{"id":86973,"date":"2021-05-21T16:13:00","date_gmt":"2021-05-21T22:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/dolores-grads-celebrate-past-and-look-to-future-2\/"},"modified":"2021-05-21T16:13:00","modified_gmt":"2021-05-21T22:13:00","slug":"dolores-grads-celebrate-past-and-look-to-future-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/dolores-grads-celebrate-past-and-look-to-future-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Dolores grads celebrate past and look to future"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Dolores
Dolores High School graduate Anaya Martinez holds her cap on during the graduation parade through the town of Dolores Thursday afternoon.<\/span>Erika Alvero\/Special to The Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

The past year its share of ups, downs and uncertainties for the Dolores High School class of 2021, but the theme of this year\u2019s commencement ceremony was not COVID-related.<\/p>\n

Instead, students and staff focused on the future, and on the lessons the class had learned in Dolores that readied them for the future. Speakers celebrated the many paths that the graduates would follow, and the 29 young people were told to find what fits them to \u201cunlock\u201d the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has been in my experience that success comes in many forms, and that the most important measure of success is the one that you set for yourself,\u201d said DHS valedictorian Nina Hufman in her speech.<\/p>\n

Although the ceremony followed a traditional format \u2014 harkening back to pre-COVID times, although visitors were required to have their temperature checked at the door \u2014 last year\u2019s addition of a mid-afternoon car parade through town remained. A few hours before the official ceremony would begin, graduates perched atop decorated cars and truck beds and processed down Central Avenue and back up Railroad Avenue. Teddy Bear Preschool graduates followed behind them \u2014 the class of 2034, of course.<\/p>\n

The evening ceremony was much different than last year\u2019s videotaped one, as family and friends were able to fill the Dolores gymnasium, cheering for their graduates bedecked in colorful caps and leis. Attendees were able to see live speeches and a slideshow of the graduates, featuring baby pictures and a \u201cwalk down memory lane\u201d through the years.<\/p>\n

\"Teddy
Teddy Bear Preschool graduates followed behind in a parade of their own<\/span>Erika Alvero\/Special to The Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Lis Richard, superintendent of Dolores School District Re-4A, lauded the class, staff, and parents for making it to this day.<\/p>\n

\u201cSuch great plans, such great students, couldn\u2019t be more proud of them,\u201d Richard said. \u201cBut parents, thank you for the time and the effort, the tears and the triumphs, and all that you have done to bring your students to this place.\u201d<\/p>\n

She also highlighted the presence, to long applause, of Joseph Whited, who was injured in a motorcycle accident a few years ago.<\/p>\n

\"David
David Noah processes down Central Avenue.<\/span>Erika Alvero\/Special to The Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Class president Grace Burress urged classmates to celebrate and fondly recollect all they had experienced together as they moved forward in life.<\/p>\n

\u201cMake a mark on this world,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Salutatorian Justin Brunner told his classmates to live like Rob Mellott, a DHS math teacher who died in November. Remember to have fun and not take life too seriously, and that a simple handshake or a smile can have a big impact, Brunner said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne thing that I would like for all of us to take away from today is to remember where we came from, and to be grateful for our friends, family and each other,\u201d he said. \u201cAlso, know that everything that happens to us happens for a reason and don\u2019t forget to come home every once in a while.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The
The parade was led by police and fire officials.<\/span>Erika Alvero\/Special to The Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

And keynote speaker Brooke Elder, a Dolores physical education teacher and coach, gave an interactive speech, featuring her last \u201cselfie\u201d with the class along with a chance for them to shout out some of their hopes for the future. She recalled the positive milestones she\u2019d witnessed with the graduates over the years, and gave them the DHS \u201ckeys to life\u201d: dedication, hard work, and self.<\/p>\n

They were a class, Elder reminded them, who knew that relationships mattered more than things.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaking people feel that they matter, that\u2019s how you begin to change this world in a positive way,\u201d Elder said.<\/p>\n

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

2021 reminded to remember selves, values<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":46663,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[654,38,103,28,29],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-86973","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-ceremony","tag-dolores-high-school","tag-dolores-schools-re-4a","tag-headlines","tag-newsletter"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86973","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=86973"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86973\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46663"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86973"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86973"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86973"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=86973"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}