SCOE Senior Extension Program Winter 2021 Graduation Video

00:09 - On behalf of the Sacramento County Office of Education, it is my pleasure to welcome you to our virtual graduation ceremony for the ²⁰²⁰⁄₂₀₂₁ school year.

00:20 - Thank you to all the family and friends who are here to watch and to celebrate this momentous achievement.

00:26 - I would also like to thank and recognize the SCOE teachers and support staff that work so hard with these graduates to make this day possible.

00:36 - To begin our ceremony, I would like to invite the SCOE graduating class to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

00:43 - Will the audience please stand. - I pledge allegiance to the Flag - Of the United States of America, - And to the Republic - For which it stands, - One Nation under God, - Indivisible, - With liberty and justice for all.

00:58 - - At this time, it is my pleasure to introduce our Sacramento County Superintendent of Schools, Dave W. Gordon, to the podium to share a few words with you.

01:07 - - Hello, everyone. It’s my honor to be with you, even if it’s virtually.

01:13 - High school graduation is a big moment in anyone’s life.

01:16 - And I’m thrilled to share this event with you today.

01:20 - Graduates, this has been an especially challenging time for everyone.

01:25 - And especially for all of you. I cannot tell you how much we have appreciated and admired your resiliency and your grit.

01:36 - Grit is courage or determination. It’s strength of character.

01:40 - It’s also a combination of passion and resilience.

01:44 - It’s a quality not enough people have but you have it.

01:48 - Thanks to your grit, you finished your high school education, even despite the COVID restrictions that kept you at home.

01:57 - Away from your teachers, away from your schools and away from your friends.

02:03 - I know that’s been hard. And we understand all that.

02:07 - Well, this is a virtual celebration, the pride we feel for you is real.

02:12 - We know how hard you’ve worked to reach this goal of earning your high school diploma.

02:17 - And graduation is an important step in your life journey.

02:20 - But remember, this is just one and only one of many milestones you will reach during your lives.

02:29 - Through SCOE, we hope you found the direction you needed to reach this milestone.

02:34 - You had extra support, great mentoring, career development and training, and an entire team of teachers and staff rooting you on every step of the way.

02:45 - I also want to thank our outstanding board of education for their support of all of our students throughout the school year.

02:53 - I also want to thank our valued partners, the Sacramento County Probation Department, the sheriff’s department, and all of the great non-profits that provided you with support.

03:04 - We work closely with all of them. And I know they are proud of you as well.

03:10 - Always remember this success is not just yours alone.

03:14 - It also belongs to many other people. So please remember to thank your teachers and school staff who have been so supportive.

03:24 - Send them emails or notes in the regular mail.

03:28 - Try to include photos of you and your families.

03:30 - I know your teachers and other staff would appreciate that very much.

03:36 - And most of all, please remember to thank your family and friends.

03:41 - They’ve been behind you this whole time. They believed in you.

03:45 - They are very proud of you and they admire your grit.

03:50 - Graduating from high school shows you can reach your goals when you commit yourselves.

03:54 - But please, please don’t stop now. Reach further and higher.

04:00 - Don’t allow your learning to end with high school go after a two year degree or certificate from a community college.

04:07 - How about a four year degree from a CSU or a trade apprenticeship? You have endless options.

04:14 - Promise yourselves and your families you will stretch yourself.

04:18 - Keep setting ambitious goals and most of all, keep working hard.

04:24 - Like us all. You’ve made mistakes along the way and hopefully you’ve learned from them.

04:29 - But please understand your biggest mistake isn’t in a failure or two.

04:34 - It’s in failing to pick yourself up learning from your mistakes and facing the challenges ahead of you.

04:41 - Some people ask in life, what’s more important, good luck or hard work? And in my experience, the harder I worked, the luckier I got.

04:52 - So keep working hard. Just look at how hard you had to work to complete this high school year and your high school education.

05:00 - Hard work and further education are your keys to a bright future.

05:05 - So step up and step out, and continue to make us all proud.

05:10 - And now it’s my great pleasure and honor to welcome our keynote speaker.

05:15 - Ray Green, serves as the community coordinator of My Brother’s Keeper at Sierra Health Foundation.

05:22 - I’m proud to be on the board of Sierra Health Foundation.

05:26 - And we at SCOE and Sierra health are great partners.

05:31 - Welcome, Ray. Thank you, for being with us today.

05:35 - - Hello, thank you. Thank you all for having me.

05:38 - I want to give a thank you to Sacramento County Office of Education as well as the Senior Extension Program.

05:44 - But also want to thank you graduates, class of 2021.

