YCHS seniors step into adulthood

A week ago, Yuba City High School held its annual graduation ceremony, where the members of the class 2010 showed that they were ready to become well-educated, responsible adults — and that they still knew how to have a good time.

The evening opened with the processional, when the realization of all that was occurring hit many graduates. All the hard work and dedication had finally culminated into this one evening, when relatives and friends watched as 350 seniors put on funny hats and shook people's hands.

Paige Taylor, one of the four valedictorians, was crying by the time she got to her seat. "Everything just kind of hit at once: the sound of the crowd mixed with 'Pomp and Circumstance,' seeing all my family in the stands, and seeing all my friends walking in with me. It was a lot to take in."

After honoring our country and welcoming guests, the speeches began. Erin Hastey inspired her fellow graduates with a class-theme speech, elaborating on the words of William Jennings Bryan: "Destiny is not a matter of chance, but a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved." She spoke of the many great things the class of 2010 had already accomplished, and of the many more great things she knew she and her fellows were destined to do.

Jordon Friend then delivered a class-history speech, where he praised the class for its success at keeping YCHS traditions alive. It was the class of 2010 who fought to keep YCHS's open campus, and it was the class of 2010 that started Students for Six, an organization dedicated to saving YCHS's traditional six period per day schedule.

The speeches culminated with senior class President Rajan Gill's farewell address. He reminisced about all the memories he had with his fellow classmates, from cheering his heart out in the Brown Mob at basketball games, to running from the police after moving tables in the quad early one morning for a senior prank. He bid his class farewell, and in between shouts of "2010! 2010!" the names were read.

And with that, the real fun began. Graduates showed their excitement by anything from hugging a friend as they graduated to moonwalking off the platform where they received their diplomas. Jake Larsen even leap-frogged over friend Jazzy Kang.

"It was such a rush," Jake said afterward. "We were so excited. We made it!"

A few times during the name reading, beach balls shot out of the sea of graduates, much to the crowd's delight. The graduates kept them afloat for as long as they could, until the administration took them away, to boos from the crowd.

All in all, graduation was a success. The class of 2010 completed its final step into adulthood and had a blast doing it. Freshman Julia Lancaster, who watched her sister, Antonia, graduate, said, "They looked like they had a lot of fun out there. I can't wait."

Nicholas Scribner is a senior at Yuba City High School. This is his final column for the Education section.