Sitting in the hot and humid weather, the class of 2024 gathered together on the football field Saturday, May 18 to celebrate their last moments as high schoolers. The graduation ceremony took on several new looks this year with the ceremony itself being moved to 10am so that it didn’t interfere with state swim. Traditionally, graduates and their families hangout on the football field post ceremony to take pictures and hangout. This year however, families were asked to meet their graduates on the soccer field to eliminate congestion.
Striving to be valedictorian all of high school, senior Sarah Anderson said that it was a validating experience.
“For me, being valedictorian was a goal that I’ve had since freshman year,” Anderson said. “Getting it was really cool because it was achieving something I’ve been working towards for so long and it also felt like validation for studying really hard all of high school.”
Leading up to the ceremony, senior Austin Leiker said that most students were experiencing mixed emotions.
“The atmosphere of graduation was very mixed,” Leiker said. “There were so many students that were excited to be there but there were also lots of people who were ready to get it over with and leave high school behind.”
Recognizing the little things, Anderson said that jaguars are seen as guides in ancient Aztec culture.
“My speech was about recognizing the small things and the journey to achieving a goal and then celebrating your accomplishments when you get your goals,” Anderson said. “As part of this I talked about how the Aztecs viewed jaguars as protectors and guides and how us as Mill Valley jaguars have been guided and helped to guide others.”
Reflecting on the ceremony, Leiker said that he doesn’t remember much about the experience.
“I don’t really remember much about walking across the stage after they called my name,” Leiker said. “The only thing I can remember was hugging Dr. [Gail] Holder. It was such a surreal experience so it all blurred together.”
