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Some words from Montecito High Class of 2016 graduation

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Montecito High School Class of 2016 diplomas don’t have room to list the names of all who contributed to each graduate’s success, salutatorian Marley Abraham said on graduation night.

“This was a group effort,” he said in his brief speech to all attending the ceremony.

Students at Montecito aren’t lost in a sea of a thousand students with teachers who understandably struggle to remember their names, Abraham said.

“Here, our teachers not only know our names, they know who we are, and that acknowledgment showed us we are important — and while you had our attention, you taught us what was important,” he said.

There is something special about the dynamics at Montecito High — humble and extremely effective, Abraham continued. “You’ve made us confident in who we are and gave us proof that there is good in the world.”

Principal Dave Lohman followed, interjecting humor into a speech that also carried a serious tone and shared sage advice.

“Life will kick you hard. It will blindside and sucker punch you,” he said. “…It will desert you in your most time of need. You must rise up, stand tall and raise your chin high and say, ‘I CAN DO THIS,’” he said. “…Get back on your feet and fight – keep moving forward. And be your brother’s or sister’s keeper.”

Lohman advised the graduates to be an integral part of their friends’ lives. “Not just a bystander who allows your friends and families to struggle in difficult times. But reach down when they have fallen, lend them a hand, and pull them off the floor,” he said. “…Show your Toro pride by really being your brother or sister’s keeper.”

He ended his talk by naming and saying something to each graduate. For example: “Awesome piano skills,” “You have made me a better principal and person,” “A race to the finish — literally,” “Best face on the news,” “Did you know school starts at 7:45?” “Become a detective,” “You have NOT finished your amazing journey,” “I bet you didn’t know that we had school before lunch,” “What’s really on your mind?”

Families and friends watched, some taking photographs, as others gave speeches. School board members presented diplomas, and graduate John Barrios presided over the traditional turning of the tassels, acknowledging members of the Class of 2016 as high school graduates.

Then, as Lohman said, “It’s now time to celebrate.”

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