Graduating Hart High School students dressed in red and black robes made their way into the center of College of the Canyons’ football field on Tuesday.
Student Issac Kim welcomed the graduation audience in English, while student Kiomy Iraheta Escobar welcomed them in Spanish and student Ridley Downs welcomed them in French.
The sea of black and red united these students in this moment, marking the end of a four-year journey.
“Know that we at Hart High School will always be your own, sweet Hart,” said Hart Principal Jason d’Autremont.
Student speaker Madison Haynes took to the podium as her classmates shouted, “Madi we love you!”
Haynes transferred to Hart in her junior year. She conquered the common fear of being the “new girl” on campus by realizing how different Hart was.
“As I walked through those doors, I knew that Hart High School was different,” said Haynes. “It wasn’t just the campus or the exceptional academic programs that caught my attention, but rather the welcoming and inclusive community.”
Haynes had never experienced this sense of inclusivity in any other high school setting.
As she graduated on Tuesday, she recognized that it is not just the brick walls that she will miss.
“School is not just the building, it’s the people who make up this institution,” said Haynes.
The second student speaker, Jad Shephard, furthered Haynes’ remarks by stressing the importance of them being “the class of 2023.”
“We have proven that we are resilient, we are successful and we can persevere through the darkest of hours by standing together and facing the challenges head-on,” said Shephard.
The togetherness of the Hart graduating class of 2023 transcends further than the students’ last four years at the school or the one day they are officially graduates — it goes into all of their futures, the speakers said.
“We will take those memories far into the future,” said Shephard. “You remember the resilience that came from this graduating class.”
The last four years, this graduating class has experienced football games, a global pandemic and watching the sunrise together. Together they are bonded and together they were changed, the speakers said.
“That’s the thing about Hart High School,” said Haynes. “It changes lives.”
Changing lives is a sentiment that d’Autremont wants his students to continue pursuing themselves.
“I want to leave you here tonight compelled to do one thing: Be a leader,” said d’Autremont.