​Another year has come to close
We part ways with things we’ve known the most
Two years have past since we started here
Each day passing, full of anticipation and fear
From 7th to the 8th grade age
We await to walk the stage
People say that time goes fast
And I hope you made your memories last
Soon high school will be our reality
Let’s wish for four years of fortunate gravity
Through the years, we must remain stable
Stay grounded, and defeat the labels
High school will be a test for all of us
And at times, it will be a little sus
But at the end of the day, we’re all just the same
It’s about who you are, not the fame
To our family and biggest believers
We wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for either
To the teachers that taught my two years
I will miss you, and so will my peers
To Mr. James who has lifted me up
I truly cannot thank you enough
And thank you for believing in me Mrs. Rangel
I will miss you greatly, I hope you can tell
And to Mrs. Fiore for putting up with my stubbornness
You’ve helped me through a lot of my mess
To Mrs. Hothi, for the second chances you’ve given
I’ve made my mistakes, to which, you’ve forgiven
And to Mrs. Vargas and Mrs. Troxell,
You’ve helped me in math and you’ve helped me excel
Finally, thank you to my classmates and friends
Who have been here from the beginning to the end
We have made countless memories together
And I wish this year lasted forever

Good evening. I am honored to be standing here before you today to address the graduating class. On behalf of the class of 2019, I would like to thank teachers, staff, administration, and most importantly, parents and families for coming to support us as you have for the past years.
 
It is bittersweet that our time at MHS is coming to an end, and as we counted down the days to this momentous occasion, we started to wonder where the time had gone. This year was full of noteworthy events. From helping raise $40,000 for Paradise High School after the wildfires to MUSD being ranked in the top 20 school districts in the Bay Area, we have plenty to be proud of.
 
But other moments this year stood out to me. Perhaps, one of the biggest events for me was seeing the Plain White T’s sing “Hey There Delilah” live. Going to SFMOMA and Levi Stadium for the first time were also unforgettable experiences. But overall, it was the friendships I made, notably journalism squad and Bubble Buddies of AP Bio, that made high school special for me.
 
And I am sure that everyone here can agree that the people you meet in high school are what defines your entire experience. The late-night struggle to complete AP Chem labs before the 11:59 deadline, after school review sessions for WHAP, journalism late days, and stressful testing weeks were bearable because we had each other. No matter how difficult or traumatizing, we stuck together and suffered together.
 
And now, we are ready to embark on our new journeys. The future is uncertain, and I am sure that many of you are scared for what’s to come. I know I am. No one wants to start again at the bottom as freshmen. And as we learn how to “adult,” we’re going to make a lot of mistakes. But that’s normal. The path ahead is not perfect, but we still have to push through, obstacles and all.
 
But for now, enjoy this moment. And so as I end this speech, I would like to leave you with some words from a favorite song of mine: “It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right. I hope you had the time of your life.” High school may not have been what we thought it would be like (thanks High School Musical) but it was something much better. I know I had the time of my life, and I hope you ​all did too.
 
Congratulations class of 2019! We did it!
 
At this time, please welcome to the stage, Assistant Principal, Ms. Amanda Gross.

Good evening everyone! My name is Victoria Ly, better known as Vicky, or as some like to call me, Victor, and I’ve had the honor these past two years of being Russell’s ASB president.

I would like to start off by thanking everyone for giving me the opportunity to lead this school. I’m surprised I was able to brainwash this many students into voting for me not one, but two years. I’ve truly enjoyed being a part of this incredible community, and I’m never going to forget it.

Russell truly is an amazing place. It’s more than just a school, it’s a second home.

These past two years have flown by so quickly. It feels like just yesterday we were clueless seventh graders just trying to find our classrooms. I never thought that I would make as many memories at Russell as I did in my elementary school, but I proved myself wrong.

This year hasn’t been perfect. We’ve all had our downs, whether it was an argument with a friend or stressing over schoolwork. However, with those downs came some ups, like all the unforgettable memories that we’ve made. Think back to all the wonderful events that have happened this year. We’ve made lasting new friendships, had fun at rallies and dances, and watched history teachers drink almost all of their diet coke.

If Russell has shown me anything, it’s that we’re all surrounded by supportive people who genuinely care about us, who are there through the rough times. From the superb teachers and staff, to the terrific students who form Russell.
    
The teachers and staff at Russell are unparalleled. They are extremely caring, kind, considerate - always making sure to do what’s best for the students. They put in the time and effort each and every day to make sure we understand concepts, all while pushing us to do our best. These past two years, we have all gotten to know so many inspiring teachers.  A special thank you to Ms. Rangel, Ms. Fiore, Ms. Hothi, and Ms. Alcala who’ve had to tolerate me and my weirdness all year, especially my very probable theories. There are not enough words in the world to express how grateful I am to have these extraordinary teachers. Not to mention the other countless teachers who have made such an impact on each and every one of us. Without these teachers, this place wouldn’t be what it is now. They define Russell and make it what it is: a remarkable school.

