VALENCIA HIGH'S FIRST GRADS BLAZE WAY; `TORCH OF LEARNING' TO BE PASSED TO FUTURE CLASSES IN NOD TO GREEK TRADITION.Byline: Patricia Farrell Aidem Daily News Staff Writer When they arrived at Valencia High School Valencia High School may refer to:
Borrowing from ancient tradition, valedictorian Katie Miyauchi will pass on this first senior class's gift - a ``torch of learning'' - to all who follow during today's 5 p.m. ceremony at College of the Canyons College of the Canyons is one of the fastest-growing community colleges in the state. According to the National Junior College Research Association, College of the Canyons consistently ranks in the top 50 community colleges in the nation. Cougar cougar: see puma. cougar or puma or mountain lion or panther Species (Puma concolor) of large, graceful cat that lives in a wide variety of habitats in the Americas, from southern Alaska to Patagonia. Stadium. Miyauchi was first in her class, a soccer player and a member of the student government. The torch will be handed to the top student in the junior class and the class president, Principal Paul Priesz said. The torch will have a place of honor on the 4-year-old campus and be handed off at graduations for years to come, he said. Thirteen honor scholars - those with a minimum 4.0 grade-point average - will be honored tonight from a class where 91 percent of the students plan to attend college, Priesz said. ``Being the first class is a challenge,'' senior adviser Krister Swanson said Monday. ``Everything we've done is new,'' Priesz added. ``It kind of takes awhile a·while adv. For a short time. Usage Note: Awhile, an adverb, is never preceded by a preposition such as for, but the two-word form a while may be preceded by a preposition. to have traditions. They've done a lot of work to leave something behind.'' Valencia High opened in the fall of 1992 with just freshmen - and La Mesa La Mesa (lə mā`sə), city (1990 pop. 52,931), San Diego co., S Calif., a suburb of San Diego; inc. 1912. It is a retail center and a popular residence for upper- and middle-income professionals in the San Diego area. Junior High School students who moved three months later to their new campus in Canyon Country. Today, the graduating class is rather small, 274 students. Next year, there will be about 500 graduates, and around 600 the years after that, Swanson estimated. Each year a new class was added at Valencia, so that first class was in the position to shape things, said graduate Meredith Epstein. ``We got to set the traditions for all the kids,'' the aspiring as·pire intr.v. as·pired, as·pir·ing, as·pires 1. To have a great ambition or ultimate goal; desire strongly: aspired to stardom. 2. pediatrician pe·di·a·tri·cian or pe·di·at·rist n. A specialist in pediatrics. said. ``It's going to get better and better.'' ``We never really had anyone to follow, to leave behind examples of what seniors are like,'' her friend Priscilla Morales added. Valencia drew freshmen from four campuses, unusual in a community where junior high classes traditionally feed the same senior high, Priesz said. But the class of '97 found an identity built around school spirit, he and Swanson said. About 100 cars took part in a rally to the Hart High School Hart High School may refer to:
On Monday, seniors were treated to a graduation barbecue. Classmates Classmates can refer to either:
``They're the first,'' Swanson said. ``They should be proud, because it's not easy having nobody to follow.'' CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: (color) Valencia High School senior Katie Miyauchi will be the school's first valedictorian. Shaun Dyer/Special to the Daily News |
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