On Thursday, June 13, the Redwood class 2024 solidified their impact on the school over the past four years and became a step closer to their future outside campus. The graduation was filled with excitement, tears and lots of airhorns. The energy was electrifying, and the celebration could be heard throughout Larkspur. Despite the windy weather, the south lawn was packed with friends, family, teachers and staff to help recognize and celebrate the class of 2024. Kicking off the ceremony at 3 p.m., Associated Student Body President Cameryn Smith started with a speech.
Smith spoke about the power of 10 seconds of courage, which set the afternoon off to a moving start. Jade Holmes then raised the graduating class flag, her own design, joining the past classes’ flags up in the sky. After Holmes’s presentation, Aanika Sawhney recognized the California Scholarship Federation and Redwood Honor Society members who excelled academically throughout high school.
Speeches switched to songs when Redwood’s Advanced Performance Workshop (APW) sang “I Will Wait”, from Mumford and Sons. Water polo player William Rauzi followed the emotional song with a speech, likening his high school experiences to jumping into a pool. More music came after, with a rendition of Marvin Gaye’s “How Sweet Is It to Be Loved by You”, before a group of seniors took the stage.
While the seniors’ freshman and sophomore years were heavily impacted by COVID-19, Jordan Kimball and Gil Ladetzky went through each year of high school and highlighted moments that made their Redwood experience special. They recalled Zoom meetings, a Christmas tree getting installed in the bathroom and made jokes about their attendance records.
Finally, the anticipated moment began. Diplomas were distributed to each student, and when their names were called, cheers and applause followed. Professional photos were taken and each graduate beamed from ear to ear. Graduates were then instructed to move their tassels from their right side to the left, and then the decorated graduation caps were flung into the air. The graduates then dispersed into a sea of families and friends, taking more photos and enjoying their moment.