    A school wouldn’t be a school without students either. The students at Russell are kind-hearted and encouraging. We’re all one big family who always looks out for one another. Not only that, but this extends to the community as well. This year we have had various student led fundraisers from Jack Emery and donating to the food pantry, to spreading awareness for mental health, and raising money for animal welfare.  Hopefully the incoming eighth graders will live up to our magnificence.

    Like I said before, Russell is like a second home, and leaving it isn’t easy. We’re going to be high schoolers next year - it’s unbelievable - and although  leaving Russell may be bittersweet, I want to remind everyone that there’s still a whole world ahead of us, and this is just the next step. It’s like we’re the main characters in our very own story, One chapter is closing, but a new one is awaiting us. We’re moving on, but we’ve made bonds and connections that will last a lifetime. I mean we’ve survived middle school, we can survive high school too. [pause] So, even though we may be leaving Russell, once a wolverine, always a wolverine. Thank you!

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To our most esteemed administrators, staff, and teachers, dear parents and family members, beloved friends, ladies and gentl    emen, the day has finally come, our middle school promotion. It is with great pride and privilege to be able to address all of you up on this grand stage, as we express the happiness and love we feel in our hearts today.  It’s middle school promotion after all, we’re finishing one step of our education.

We do not need an award or medal to prove that we have something special within us. We are all blessed with many talents and are worth congratulating. If someone were to ask me about how many times I’ve thought about this day, I would have to say that I’ve thought about this day so many times I could have memorized each imagined scene. But none of the imagined scenes could compare to the mesmerizing scene I am greeted with right now.

Like many of you, I am excited to be here. Not only to address the “freshman class of 2019-2020” but to also be standing in the exact same spot many Rancho Milpitas Middle School presidents have stood years before me. We’ve all been in school long enough to realize that we’ve come a long way in our journey indeed. And now that we’ve passed the challenges of middle school, it’s time for us to move on to an even bigger fight- high school.

Life is a never ending battle, which means we are going to face many challenges, even in high school. Sure, we solve problems by ourselves, answer our tests  individually, and go about our everyday life on our own, but one cannot deny the importance of those around us. Our parents, family member, friends, teachers, administrators, and even the lady who serves us lunch, have played vital roles in helping us be where we are today. All of them have made it possible to see through the challenges and come out of them as stronger and better people. As we move to our next step in life, always remember that you have support and guidance when needed.
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Remember, Dons, we have come a long way, and we have earned this moment! Celebrate and enjoy this well-earned promotion! Congratulations to the future class of 2023!

Good evening, and welcome teachers, students, parents, and all supporters of graduates to our 2019 Cal Hills Graduation!

My name is Jeda Aspiras and I am very happy to be here with you because we all worked too hard to get here.

Before Cal Hills, I never had a strong support system or a good experience going to school. As a student before coming to Cal Hills, I did not see a purpose in coming to school, or school in general. I was at a really low point in my life and my mental health was preventing me from having hope in a future. my environment started becoming toxic.

I transferred to independent studies thinking it was my only option of having a new start. At first I didn’t want to go to Cal Hills because it was so talked down upon by my classmates and family, “Why do you want to go there? You’re smart,” “You messed up, huh?” I just knew I needed to be around people again, so I decided to try Cal Hills. But when I first walked into this school, it was different from what others made it seem like.

All these stereotypes about Cal Hills were wrong. Despite giving students more credit opportunities academically, this school also provided me with a sense of purpose. As a senior now, I realize if I had just put my pride aside and didn’t believe the stereotypical image of this school, I would’ve given it a shot a lot sooner with no second thought. My mindset had changed completely. I became involved at school. At Cal Hills I’ve been blessed with numerous opportunities such as joining my first sports teams, playing both basketball and softball. I participated in Fresh Lifelines for Youth where we learned about the laws and the rights that we have. I also was a Safe School Ambassador, served on School Site council, Student council, and lastly, I was the  first ever Calaveras Hills representative on the Milpitas Unified School District’s Board of Education.