05:47 - This is your moment, mark your moment.

05:52 - And what do I mean by mark your moment? I mean, manage your moment, acknowledge your moment, remember your moment, and then know that this is your moment.

06:03 - My name is Ray Green, I have the opportunity of serving as the My Brother’s Keeper Sacramental Coordinator, right here at the Center at Sierra Health Foundation to improve life outcomes for boys and men of colors.

06:13 - By identifying the gaps, the barriers and removing them out of the way so that your dreams can truly become a reality.

06:20 - And when I say mark your moment, I mean manage your moment, you know what I’m talking about the individuals with good intentions, always asking you what lies ahead? What are you planning on doing next? Don’t allow those good intended questions, the anxiety, the stress of worrying about your next, to steal you from this moment of your now.

06:41 - Manage your moment, don’t mismanage it, treasure this moment, embrace your moment, celebrate this moment, because this is your moment.

06:50 - And then acknowledge, acknowledge that not many people made it.

06:54 - Acknowledge that you decided to overcome the circumstances, remove the barriers that tried to break you, that tried to steal your joy, that tried to take from you.

07:03 - You made the choice to overcome those things.

07:06 - And you’ve made the choice to allow that to fuel your passions for you to finish.

07:12 - Acknowledge that you made that choice. Acknowledge that not many people have made it, that acknowledge that you are not a statistic, acknowledge that you are someone who is strong, powerful, courageous, and you have the capability and you have the capacity to reach your dreams.

07:27 - And then, after you’ve managed, after you’ve acknowledged.

07:31 - I need you to remember, remember all of the wonderful people that helped you remember all of the people who spoke life into you and give back to them.

07:39 - Remember that your children and their children’s children want to hear your story.

07:43 - Because believe it or not, despite all the circumstances, despite all of the past hurts, mistakes and challenges that were presented to you.

07:50 - Remember that you still made a choice. And remember that those stories are waiting to be heard, those stories are waiting to be told those stories are waiting to be cherished.

08:00 - Mark your moment. And then lastly, I’ll leave you with this.

08:04 - Know that you’re special. Know that the world even in this pandemic, all of the distractions did not detour you.

08:12 - Know that if you had what it took to get you to this moment, you will have what it takes to get you to your next moment.

08:20 - And I’ll finish with this just how I started.

08:22 - Class of 2021, this is your moment. Mark your moment.

08:28 - I challenge you. I challenge each and every one of you.

08:30 - That’s hearing me right now to mark your moment.

08:35 - Thank you. - Hi, SCOE graduates. It’s Miss Foston.

08:39 - From North Area Community School. You did it.

08:41 - Congratulations, all your hard work has paid off.

08:45 - I just wanted to congratulate you on this remarkable achievement.

08:50 - You’re a high school graduate. And I want to wish you all the best in your future.

08:55 - Congratulations. - Congratulations, Class of 2021.

09:01 - You did it. And you did it under some pretty unusual circumstances I might add.

09:07 - It should make it that much sweeter for you I’m standing in this empty gym as a reminder to all of us that one day.

09:16 - It won’t be empty. It’ll be full of people having fun and hanging out with their friends and family.

09:22 - So hang in there, class of 2021. The day will be here soon and I plan to be out there with you.

09:29 - So congratulations again. Come by and visit sometime if you’re not busy.

09:36 - - Thank you for that inspirational message.

09:38 - It is now my pleasure to invite members of the 2021 graduating class to say a few words.

09:45 - - Hello, my name is Ana. I enrolled into the North Area Senior Externship Program in 2019.

09:51 - And I’m here now. Since I was young, my mom and I always had stability issues.

09:56 - It made things hard for me because I was always switching schools.

09:59 - My grades were horrible. I felt like my years were going by and there was no remedy.

10:04 - I still remember the time I walked into Mr. Elkington’s class with tears in my eyes.

10:09 - And he started giving me all the different options to earn credits and graduate.

10:15 - I started hitting those books every day, there was no day off.

10:18 - Thanks to him and Miss Foston, who has been nothing but a great support to me.

10:22 - I’m glad to say I finally did it. Life brought big storm waves to our family and friends this year.

10:29 - We’ve lost people really close to us and I don’t understand why.

10:33 - What I do understand is that life is too short to waste it on being dumb.

10:38 - A lot of people say we don’t need school to be successful.

10:41 - And that might be true. But we do need school for a good education that’s going to prepare us for a successful career.

10:50 - That’s why we should study hard, work hard and go hard.

10:54 - I want to thank my family and tell you that I love you.

