The Mancos School District’s Performing Arts Center was packed and cheers echoed throughout the space as the 35 seniors from the district’s Class of 2026 were introduced to the family, friends and teachers who helped them make it this far.
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.
Hughes introduced Thomas Riddle, the speaker chosen by the class, who he said students described as a “problem solver, funny, good listener and the best teacher.”
Riddle, who teaches senior English Language Arts, praised the students for their work ethic, values and perseverance through school and life.
“I 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,” he said.
He spoke of leadership and how it is often not loud and brazen but quiet and intentional.
“Leadership does not always announce itself loudly,” Riddle said. “It isn’t confined merely to top athletes, performers, student council members or celebrated scholars … Sometimes leadership is noticing when someone feels left out and making them feel welcome. Sometimes it’s doing the right thing when no one is watching.”
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’t have to have their life planned out step-by-step on graduation day to be OK.
“Life will change, doors will close, other doors will open that you didn’t even know existed,” Riddle said. “The 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’t, not the kind that says you should never struggle, never fall apart or never feel lost … resiliency is the ability to get up, take a breath, learn from it and decide that your story is not wasted.”
Next, salutatorian Adam Martinez reminded his fellow graduates to count their blessings, rather than their worries, as they embark out into the real world.
“Many 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,” Martinez said.
He emphasized their ability to change the world with their actions, and in ways that may not be perceived as grand at first glance.
“As we leave this place, we have the opportunity to make a real impact on our family, our friends and our communities,” Martinez said. “Our words, choices and our actions have the power to change the world and often, it’s not the biggest moments, but small, consistent choices we make every day.”
Martinez, who will be attending Franciscan University of Steubenville to double major in philosophy and theology, spoke of each classmate’s purpose, saying that though they may not know their purpose right away, they were all created with one.
“Even in that uncertainty, we are not without direction, whether we realize it or not,” he said. “I’ll end with a quote that has changed my life, by St. Catherine of Siena. ‘Be who you were created to be, and you will set the world on fire.’ The future may be uncertain, but our purpose is not.”
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.
“If I got nervous, I was told to imagine the audience naked, but, standing up here in front of all of you, that’s not really helping. It’s kind of making me uncomfortable,” Higinbotham said, laughing.
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.
“Discomfort makes you grow,” he said.
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’s walls.
“I learned that when moments become chaotic, I can stay calm,” he said.
In closing, Higinbotham – who will be attending CU Boulder to major in health sciences – encouraged the other graduates to not fear uncomfortable moments, but to embrace the lessons that will be learned through those times.
“And if all else fails, imagine everybody naked,” he joked.
A Class of 2026 slideshow of photos, created by seniors Rosalinda Phillips and Elly Coey, and the presentation of diplomas culminated the commencement ceremony.
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.
bduran@the-journal.com
