Carson High School’s Class of 2025 graduates toss their caps in the air Saturday on the football field.
Carson High School graduate Jocelyn Pedersen on Saturday encouraged nearly 500 of her peers Saturday not to think of their time in school as their best years, but to use it for what comes next.
“High school was not supposed to be our peak,” Pedersen said. “It’s our foundation. … Now, it's time to us to pursue our passion, not just follow a prescribed course of learning – to figure out what we want for our future and to change it.”
Approximately 490 seniors graduated during Carson High’s commencement ceremony, including a gathering of the senior class photo, the procession around the track, the awarding of the diplomas and the cap toss.
“Hopefully we can celebrate them to the utmost degree and just have a great time celebrating them today,” Principal Dan Carstens told the Appeal. “There are a lot of individuals (that made the Class of 2025 special), but there was so much excellence, so much personality. It’s just a great class that we have here.”
Graduates take part in the procession around the Carson High track.Carstens introduced six student speakers, including Pedersen, Sawyer Macy, Summer McGill, Wehilani Ronk, Leah Shine and Jailey Tijerina. Staff members evaluated candidates and the quality of their speeches among 80 seniors who achieved academic distinction according to the school’s Latin honors system or were nominated by staff members.
Shine, who earned her Career and Technical Education seal, a Marilyn-Elaine Kiwanis scholarship and College and Career Ready Diploma, admired the courage it took for students who had to take on the burden of home and work struggles during school.
“Behind the smiles, the honor cords and decorated caps are stories of resilience that most people will never see,” Shine said. “Some graduates here today have overcome enormous obstacles just to sit in the seat. … Some had to grow up faster than they should have, making adult decisions and situations no teenager ever should have, yet here they are graduating with pride and purpose.”
Graduates gather for photos before commencement begins on the field Saturday.
Before commencement, Jackie Page, who retired after 32 years at Eagle Valley Middle School but returned to help through the COVID-19 pandemic, told the Appeal she was proud to see this class make it to the stage. She recalled the four-day weekend just before COVID first was announced and students were told to remain home.
“…We never came back to school and so we went on Zoom and the next thing I knew, these guys, they were in seventh grade … they were in their rooms and they wanted to show me their pets and their bedrooms and they’re in pajamas, and they really didn’t want to study or learn anything,” Page said. “They just wanted someone to talk to. And we got through it.”
Graduates gather for photos on Saturday.
Page said the following year, students entered into their hybrid method of learning. She eventually helped out at Carson Middle School for hard-to-fill positions after the district returned to its regular full-time classroom schedule. Page said she then was needed at Carson High and kept following the class of 2025.
“It was a struggle, but I’m so proud of them,” she said. “…My goal really was to see this group of kids make it to graduation.”
Superintendent Andrew Feuling said he was proud of Carson High’s Class of 2025.
“What an inspiring day to see the future of our community, state and country take their final step as a Carson student and first step into a world of endless possibility,” he said. “The thousands in attendance were able to celebrate that incredible transition with them, and based on the volume of the crowd, they enjoyed every minute of it.”
Carson City School Board Trustee Michelle Pedersen, congratulating the graduates with other board members Saturday, said the day as a culmination of the students’ achievements was exciting to see.
“I am so proud of these graduates,” Pedersen said. “For some of them, this was a fairly easy path; for others, it represents overcoming unimaginable odds. Either way, it is something they should all be proud of. The future’s in good hands.”
Graduates gather for photos on Saturday.