Page 7 - Sanger Herald 6-14-18 E-edition

SANGER HERALD 7A THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 2018
WAMS Class of 2018 and fans fill Tom Flores Stadium
Dick Sheppard/Sanger Herald
A WAMS promoting class of almost 700 students covered the floor of Tom Flores Stadium and friends and family completely filled the bleachers for the June 7 promotion ceremony. See many more photos on the Sanger Herald Facebook page.
By Dick Sheppard
Sanger Herald
It's likely that close to 30 percent of Sanger's 25,000 population was attending outdoor 8th grade promotion ceremonies on June 7. More than 6,000 were at the WAMS promotion in Tom Flores Stadium and another several hundred were at Fairmont.
The weather cooperated witha relativelycooleve- ning and a gentle breeze.
The red and blue gowned WAMS promoting class of 2018, almost 700 strong, filled the floor of the sta- dium and family and friends overflowed the bleachers. Those on the east side of the stadium probably left the ceremony with sunburned faces.
The streamlined cer- emony moved quickly and by 9 p.m. students were
out of their chairs and onto the track area east of the stadium to unite with parents and friends for photo ops, swaying "Congratulation Grad" helium filled balloons, bouquets and lots of hugs.
Sienna Bianchi led the Flag Salute, Natalie Zamudio- Pita sang the National An- them, principal Leo Castillo advised the soon to be high school freshmen to find and follow their passions, class speaker Alan Daniel outlined "Steps to Success," the WAMS choir sang "This is Me," cer- tificates and congratulations were handed out and high school assistant principal Andrew Popp got a loud round of applause when he welcomed the former WAMS Warriors to Sanger High
WAMS Principal Leo Castillo
School and closed his com- ments with "Go Apaches!"
PTA scholarship winners were Sienna Bianchi, Lorena Feria, Samuel Gomez, Izabella Jimenez, Nolen Jaramillo, An- drew Krueger, Jaden Luna
8. Jonah Lucero, Juliette Maciel Moreno, Jason Rocker, Jeremy Rocker, Mallory Scott and Lora- lei Ratzlaff.
Tom Flores award winners were Joshua Almaguer, Jasmine Arciga, Raul Nate Cantu, Joel Collazo, Jonathan Dillon, Malia Alvarez, Sienna Bianchi, Annali Castro, Evan Cortes, Alejandra Elizondo, Nathaniel Gonzales, Nolan Jaramillo, Ywjpheej Lee, Miguel Lunar, Gianna McLain, Wendy Paredes-Martinez, Anshpreet Phangureh, Loralei Ratzlaff, Mallory Scott, Natalie Zamudio-Pita, Lacy Her, Elise LeBeau, Jaden Luna, Adrian Martinez, Shania Navarro, Samantha Perez-Toscano, Vishal- preetPhangureh, JasonRocker andRandeep Singh.
Sanger Rotary scholar- ships went to Maya Certantes and Mallory Scott.
The reporter can be contact- ed by email at sangerherald@ gmail.com or by phone at the Herald at (559) 875-2511.
Dick Sheppard/Sanger Herald
CLASS OF 2018 'It went by too fast.' Continued from page 1A
Senior class president Natalie Boust, who made history with her teammates in competitive cheer by earning state- wide rank, recalled the challenges faced by her class over each year and how they started "completely unsure of what to expect." She talked about teamwork and a sense of commitment and appre- ciating "what we really learned."
"It isn't about what you do in your life moving forward," she said. "It's about how you do it. How the story ends is up to you."
And Vanessa Hernandez, who heads to Fresno State to play softball, said she was excited. And then almost as if the thought just struck her, "It went by too fast."
One more thing: Principal Dan Chacon read off his top 10 list of what students wouldn't miss going into the real world for his 18th consecutive address. And as usual, he got the big laughs. One thing they won't forget is Chacon. He always wears his hat at sports events, which usually means a win for Sanger.
"Go Apaches!" he said.
The reporter can be contacted by email at nemethfeatures@gmail.com or by phone at the Herald at (559) 875- 2511.
Photos by Mike Nemeth/Sanger Herald
Seth Moua raises his arms in victory after his classmates at Sanger High of- ficially are declared graduates June 8 in the Save Mart Center. Half of Sanger was there. The place was packed to the rafters.
neuroscience and Spanish.
Sunny Sangha, student body presi-
dent, talked fast after graduation partly from excitement, accomplishment and completion of the event. But he always did that, and he said he had little caf- feine that day. But he did talk a little about hopes and dreams.
"I want to be a professor at a college, winding up at Stanford or Berkeley," Sangha said. "But start at the commu- nity college level."
As for plans for the summer? "Just chillin'," he said. "My last summer as a kid. After I leave, I'm probably not com- ing back often."
But Sangha said he has the utmost respect for and awe of the Sanger Unified School District and its ability to minister to the educational needs of Sanger's children. He said he came to the conclusion because of his personal experiences and after working with teachers and attending school board meetings.
"They really care about us," he said.
Natalia Alvarez, also surrounded
by family — so many Alvarezes, said she's planning for a career in athletic training, starting at Reedley College and finishing at Fresno State. She attended
nearly every athletic game, helping when needed. Asked for her thoughts of the moment, she said, "I mean, after four years, it's a roller-coaster ride. But I'm going to miss it going into the real world."
Her older brother Angel said he had a little trouble formulating his thoughts since he wasn't expecting much at this particular graduation. "But when they introduced the class of 2018, I got goose- bumps," he said. "It's crazy. I almost got emotional."
Angel Alvarez was joined by former football teammate and cousin Josiah "Chubba" Arreola who said he wouldn't miss the event. Perhaps he too almost got emotional.
Valedictorian Grace Miller, who's headed to University of California Berkeley, challenged her classmates
in her address to have compassion, be vulnerable and "go into the world with forgiveness." She extolled the virtues of love and kindness and closed with one final request.
"We should all try to be the people who were there when we needed them most," she said.
Natalie Zamudio-Pita sings the National Anthem as associate superintendents Eduardo Martinez and Adela Jones and WAMS principal Leo Castillo stand at attention.
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Alyssa Pasillas celebrates the end of her high school career striking a pose in midair. She's headed to Fresno State.
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