More than just academics, here at Cal Hills we are a family, we all serve a purpose, and despite all our backgrounds we’re accepted and work to bring each other up. I felt so welcomed by the staff and finally felt like I belonged somewhere. Ms. Bence, thank you for staying in my life when I needed you most. You are more than just my teacher, you have always been there in big and small ways that showed me love. Just sitting with me on the back steps of the 300 building when I was brand new to this school and didn’t know anyone yet meant a lot to me. I’ve never felt this connected or wanted so much to build on my future. Just that is enough to put a smile on my face every morning and excites me to go to school. This is my school and my home and I am proud to be graduating from it. I would also like to thank Mr. Tiberius so so much for being the best math teacher I’ve ever had in all of my years in school. He showed me that I was good at math, I just needed to believe in myself. and catered to my learning style rather than focusing on my mistakes. Thank you Mr. Tiberius for never making me feel stupid.
There are many other staff and students that have supported me throughout this year that I can’t thank enough, you know who you are.

Class of 2019, before we leave today, I want to remind you to be open to new experiences and not to go by preconceived notions or other people’s judgements. Sometimes things that seem like they are falling apart are actually falling into place. Thank you and let’s be proud of our journey and how far we’ve come today!

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I just wanna say let's give a round of applause to all of the seniors for completing the first step to this journey called life. Everyone has a story, but we share some of the same story. What we all have is that we came into this world as a great bundle of joy, growing and growing, knowing that we could be anything we want to be, whether it would be a fighter, doctor, nurse, electrician, technology person, veterinarian, etc., and that's true, we can. But nobody knows the backside of the story. Nobody tells you about the struggles, the obstacles and how to set yourself up right for these opportunities you have to go through. The one main big obstacle is called high school and it's just full of tests. It's crazy though, high school is really
where you learn a lot; it's not just about school work, friends and family. You really do learn valuable life lessons.

Freshman year, I came to MHS with the mindset like wow I'm a freshman, this is gonna be a breeze. I was a good kid. I did sports, and made sure I had everything done so I could just be chilling. At the end of the school year, I had opened up more, got close with everybody, grew as a person, and made tight bonds with everybody by sophomore year. I moved away and came back and things kinda all went downhill from there. I started failing and barely passing my classes, and not getting all my credits. By the middle of my sophomore year I had to sit down and talk about going to Cal Hills. As you all may know, many people think of Cal Hills as a "bad school. "It's where all the fights happen, its were all the high school dropouts are, and all the kids who got suspended or kicked out go.

Its were all the bad kids go." I remember when my counselor at MHS first talked to me about coming over here, I was so scared and nervous about what everyone was gonna think about me, and say about me, and then I just started thinking real negative thoughts, like what if colleges look at my transcript and see this. But now, I am glad they will see this school on my transcript. I'm so happy I came here. At first, I was struggling to adjust to the schedules, the classrooms, and the different teachers. But they all welcomed me with open arms, and they were just so positive. At first, I didn't think I was going to graduate, but they helped get my work done. Some teachers who really played a part helping me get to this final stage of high school are: Mrs Tolley, Mrs K, Dr. Schmidt, and Mrs Bence.They make you feel like you really matter, and they are always on our heads about us getting our work done, or what work needs to be done or turned in to get credit for it, and how we can make up work from when we were not here. These teachers will go out their way to make sure we got everything we need to get through a class, and understand everything.They make sure they get us back on track to graduate. This school is not like how some people paint the picture with their labels. All the students are basically like family. We get along so well and we help each other out. We stick up for each other and really know how to voice our opinions to each other. Everybody is family here, literally. All the seniors have a good bond with our teachers and staff, so we honestly set the tone and vibe. But I'm not gonna lie, some teachers be having us messed up, I'm not go say any names, Dr§chmidt and Mrs Bence, lol. You are the main ones for always giving me another big project even though I always complain about doing them and you giving out too many projects for me. Your response is always, well you gotta do it to get credits, and I always come back to you and say a lot of sarcastic and dramatic things about the project, then we just laugh and I get it done .... and you know exactly what I'm talking about.That's something I am always going to appreciate. We can just talk to you guys more like friends and we can joke with you guys. The way you care for us so much and really supported us and helped prepare us for the next big chapter in our lives is so helpful. You are all truly appreciated. 
Thanks to everybody who has also helped me, like my mom and granny. They helped me tremendously in my life. I am so thankful for them because they get me and understand me and they always push me to do better and to better myself and never lower my standards for anyone, and to be very humble and hold my head up high so my crown never tilts. They played an important part in helping me become this fine chocolate educated woman that I am now. it's crazy when you're a senior and you actually say, "damn time does fly." It literally seems like yesterday we were all freshman. 
If you were to ask me what is something I will miss from high school it would be all the seniors. All the time we spent together literally growing up. We all started at MHS, then moved over here ... all the laughter, the jokes and arguments ... we had the fun moments. I got so comfortable and attached to everybody and the energy and the love is real. I learned to value a certain few people (my Best Friend, Angel, Mina and Aryen) a lot more because they really made me happy and showed me that the love and our friendship, our bounds, along with our talks and goofy moments, are forever. Those memories have a lot of meaning to me, and I will never forget them. When I say "I got you for anything," I mean it. 
This school it's just A 1 ... it's perfect. That's what kinda makes it hard to say goodbye to all you guys. That helps shape our character and builds us up is the memories and the environment we created and the bound we have with each other. That's what I'll really miss, but don't be sad, it's only just the beginning . 
But it's crazy, high school is really where you can learn a lot in the short amount of time. But seeing how we all matured, and how we have grown over the years, is something amazing. We're all turning into bright young adults. But I honestly can say graduating with the class of 2k19 and making it is possible with the support I've had my family and friends, is life changing. We really did 4 years of high school, we can do 4 more for college. The keywords that we all need to always keep in mind are: focus, patience, balance, determination, energy, and time, and I promise it will help you a lot in your life. 
Thank you! 

