Senior speaker Juliana Momary compared the first day of kindergarten to the first day of senior year, reflecting on how the excitement of starting school 12 years ago mirrored the emotions of their final moments of high school, which she and her classmates were experiencing Tuesday night.
During the Saugus High School class of 2025 commencement at Cougar Stadium on the College of the Canyons Valencia campus, Momary talked about how finishing primary and secondary school is a bittersweet moment — it’s a big achievement, but also the start of a new chapter where change will continue to help her and her classmates grow.
“I believe that the first day of kindergarten and the first day of senior year were pretty similar,” she said, “mostly because we all bought a backpack to wear on the first day of school that represented our favorite interest when we were in kindergarten. Whether it was Barbie, Lightning McQueen, ‘Toy Story’ or Spider-Man, we all collectively brought back our inner child and wore them all around school.”
Momary talked about how their parents took pictures of them at both stages in their educational careers to capture moments of them before they went through a change, because even though their personalities and interests might stay the same in some ways, she and her classmates all grew and adapted to new challenges and a changing world, shaping who they are today.
Momary urged her fellow graduates to not let the end of an era stop them from being themselves or from growing — rather, they should allow themselves to develop into the people their younger selves would be proud of.
Tuesday’s commencement opened with a moment of silence for Samuel Grumet, the 17-year-old Saugus High School senior who died in a traffic collision Nov. 27 in Northern California. A chair with his cap and gown was set up on the field alongside the track.
“Although he is not here in person,” Saugus High School Principal Genevieve Peterson Henry said to a full stadium of family and friends, “his joyful spirit and love for life is evident in the hearts of his family and classmates.”
According to Peterson Henry, among the class’ 548 graduates, 201 of them were honor scholars, 124 were Career Technical Education pathway completers, 93 were National Honor Society members, 72 were California Scholarship Federation members, 76 were California Seal of Biliteracy recipients and 21 were National Merit scholars.
The class as a whole, she said, has been accepted into two-year and four-year universities, career technical schools and the armed forces.
“Over the last four years,” Peterson Henry told students, “you’ve spent countless hours at Saugus High School — in classrooms, walking through our beautiful quad, taking tests, writing essays, performing on stage, competing on the field, sweating in the gym, attending club meetings, searching for a parking space and enjoying high school life — but not all of your learning has happened on our campus at 21900 Centurion Way. Some of your most important lessons came from life itself.”
She explained to them how, during their time at Saugus High, they had to make real life choices — some they might’ve been proud of, and others they might’ve wished they could take back. She added that by making choices and facing both the rewards and surprises, as well as the consequences and setbacks, students have been able to grow and discover who they are and who they want to become.
She then asked the class of 2025 to remember those in their lives who lifted them up — teachers, staff, family and friends — and to pay it forward by serving others.
“Define your own version of success,” Peterson Henry said in conclusion. “It doesn’t have to be measured in trophies, titles or paychecks. Success can look like growth, like peace, like doing what you love and loving who you are. Class of 2025, don’t forget what has gotten you here — the people, the moments, the kindness and the growth. Hold onto those things. Let them guide you. Always remember what it means to be a Centurion, to serve, honor and succeed. Congratulations, class of 2025. We are so proud of you.”
Students Sara Panameno and Chase Bowers sang “Defying the Distance,” which highlighted the idea of strength and resilience. During the ceremony, the Saugus High School concert band played “Pomp and Circumstance,” the Saugus choir sang the national anthem and “You Are the Music in Me” from the 2007 movie “High School Musical 2.”
Christine Tezai, executive board president of the Saugus High Parent Teacher Student Organization, presented the 2025 “Rock Solid Teacher of the Year Award” to Miranda Ponce, who, according to Tezai, teaches math, coaches softball and is very involved in various student organizations. Tezai spoke of Ponce’s dedication to the students and presented her with a $500 check.
Peterson Henry presented the class of 2025, and Michael Vierra, William S. Hart Union High School District superintendent, accepted the graduates.
Students Shaneen Gevorgiz and Alex Munguia read the names of graduates, which took about an hour. The class of 2025 then took part in the changing of the tassels from the right side of the mortarboard of their caps to the left side.
And with that, the Saugus High School class of 2025 stepped out into the world, carrying a message: to be themselves, but face change with strength; to keep growing with courage, and to shape their futures with confidence.
