Another school year has gone by, and this year’s AVID students held their graduation ceremony on May 30, an event filled with pride, community, and memories built over four years for the graduating seniors. The ceremony was led almost entirely by students themselves, AVID teacher Mandalynn Cottengim, said. The event was the culmination of their AVID journey and a showcase of the growth and connection they’ve built since freshman year, she added.
“They were the first class to come back after COVID, so they didn’t go to school eighth grade year,” Cottengim said. “They just did it online, so having them come back and just seeing how much they’ve grown throughout the four years, made this year really special.”
The students had to plan everything for the ceremony; some handled decorations, and a few students were chosen to be the MC’s, so they created a script for the graduation, Cottengim said. Students created the program, planned for refreshments, got flowers for staff members, and lastly, we had different students gather pictures and videos from the last four years for class videos, she added.
“I took the lead on creating a presentation of sorts and created a slideshow to go along with what they had planned,” Cottengim said.
It was hard getting everyone on the same page; a lot of us have different work ethics, AVID senior Abigayle Asuncion said. We split off in small groups, so it was difficult to have organized work days for the AVID graduation planning, she added.
“I was nervous at first looking at the seats at the theatre, you know, public speaking is not easy, but when I got on that stage, I realized that I’m gonna end up missing my moment,” Asuncion said. “Once I delivered my speech as the MC, and afterwards at end of AVID grad, I just really missed being the MC and saying my script.”
The AVID graduation is a yearly tradition as an AVID class, Asuncion said. Ms. Cottongim was the facilitator, but we had control of our own AVID graduation because she told us that it was a memorable moment for us. Whatever decorations the students wanted, whatever way the class decided – it was all based on us, she added.
“I was pretty excited for it, but the planning process was just a little stressful because we had so many ideas planned, and we didn’t know if we were going to be able to accomplish all of them,” Asuncion said. “The decorations, the food we would serve afterwards, the stoles, all of that – it was nerve-wracking at the same time, because it seemed like so much to do within such a short amount of time. We started planning just a month before.”
The speeches and videos were sentimental and emotional, AVID senior Lea Serrano said. The speeches were done by people who really embody those emotions we all feel as the graduating AVID class.
“The feeling was just very melancholic, like sad but happy at the same time,” Serrano said. “It was nice seeing all our memories again during the class videos, and being with each other for our own little graduation.”
All the videos made up the moments we shared as a class, Serrano said. Those class periods inside our class from the note-taking, collaborative groups, or birthdays – it was the most memorable moments altogether, Serrano added.
“We all appreciate each other and how much we’ve grown as a class together all these years, Serrano said. “Looking back now if I had the chance to do it one more time, I would do it,” she said.