On Saturday morning, framed by the Vaca Hills and a cloudless blue sky, 490 Vacaville High School students entered “The Z” before 9 a.m. 93 minutes later, after their tassels had been turned and their caps had been tossed in the air, they left as Vacaville High School alumni.
Speaking to students on the field and stands packed with friends and family, Principal Adam Wight welcomed graduates and introduced Vacaville Unified School District Trustees and Administrators, as well as his fellow Vacaville High School administrators. He also introduced senior class president Brooke Taylor.
“You are the 130th group to have ascended to this point,” he said.
Wight expressed personal gratitude to the seniors, whom he called “a truly amazing group.” He recounted championships won, incredible concerts and even a trip to Disneyland.
“I truly have the best job in the world,” he said.
Wight encouraged the graduates to stay curious about the world around them, regardless of what comes next for them.
“Learning isn’t about being in the classroom forever,” Wight said. “It’s about asking questions even when you think you already know the answer.”
Even if they have completed their formal education, Wight said, graduates still have much to learn from life and its lessons.
“Learning also doesn’t have to stop when you leave school,” he said. “It happens when we listen to someone with a different perspective. When we try something new and fall flat.”
Wight encouraged students to take pride in themselves as they continue to strive to be their best.
“Each of you is a masterpiece and a work in progress at the same time.”
Wight said that the graduates will go on to join a 130-year legacy, and that each Vacaville High School alumnus has a unique story rooted in this community. White also announced 18 valedictorian candidates in the Senior class.
“Our graduates go on to make the world better,” Wight said.
Taylor spoke next, shouting out the class’s teachers early in her remarks.
“You believed in us even when there were days that we didn’t believe in ourselves,” she said.
Taylor expressed pride in the community that students built together and the ways they have all grown together.
“As cliche as it may sound, I can finally say we made it,” Taylor said.
Transitioning to life as upperclassmen was difficult, she said, but the class learned to tackle life in Junior year together.
“We made it through and learned how to keep going,” she said.
Gabriella Olazabal and Lucia Addiego gave commencement addresses. Olazabal didn’t feel like she fit in her first year at the school, a feeling she knew she would have to work hard to overcome.
“I started at a school that didn’t feel like home, and no matter how much I pressed the gas, I felt like I wasn’t going anywhere,” Olazabal said.
No matter how hard she tried, Olazabal said, growth didn’t come all at once. Life presents difficult moments, often in high school, she said, but those create opportunities to grow a little faster.
“Those moments didn’t break us,” she said. “They taught us how to patch ourselves up and keep driving.”
Olazabal asked her classmates to remember what it means to be a Bulldog as they carry on in their futures.
“Use your voice, stand firm in who you are, know right from wrong,” she said.
Lucia Addiego, diagnosed with arthritis at five years old, reflected on a phrase her father taught her then and often repeated.
“My dad would always say ‘It will feel better when it stops hurting,’” she said.
When she was young and hurting, Addiego said, she rolled her eyes, but gradually those eight words from her father have become ones she lives by.
“We have all had pain, hurt, and heartache,” she said. “But as we move forward, we cannot focus on the pain.”
Superintendent Ed Santopadre thanked his staff, faculty, and administrators and congratulated the class.
“Your academic and other accomplishments are well documented and much appreciated,” he said.
Nancy Dunn, President of the VUSD Board of Trustees, said she was privileged to announce that the senior class has fulfilled requirements, earned and awarded diplomas.
“In a few moments, as you walk off this field, you will be Vaca High graduates…” Dunn said, “That is a rich heritage that you step into.”
