Local graduates head into real world

BY COLBY FRAZIER
DAILY SOUND STAFF WRITER

Ribbons of green and white, blue and gold and red and blue clad students gathered on sun drenched football fields yesterday throughout Santa Barbara to receive their hard-earned high school diplomas.
At 1,706 strong, it was the largest graduating class in Santa Barbara School Districts history, edging out last year’s total by 99 students.
At Santa Barbara High, the school’s 639 graduating seniors took the symbolic “march down the hill” into Peabody Stadium before a raucous crowd the size of which likely hadn’t been seen since, well, last year’s graduation.


Lawrence Gamble was one of about 20 Santa Barbara High teachers who stood at the top of the hill to congratulate the students as they made their way to their seats.
“It’s an interesting feeling each June,” said Gamble, a four-year U.S. Government teacher. “It’s one of those bittersweet moments.”
Rob Helms, who has taught math at the school for 27 years, said this year’s class is as good as any.
Helms said he tries to see as many graduations as possible because he know how much it means to the students to take their walk down the hill.
“They look forward to doing it,” he said. “They make sure they’re qualified to do it when the time comes.”
At Santa Marcos High, 537 students took diplomas yesterday and heard one last graduation speech from retiring Principal Craig Morgan.
Morgan called the class of 2008, “The most successful class in the history of San Marcos High School.”
“This has been a truly remarkable year,” he said. “Your hard work, dedication and achievements have far exceeded any expectations we could have had.
“Remember, San Marcos High is your home and you will always be a Royal.”
At Dos Pueblos High School, the stands were also packed for the school’s 41st commencement. The school’s madrigals choir opened with the “The Star Spangled Banner,” and later dazzled the crowd with the John Lennon and Paul McCartney song, “In My Life.”
Dos Pueblos Principal Mark Swanitz went through a laundry list of the class’s accomplishments over the past four years, which included 20 Channel League championships and five CIF state championships in athletics.
Academically, the senior class had 13 semi-finalists in the National Merit Scholar program, one of whom won. The school’s madrigals, band, orchestra and theater classes all brought in honors over the past year.
“You have left an indelible imprint on our school and Dos Pueblos is better for it,” Swanitz said.
He said the class of 2008, which consists of about 530 graduates, was a difficult one to handle at times because of its collective, “exuberant personality.”
“You have done well by those that have come before you and you have set the bar high for future Chargers; you have made Dos Pueblos a better place,” he said.
And with that, Swanitz offered up a bit of advice.
“No amount of flowery graduation speech can really prepare you for life, only living can do that.”