10:57 - This year has been hard for all of us. I just want you all to know, we are a family and God is with us.

11:03 - Thanks. To all of you I am who I am because of you.

11:07 - I’m grateful for you guys. Thank you for always being a big part of my life.

11:13 - A special thanks to my brothers and sisters, my mom and of course in memory of my dad.

11:18 - All this hard work was done with your help - My name is Trahan Fournette.

11:23 - And I graduated from North Area Community School.

11:26 - When I first got removed from regular school, it really made me think about how much time I wasted in my freshman and sophomore year.

11:34 - I then made a decision to turn my life around and get back on track.

11:37 - I started getting myself in the right mindset to be successful.

11:41 - On my first day back to school, I was prepared to be focused and work hard in order to finish school.

11:48 - My teacher miss Passnel, made it a lot easier to stay focused and provided me with a lot of great opportunities to be successful.

11:56 - I am very grateful to have had Miss P, as my teacher, for my junior and senior year.

12:01 - I also want to thank miss Alkalah, pastor Tim, miss Adam’s and the rest of the North Area staff for other support.

12:09 - Getting my education has always been important to me and North Area kept me going and on track.

12:15 - Most importantly I want to thank my mom for always being there and believing in me.

12:19 - Even at my lowest. All of these people have helped me keep my drive and determination going and for that I am forever grateful.

12:30 - - Thank you graduates. We will now begin the presentation of the certificates.

12:36 - (upbeat music) - [Narrator] Selina Abell, Christian Javier Barnes Imari Lynette Barnes, Kiara S. Bizer Diamond Burns Heaven Faith Campbell Robert Campbell-Garcia Josie D. Collins Isabella Natalia Cortez Gavontay Dauterive Jansan Tragger Debrum Jett Tomas Drummond Samantha Yzabella Duran Eric Espinoza Angelo Josh Cruz Estellado Aubrey Frances Foster Trahan Damariah Fournette Isaiah Gonzalez-Johnson Albert Lupe Guerra Kou Jack Her Javier Eric Hernandez Kobie Holley Gardiner Joserie Howard Rickey Dale Huckabee Robert Isaac Ibarra Tenaya Kaylie Jones Timoci Lalanabaravi Billy Ching Lee Salvador Leon Raquel Marie Leyba Otis Joseph Lozinto Isaiah lucky Marcus Jacob Maldia Jose Alfredo Martinez-Carillo Raeanna Moore Jacqueline Morones Anna E.

Muratalla Eaundrey Silas Nanez Ana Michele Navarro Tarrique Lavey Cache Newman Stephanie Nolasco Timothy Normakhamesov Brittany Cheri Peters Ashley Picardal Selena Quiroz Hasib Rahmani Alyssa Marie Roberts-Simmons Melissa Michele Roger John Augustine Ruiz Savannah Solei Sanchez Anthony Shelton Akashpreet Singh Keveonna Unique Singleton, Elmerissa Helvana Taukave-Langman Roshawan Troupe Daemion Shuran Tryles Brianna Inez Vivanco Ashley Walcker Jonathan Williams Dae’Janae Marie Aaliyah Woods.

17:35 - - At this time, it is my pleasure to invite Assistant Superintendent Dr. Perry and board president Joanne Ahola.

17:42 - For the closing of the ceremonies. - Congratulations.

17:46 - Class of 2021. What a fantastic accomplishment.

17:50 - We’re so very proud of you. We’ve reached a point in the ceremony, where we have two more steps.

17:56 - The first one will be the turning of the tassel ceremony.

17:59 - And after that, we’ll ask board president Joanne Ahola to accept the class.

18:04 - So first, at home with your family. It’s time now to move your tassel from the right to the left to signify that you’ve graduated from high school.

18:18 - Congratulations. And President Ahola.

18:24 - I can assure you that I have reviewed the accomplishments of each of these young people.

18:30 - And each of them has earned the credits necessary for a high school diploma in the state of California.

18:37 - And we would ask that you accept the class.

18:40 - Thank you. - Thank you, Dr. Perry. I really appreciate that.

18:44 - I, but before I accept this class, I just wanted to say a few words.

18:49 - I wanted to let all of you students to know just how proud I am of you.

18:53 - That during the pandemic and COVID and having your regular routine disrupted, you’ve been able to persevere and finish your classes and graduate today which is incredibly exciting.

19:05 - I wish you nothing but the best of luck as you head into your next steps and your future.

19:12 - So with that I would like to, on behalf of the Sacramento County Board of Education and the Sacramento County Office, accept this class of 2021.

19:22 - Congratulations. (upbeat music).