Well thank you all for being here tonight to celebrate the accomplishment of the new graduates. It really means a lot to me to be able to stand before you today and reinforce something we already know; that when you set a goal and you do the due diligence, if you commit yourself every single day, you will prosper.
 
In that process, I’m going to be honest, some days will be difficult. Some days will be exhausting, some days due to other obstacles life throws at you, you will be discouraged. But never allow yourself to be distracted and NEVER consider throwing in the towel when things get difficult.
 
I am going to make this a little more personal. Somedays things were difficult (for me). Some days I was exhausted. Some days being in custody at Elmwood Correctional Facility was discouraging. But I never allowed myself to get distracted. I never even entertained the idea of throwing in the towel. I continued to push forward. I continue to strive and continued to persevere. Webster’s definition of persevere is “continue despite difficulties; despite discouragement”. I have a desire to succeed. I have a desire to obtain a higher education. I have the burning desire to be the first in my family to go to college. And I know I can do it because Miss Laura said I can and she doesn’t lie. I was blesses with an exceptional support group. I was inspired everyday. I really appreciate the compassion that was shown to me and all the encouraging words when I needed them the most. I looked all over my dictionary to try to find a word that expressed how much gratitude that I have for my teachers. I could not find one so I’m just going to keep it simple and say thank you.
 
Miss Denise, thank you for all your patience and kind words and your smiles. Ms. Laura, thank you for always going above and beyond for your students. Both of you give me a new positive perspective on life and for that I’m forever grateful.  My mom and dad never had the opportunity to see me wear a cap and grown and walk across a stage so it feels amazing to have them here tonight and to see the joy that it brings them.  I want you both to know that this is not the last time you will see me walk a stage, next time will be at De Anza College and after that you will see me graduate in a College of my choosing because I am going to be an honor roll student. I’m going to do my best despite difficulty – despite discouragement.
 
And I implore everyone here to do the same.  Graduation is not the end, it’s the beginning, the beginning of a new life that you can be proud of. My name is Breon Brazier and these are the new graduates; and we are here today because we are determined to succeed.  Thank you.

Growing up in a privileged household I was destined for greatness. My mother raised me and my sisters to be strong, intuitive, and ambitious. Being her only son I felt favored, left out, and placed in a lot of pressure. I played football and did martial arts. I got to do stuff I wanted.

          High school was a time for me to rebel. I was always doing what I thought my mother wanted me to do, but I had my own agenda. I went to a prestigious high school “Venture Academy”.   It offered various programs. Performing arts was a thing for me, being that I love music and art.

          I would say it was my junior year when I decided I couldn’t pretend anymore. I was gay and proud of it. My mother was furious. She kicked me out the house, I was only 16.  I think she thought I’d change, comeback home, and follow her rules. I was stubborn.

          I then decided to drop out, hustle, live my life and be who I wanted.  I had to survive somehow. I didn’t return home.  I was caught up doing what I wanted, being me, living care-free, unjudged by church goers like my mom thinking I committed the biggest sin. Living this criminal lifestyle, I soon learned that it had consequences.  I went to jail time and time again.  I always just relied on myself.  I came to the conclusion I just didn’t need school.  I was making money and didn’t need anyone. But I couldn’t get a job because I didn’t have a diploma, and had felonies. What I knew would keep me intact.

          One day, I had an epiphany. I decided I’m only getting older, the only one I’m hurting is myself.  I can get my G.E.D and be an example not only to my family but peers as well. 

          So many people have been put in the same predicament as me, and someone has to make a change.  Getting my GED is me making the smartest decision over the past couple of years.

          I can go back to school and do what I want. I always was smart but now I have the certificate to prove so. Me dropping out didn’t hurt my mom, she was disappointed, but in the end I ultimately hurt myself.
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          Now I can be a voice to many like myself. I can be an example that they can do it too. They can make a change to better themselves. Giving them hope that they too can rise and accomplish goals.
 
          Thank you.