Class of 2020: Clovis High School
Clovis High School 2020 Graduation Speeches
Speakers: Mariah Macias
No matter what day it is: what a great day to be a Cougar. My name is Mariah Macias, your ASB President, and while this is obviously not the way we anticipated our senior year ending, there is still so much that we can look back on and celebrate. I know that I miss being on campus and all of the high and low points shared with my peers, wishing we could finish it out with one another, but throughout our past four years at Clovis High School we have made countless memories together, and in the midst of this unforeseen circumstance let us not forget all those moments that have made our years here at Clovis High so special.
Our journey here started in August of 2016. We were the new freshmen on campus and were eager to experience what had been described to us as “the best years of our lives.” But behind all that eagerness, we were nervous. Nervous to begin the last stage of our education with those we’ve been with for so long and to have to start thinking about our next chapter of life. We learned quickly that freshman year was not so bad and we still had three more years to look forward to. Then came sophomore year. We were finally able to complain about the new annoying freshmen, even though that was us a short three months ago, but who’s keeping track? We have more of an understanding of high school, what it has to offer, who the teachers are, hopefully where everything is, but we still don’t have the title of being an upperclassman quite yet. This year definitely came as a wake-up call, but there were no worries because we still had two more years! Then came the beast: junior year. We always heard about this being the hardest year, and trust me when I say it lived up to its name. Many of us were faced with AP classes, college prep, and the dreaded SATs, but it even could have been the long mile PE testing forces us to run every year that truly tested our well-being. Most of us maybe even started to feel the beginning symptoms of senioritis. What some of us may say was torture, also brought a fair share of good memories, such as being able to attend prom for the first and last time, thanks coronavirus. And then there was just one more year. But that settled in differently. Only one year left of high school. What we thought would take an eternity to get here was suddenly already here. It didn’t take long for senioritis to kick in because trust me it is definitely a real disease among us. We also ran at the chance to have the ability to go off-campus for lunch, without having to fear that we would get caught for sneaking off. As much as we thought the severity of our cases of senioritis would ultimately end our senior year, that title belongs to the unique global pandemic we are in. Despite our time here being only 3 and two-thirds years as opposed to the usual four, I know that we will miss our time here and cherish the memories that came along with our experience.
Speaker: Connor Andrade
My name is Connor Andrade and I have had the privilege of serving as your ASB Vice President this past year. Through these four years we all experienced many different, but similar things. Some of us took advantage of the CART classes and CTE programs to explore future careers and pathways, where our women’s construction program has won first place in the annual career skills challenge since our freshman year. Many of us became heavily involved in our academics, choosing to take an overload of AP classes, joining CSF, academic decathlon, mock trial, speech and debate, and science olympiad just to name a few. We may have experienced the moment of receiving an award for our academic excellence or seeing that we passed that AP test we studied so hard for, finally knowing that all of our hard work had paid off. Many of us took advantage of the many clubs offered at Clovis High. We will never forget the bustle of club fair day and the glorious long lunch periods the food fair gave us. The excitement of Homecoming and getting to build floats is a tradition and experience that will always be fondly recalled. Not to throw shade, but the Class of 2020 deserved first place at least once. We can remember being fascinated by the various clubs at the annual Mosaic assembly, who wowed us with their unique performances every year. We remember the shows put on by the drama department and the dance concert put on by the dance repertory class, always in awe of our peers and the amount of talent they have. We remember getting to hear our choirs sing at school events or going to watch any one of their amazing concerts. We remember our band and orchestra and the phenomenal opportunities that they experienced in those programs, especially the exciting trip to New York in which our members had the honor of playing in Carnegie Hall and having chamber orchestra be this year’s state featured chamber ensemble group for the California All-State Music Educators Conference. Lastly, many of us involved ourselves in the athletic realm of high school. We remember the late Friday night lights, all the big wins against our rivals at West, witnessing Clovis High bring home two valley titles and a state championship in one day, celebrating our girls water polo team winning three straight valley titles and a state championship, baseball’s two titles during our time here, and all of the triumphs in between. Perhaps the most memorable part of our athletics is having the title of being the #1 student section. Not to brag, but it seems like just yesterday we went viral on TikTok with our neon night powder toss, even though we weren’t able to breathe through the cornstarch. Whether you were in the student section cheering the Cougars on or were on the field or court, you could always feel the unmatched energy of truly bleeding blue and gold. These are just some of the countless memories that were made during our time here at Clovis High School.
All these fantastic memories serve as the highlights of our past, which have allowed us to shape our perception of the future. But now, more importantly, we must focus on our futures. All of us are embarking on a pivotal journey in the next chapter of our lives. Given the current circumstances, we are probably going into the biggest unknown that any graduating class has ever experienced. But with adversity comes triumph. These are, mistakenly, the most troubled times of our lives and this is something that will impact us in ways that are meant to transform us. Throughout the year we have all learned to understand one another, to be kind to one another, to listen to one another, to forgive one another, and to love one another. These lessons have become the essence of who we are today and will continue to mold us into the leaders of tomorrow. We don’t know what to expect in the coming times but one thing that we will become after all of this is leaders. The world needs them more than ever and we must answer the call. We will overcome, we will be strong, but we will use the lessons that Clovis High has taught us to lead ourselves and others through these challenging times. No matter where we might end up, whether it might be pursuing further education, entering the workforce, serving our country, or entering vocational services, we will all be leaders.
The most important thing to be taken away from this whole experience is to never take a single moment of life for granted. The little things that happened, such as the smiles in the hallways, the conversations in class, and the connections made are the moments that had the biggest impact and at the end of that day we will remember those the most. As seniors, we may be hurt by how our year was cut short, but that means that the year was good to us. We will never forget this and will cherish the lifelong memories that were made at Clovis High. But now we must depart and continue to spread kindness, hope and love wherever we may go. We will always take care of ourselves, we will always take care of each other, and we will always take care of Clovis High School. To the graduating class of 2020, never forget, Once a Cougar, always a Cougar.
Principal’s note
Congratulations Class of 2020,
Take a brief moment to celebrate your accomplishment! Hug your family, text a friend, or honor a loved one near or far. You are the graduates of the Class of 2020 because of the thousands of decisions that were uniquely yours. Own that! You have spent the last four years becoming who you are today and who you are today is just the beginning of who you will become. Your story is probably the most unique one in our lifetime! This story binds you all together and is one that you can share as being full of hope, resiliency, adaptation, and compassion. This class is connected and you have proven time and again that when you are challenged you will rise above. As you make your mark on the world, continue to show that your class embodies the power of the human spirit! Someone once said, “Enthusiasm is common. Endurance is rare!” Regardless of the challenges set before each of you, I know that your resiliency endures and that you will continue to be great because you chose to compete in the game of life!
Although you have been separated from one another these past few months, you have not been alone. An entire community was with you every step of the way and we will continue to reflect on your story as a testament to your spirit. As you read this, you are all connected by those imperceptible strings of energy, the feelings of joy and happiness in knowing that you are ready to take on the next part of your journey. Although the halls have been empty these last weeks without you, your presence has forever been imbedded in the legacy you have left behind. This class is special, so continue to be compassionate, kind, brilliant, and strong because your gifts are great and you are, and will always be, the Clovis High School Class of 2020!
Your biggest fan,
Mrs. Stephanie Hanks
Principal, Clovis High School
This story was originally published June 17, 2020 at 12:00 AM.