BY
DAVID RICHARDS - EDITOR@SIERRASTAR.COM
Two
hundred forty-four seniors graduate
from Yosemite High School June 9
DAVID RICHARDS
Yosemite High School senior Cole Burnett expresses his excitement
during the YHS graduation ceremony on the evening of June 9.
PAT ALTHIZER/MOUNTAINTOWNPHOTOS.COM
Members of the Class of 2004 look on as blue and white balloons,
Yosemite High School colors, are released.
DAVID
RICHARDS
Senior of the Year Lacy Abbott (right) poses with Nancy Lusby, YHS
health and peer communications teacher.
DAVID RICHARDS
The above Yosemite High School student uses her graduation cap as
a surface for a personal message.
On June 9, under a scattered
blanket of cloud cover and a fading sunset, students from Yosemite
High School gathered together one last time as seniors.
One by one, complete with caps and gowns, the graduates paraded
onto the brand new football field at Yosemite High School to the
sounds of cheering relatives and the traditional pomp and circumstance.
At the beginning of the procession, the seniors were greeted by
a line of Yosemite High School faculty, with teachers offering high
fives and handshakes to the students as they walked in.
“It’s definitely bittersweet,” said Lacy Abbott, who was recently
named Senior of the Year. “I’m going to miss it, but I am ready
to take the next step.”
Abbott is just one of the 244 seniors who graduated, a class which
had a hand in a pretty big year for YHS as far as extracurricular
activities go.
The Yosemite High School girls basketball and baseball programs
earned CIF Championships, with the cross country team claiming a
league championship.
According to Principal Steve Raupp, each year an average of 65 to
70 percent of the YHS student body participates in extracurricular
activities.
“It was a great year if you look at a number of things,” Raupp said.
“Certainly one is all of the success students have in the extracurricular
arena.”
Outside of sports, members of the YHS academic decathlon and mock
trial teams competed their way to county championships, while outstanding
achievements were also made both in Future Farmers of America and
Future Business Leaders of America.
The trend doesn’t seem to be slowing down, either.
This Yosemite High School sophomores received a 90 percent pass
rate in both English and math in this year’s exit exam results.
Outside of academics, Yosemite High School continues to grow as
well, a campus that in many ways more resembles a community college
than a high school.
“We’re really proud of the students and we’re extremely proud about
the new facilities we will be able to offer for students,” Raupp
said.
“The campus is certainly unique as far as high schools go because
of the acreage. We have 100 acres. You look at most urban and suburban
campuses and you’re looking at 25 to 45 acres.”
The new football facility, which features a bleachers capacity on
the home side that has been upgraded from 2,400 to 4,200, is expected
to be completely finished by August, although crews worked endlessly
in the past few weeks to ready the facility for graduation.
At graduation, featured speakers included Jessica Muzychenko, student
body president; Marissa Martin, valedictorian speaker; Melanie Johnson,
senior class president; and Raupp himself, who is in his fifth year
as principal and has been at Yosemite High School for 25 years.
“It’s a special place,” he said.
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