, celebrated by cheering on the night's speakers, throwing their caps into the air and simply smiling.

"You have excelled in the classroom, in the athletic arena and in the many extracurricular activities you have chosen," YHS principal Steve Raupp said.

Raupp was followed by a half-dozen student speakers, including a joint-speech by ASB vice-president Gina Tempesta and Brittany Noll that featured a quote from the comedy show "The Office."

"May your hats fly as high as your dreams."

Tempesta and Noll were followed by the introduction of Yosemite Unified's board of trustees by Superintendent Bill McCabe and then by a speech by class speaker David Siverly.

"Fellow graduates, our potential is infinite," he said, before pausing to quote J.C. Penney.

"Give me a stock clerk with a goal, and I'll give you someone who will make history. Give me someone with no goals, and I'll give you a stock clerk," Siverly quoted.

The speeches continued.

Valedictorian speaker Wesley Jackson described his typical morning of weeding through laundry and eating cold Ramen noodles, yogurt and sharp cheddar cheese.

He then added:

"These four years, no matter where you go from here, will prepare you for the rest of your life."

Jackson was followed by a musical performance of "To Say Goodbye," from Jessica Brackney, which was then followed by a standing ovation.

The speeches wrapped up with a joint-speech from senior class president Haily Abbott and senior class vice president Spencer McConnell.

"Whether we go out of state or stay here, we will always have something to share, our memories," Abbott said.

Those memories include a slew of academic and athletic accomplishments, including Mock Trial, Academic Decathlon, the Ginsburg Award and FFA, just to name a few.

"There are a ton of student achievements that our students have accomplished," Raupp said the day after the ceremony. "This was a great class, it was a great graduation, and we start this morning preparing for next year because we have a whole nother group coming."