{"id":129982,"date":"2026-05-20T12:02:58","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T18:02:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/mancos-graduates-encouraged-to-be-resilient-as-they-embark-on-their-new-journey\/"},"modified":"2026-05-20T12:02:58","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T18:02:58","slug":"mancos-graduates-encouraged-to-be-resilient-as-they-embark-on-their-new-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/mancos-graduates-encouraged-to-be-resilient-as-they-embark-on-their-new-journey\/","title":{"rendered":"Mancos graduates encouraged to be resilient as they embark on their new journey"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Graduates
Graduates waved to family and friends at Mancos High School\u2019s commencement ceremony on Sunday. (Bailey Duran\/Special to The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

The Mancos School District\u2019s Performing Arts Center was packed and cheers echoed throughout the space as the 35 seniors from the district\u2019s Class of 2026 were introduced to the family, friends and teachers who helped them make it this far.<\/p>\n

Decorated caps bobbed in anticipation during opening remarks from Audrey Hazleton, Mancos Superintendent, and secondary school Principal James Hughes, who urged graduates to take a deep breath, look around at those there to support them and to reflect on this moment.<\/p>\n

\"The
The Performing Arts Center was packed for commencement. (Bailey Duran\/Special to The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Hughes introduced Thomas Riddle, the speaker chosen by the class, who he said students described as a \u201cproblem solver, funny, good listener and the best teacher.\u201d<\/p>\n

Riddle, who teaches senior English Language Arts, praised the students for their work ethic, values and perseverance through school and life.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope this class knows how much I brag about them, and that this class sets the bar high for what I believe all young men and women are capable of,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"English
English Language Arts teacher Thomas Riddle was chosen by seniors to be the graduation speaker. (Bailey Duran\/Special to The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

He spoke of leadership and how it is often not loud and brazen but quiet and intentional.<\/p>\n

\u201cLeadership does not always announce itself loudly,\u201d Riddle said. \u201cIt isn\u2019t confined merely to top athletes, performers, student council members or celebrated scholars \u2026 Sometimes leadership is noticing when someone feels left out and making them feel welcome. Sometimes it\u2019s doing the right thing when no one is watching.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a last admonition to students, Riddle emphasized the importance of working harder than anyone else in the room, doing the little things right, taking care of themselves, building a life as beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside, and understanding that plans may change. He emphasized that they don\u2019t have to have their life planned out step-by-step on graduation day to be OK.<\/p>\n

\u201cLife will change, doors will close, other doors will open that you didn\u2019t even know existed,\u201d Riddle said. \u201cThe goal is not to have every step perfectly mapped out. The goal is to become the kind of person who can adapt, keep moving and make good decisions when the plan falls apart. Build resiliency, not the kind of resiliency that pretends everything is fine when it isn\u2019t, not the kind that says you should never struggle, never fall apart or never feel lost \u2026 resiliency is the ability to get up, take a breath, learn from it and decide that your story is not wasted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Next, salutatorian Adam Martinez reminded his fellow graduates to count their blessings, rather than their worries, as they embark out into the real world.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany of us are stepping into something unknown, and instead of focusing on our worries, we should remember to recognize the blessings we have in these moments, and move forward with confidence,\u201d Martinez said.<\/p>\n

\"Adam
Adam Martinez was the Mancos High Schools Class of 2026\u2019s salutatorian. (Bailey Duran\/Special to The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

He emphasized their ability to change the world with their actions, and in ways that may not be perceived as grand at first glance.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we leave this place, we have the opportunity to make a real impact on our family, our friends and our communities,\u201d Martinez said. \u201cOur words, choices and our actions have the power to change the world and often, it\u2019s not the biggest moments, but small, consistent choices we make every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Martinez, who will be attending Franciscan University of Steubenville to double major in philosophy and theology, spoke of each classmate\u2019s purpose, saying that though they may not know their purpose right away, they were all created with one.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven in that uncertainty, we are not without direction, whether we realize it or not,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ll end with a quote that has changed my life, by St. Catherine of Siena. \u2018Be who you were created to be, and you will set the world on fire.\u2019 The future may be uncertain, but our purpose is not.\u201d<\/p>\n

The final commencement speaker, valedictorian Noah Higinbotham, asked his fellow graduates to be willing to embrace discomfort, joking that he was more nervous to speak than he expected.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I got nervous, I was told to imagine the audience naked, but, standing up here in front of all of you, that\u2019s not really helping. It\u2019s kind of making me uncomfortable,\u201d Higinbotham said, laughing.<\/p>\n

He spoke of his unconventional household growing up, complete with a house that ran only on solar power, and getting stuck in a lightning storm at 13 years old that made him question whether or not he would make it out alive.<\/p>\n

\"Noah
Noah Higinbotham, the Mancos High School\u2019s Class of 2026\u2019s valedictorian, he learned how embracing discomfort has helped prepare him to graduate high school and for life post graduation. (Bailey Duran\/Special to The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cDiscomfort makes you grow,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Throughout other uncomfortable moments, Higinbotham said he learned how embracing discomfort has helped prepare him to graduate high school and for life outside of Mancos High School\u2019s walls.<\/p>\n

\u201cI learned that when moments become chaotic, I can stay calm,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

In closing, Higinbotham \u2013 who will be attending CU Boulder to major in health sciences \u2013 encouraged the other graduates to not fear uncomfortable moments, but to embrace the lessons that will be learned through those times.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd if all else fails, imagine everybody naked,\u201d he joked.<\/p>\n

\"The
The graduates, some with decorated caps, listened to speakers prior to receiving their diplomas. (Bailey Duran\/Special to The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Elly
Elly Coey presented flowers to family in the audience after receiving her diploma. (Bailey Duran\/Special to The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Tyla
Tyla Henry smiled ear to ear after receiving her diploma. (Bailey Duran\/Special to The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Student
Student board member Greta Thompson shook hands with school board President Tim Hunter while receiving her diploma. (Bailey Duran\/Special to The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

A Class of 2026 slideshow of photos, created by seniors Rosalinda Phillips and Elly Coey, and the presentation of diplomas culminated the commencement ceremony.<\/p>\n

Once all the diplomas were handed out and tassels turned, the class threw their caps to the sound of cheers as they took the first step into their next journey.<\/p>\n

\"The
The Class of 2026 tossed their caps before walking out to Khalid\u2019s \u201cYoung, Dumb and Broke.\u201d (Bailey Duran\/Special to The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

bduran@the-journal.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

35 seniors complete their high school careers on Sunday<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5794,5735],"tags":[573,574,28,83,37,392,29,6419],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-129982","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-education","category-news","tag-commencement","tag-graduation","tag-headlines","tag-mancos","tag-mancos-high-school","tag-mancos-school-district-re-6","tag-newsletter","tag-tj-trueanthem"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129982","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=129982"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129982\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=129982"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=129982"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=129982"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=129982"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}