Page 7 - Sanger Herald 6-13-19 E-edition

SANGER HERALD 7A THURSDAY, JUNE 13, 2019
GRADUATION: Chacon gave his final top 10 list of things Sanger High seniors no longer have to worry about.
Continued from page 1A
Random graduation photos. See many more on the Herald Facebook page.
Principal Dan Chacon
school bathrooms to empty out and how mentors and par- ents helped her class succeed in a "scary world."
And she said how her class has grown and evolved and can do anything.
"The stigma of coming from a small town high school should not and will not limit us," she said. "As (principal Dan) Chacon always says, 'Once an Apache, always an Apache.'"
And for Chacon, the night marked his last as the over- seer of graduation, as the grand marshal of everything that happens on the Sanger High campus and its related functions. After 19 years, he took a new position at the new Sanger Unified educa- tion complex west on Jensen Avenue.
He identified himself as "your principal of fun" and lik- ened his students to a super- nova — "bigger than ever." He said this class had the highest state test scores ever, that 36 of the graduates also earned associate of arts degrees from Reedley College and that Sanger is successful because
of the importance families place on education.
Chacon had students going into the military stand and be recognized. The audience made some noise.
And, of course, Chacon gave his final top 10 list of things Sanger High seniors no longer have to worry about. Chacon said before gradua- tion that he's been doing it so long he wondered if current students even realize where the concept came from. That bearded guy who has a new show on Netflix interviewing people was once a late night host known for innovative bits — David Letterman.
The top 10 list this year was written with black Sharpie on 10 separate envelopes. I re- covered them from the stage after the last graduate re- ceived a diploma.
No. 10: "Telling Mr. Ponce to quit with the fist bumps and calling you 'Kiddo.'"
No. 9: "Receiving any more remind texts from Mr. Moua and Mrs. Gonzalez."
No. 8: "When watching Apache football in the student section, having to listen to the old folks complain about the music and dancing."
No. 7: "Waiting for your in- vite from the principal to go to the Doghouse Grill."
No. 6: "Trying to figure out just how old those foreign ex- change students are."
No. 5: "Having to listen to Mr. Tillotson end every an- nouncement with ..." At which point Jon Tillotson, assistant principal, went up to the mi- crophone and re-enacted the end with his trademark "Goooooooooooo Apaches," re- ally, really stringing out the
first word like he's a soccer announcer on the radio yelling "Goal!" But longer. Students expressed their appreciation.
No. 4: "No longer having to worry about beating the ju- niors in Powder Puff."
No. 3: "Having to use the app FenceTa to talk smack about the administration." (Disclaimer: I tried to figure out what this was and stum- bled across fake Instagram accounts, or finsta, students use to post silly pictures or videos.)
No. 2: "When at school dances, having to listen to Mr. Ponce tell you and your date, "To leave a little room for Je- sus between you."
No. 1: "Trying to figure out if Juan is a security guard, counselor, administrator or the new principal at SHS." Af- terward, senior Juan Barajas said this may be a reference to him. He shows up at all event and does indeed appear to be in charge. However, af- ter graduation he had tears in his eyes after hugging his mom. Administrators don't show emotion.
"You will shine like the lan- tern of learning," Chacon said. He also said that for 19 years he's seen students return from getting prestigious degrees. And he won't be all that far away, so he's still likely to be impressed when students re- turn to give him updates on their accomplishments.
Senior Janessa Paez, who sang Adele's "When We Were Young," expressed some con- cern at the size of the audi- ence before her performance. It looked about the size of the group that showed up for Kiss not long ago, without the
makeup. Her friends reas- sured her. And she did great as soon as the music queued up correctly.
Rochelle Rodriguez, who is one of eight valedictorians and heading to Stanford, gave an address that talked about fear and overcoming it. "Fear will never entirely go away," she said. "I want to remind you to face these fears because you are not alone. We do not have room for self doubt. Through failure we learn how to suc- ceed. This is how we give back to the community that shaped us."
Trinity Becerrill performed an excellent version of Miley Cyrus' "The Climb."
Additional valedictorians were Alejandra Munoz Agual- lo headed for Fresno State, Madalyn Berry headed for Fresno State, Cristian Hernan- dez headed for Colby College, Daniel Ornelas headed for UC Berkeley, Emma Pena headed for UC Berkeley, Elijah San- tibanes headed for Cal Poly and Jennifer Zarate headed for UC Berkeley.
And Chacon stood on the floor watching his students exit. Many stopped for a hug, shared a thumbs up or offered up a final word to the guy who always wore his cowboy hat to Apaches games and helped in- spire teams to do their best.
"Ah man," Chacon said in almost a lament. "These guys are close."
Hannah Lucero then gave him a big embrace.
The reporter can be con- tacted by email at nemeth- features@gmail.com or by phone at the Herald at (559) 875-2511.
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