{"id":22107,"date":"2025-05-23T16:53:51","date_gmt":"2025-05-23T22:53:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/cortez-graduates-are-cheered-for-their-perseverance\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T22:11:47","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T04:11:47","slug":"cortez-graduates-are-cheered-for-their-perseverance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/cortez-graduates-are-cheered-for-their-perseverance\/","title":{"rendered":"Cortez graduates are cheered for their perseverance"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"More
More confetti is shot into the air as the students are officially declared to be graduates. (Erika Alvero\/Special to The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

Graduation is a time to celebrate a great victory, but also struggles faced and obstacles to come, echoed speakers at the Montezuma-Cortez High School commencement ceremony on Thursday.<\/p>\n

\u201cTalent may open doors, but hard work will keep them open,\u201d said M-CHS athletic trainer Mitch Taffe, the student-selected graduation speaker. \u201cThere will be times when the easy way out seems tempting \u2013 but remember, easy roads rarely lead to meaningful destinations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hundreds of family and friends piled into the bleachers at Panther Stadium to watch the graduating seniors receive their diplomas.<\/p>\n

\"The
The Red Sky Drummers play an opening prelude to the Thursday evening graduation ceremony at Panther Stadium. (Erika Alvero\/Special to The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Family
Family and friends gathered in the audience shoot confetti into the air when their graduates\u2019 names are read. (Erika Alvero\/Special to The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

M-CHS Principal Jennifer Boniface served as emcee, and told the gathered crowd that this ceremony was a testament to 12 years of hard work by this class. \u201cYour journey has not always been easy, but you have persevered and achieved this significant milestone,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The class entered high school during the first full school year of the COVID pandemic.<\/p>\n

The warm evening event opened with music by the Red Sky Drummers, a \u201cPomp and Circumstance\u201d processional performed by the M-CHS Symphonic Winds, a presentation of colors by the VFW Post 5231 Color Guard, the national anthem sung by the M-CHS Choir, and a blessing given by Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Councilwoman Tawnie Knight.<\/p>\n

Conrad Jacket, Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Council secretary, then addressed the crowd. He urged students to always be patient, no matter the difficulties, and always remember their home and community in Cortez.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis land right here, the mountain, the mesa, this whole area, the farmlands, everything,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is ours, all right here. So never ever forget that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taffe also advised perseverance in his speech.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are not defined by the mistakes you make,\u201d he said. \u201cYou are defined by how you rise after them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Salutatorian
Salutatorian Luna Moore looks to the future as she recalls all the lessons she and her classmates learned during their high school years, often unbeknownst to themselves at the time. (Erika Alvero\/Special to The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Valedictorian
Valedictorian Leopold Morey tells his classmates to never stop doubting or questioning. (Erika Alvero\/Special to The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Salutatorian Luna Moore recalled how many times she and her classmates had said \u201cI can\u2019t wait\u201d over the past four years, wishing for a summer break or weekend to come \u2013 and yet how quickly those years now seemed to have passed. She and her classmates now had a chance to really live a life that matters, she said, even if they might have a fear of \u201cmessing up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have learned so much from our experiences,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Valedictorian Leopold Morey thought of high school as a time in which they learned \u201chow to learn\u201d and were given tools to help them in the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure, in 10 years you might not remember how to dissect a squid, but you\u2019ll understand a doctor\u2019s diagnosis better than if you hadn\u2019t,\u201d Morey said. \u201cYou might not read any more Shakespeare, but you\u2019ll understand a movie\u2019s theme better than if you hadn\u2019t. You might not remember Illinois v. Gates, but you\u2019ll understand elections better than if you hadn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

He told his classmates to embrace their doubts, arguing that doubt pushed students to question the powers that be and stand up for what is right.<\/p>\n

\"Ute
Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Councilwoman Tawnie Knight gives an opening blessing for the commencement. (Erika Alvero\/Special to The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"M-CHS
M-CHS athletic trainer Mitch Taffe was selected by students to be their graduation speaker. (Erika Alvero\/Special to The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cUse your knowledge, sharpen your minds, ask questions, doubt everything, and have faith in your abilities,\u201d Morey said. \u201cAnd use your voice to make the world a better place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Teachers Shelley Curtis and Sonja Copeland read the names of the graduates aloud as they received their diplomas, a gentle breeze playing with speakers\u2019 hair and the tassels on graduates\u2019 brightly adorned caps. Names were met by loved ones\u2019 cheers and shots of confetti sprayed into the air, and one graduate even managed a cartwheel down the stage off-ramp. The students then lined the edge of the track, lifted their tassels from right to left, and tossed caps into the air for photos from their adoring fans.<\/p>\n

In his speech, Taffe advised students that life is meant to be shared with others.<\/p>\n

\u201cRelationships \u2013 real, meaningful ones \u2013 are the heart of a well-lived life,\u201d he said. \u201cFamily, friends, mentors, and colleagues: these are the people who will lift you up, hold you accountable, and stand beside you through victories and losses.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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