The Class of 2028 waits to be seated at the start of Sterling Middle School’s continuation night Wednesday, May 22, 2024. (Callie Jones/Journal-Advocate)
It may not be graduation but it’s a big step all the same. On Wednesday, 100 Sterling Middle School students celebrated the start of their high school journey at the school’s annual continuation night.
The ceremony started with the eighth graders proceeding into the Wally Post Gym at Sterling High School as the seventh grade band performed “Alpha Squadron,” under the direction of David Mitchell. That was followed by RJ Cole, student council secretary/treasurer, leading everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Student Council President and Vice President Baylea Genereux and Landen Hersheldt then gave the welcome. Hersheldt spoke about how God shaped him into the person he is today and told his classmates that if they believe they can do whatever is that they want to do then they will do great things. He recalled his middle school years, which started terrifying in sixth grade but became peaceful by eighth grade, and thanked parents and teachers for their support.
Hersheldt encouraged his classmates not to have a poor mindset telling them, “If you have a great mindset you can do anything you put your mind to, you can achieve anything you want. I don’t care about what other people think; I know we are all here for a reason. Don’t be someone else, be you and you can do anything you want, that’s what great people do and we are all great.”
Genereux described the beginning of her middle school experience as a puzzle, one where too many pieces didn’t fit together because everything was different. She compared her middle school years to the school musicals she was a part of including “Trials of the Wicked Witch,” “Help! I’m Trapped in a Musical!” and “Alice in Wonderland” and then thanked family and teachers for their support and all of her peers “For going through this wild experience with me, you guys had a huge impact on me.”
“Even as an eighth grader a lot of the pieces of this puzzle aren’t quite together, but it’s all fitting together the way that it’s supposed to,” Genereux said, giving a few last words of encouragement to her classmates, “Remember you are the captain of your own ship and smiles are free.”
Following their remarks, Assistant Principal William Shaver recognized students’ academic achievements, including eighth graders who received the Presidential Award for Educational Excellence, which goes to students who earned a 3.74-4.00 GPA throughout middle school and scored at the exceeded level in reading and/or math on the CMAS (Colorado Measures of Academic Success) test.
These students are Rylie Kaiser, Madalynn Rinaldo and Zoe Spicer.
Also recognized were students who received the Presidential Award for Education Achievement, which goes to students who have maintained a 3.50-374 grade point average throughout middle school, and students who earned a 3.33 GPA or above.
Next, David Conley, finance officer for American Legion Post No. 20, presented the Outstanding Boy and Girl Award to Kenzi Rubottom and Joshua Slade.
The Most Improved Student Awards were presented by Shaver to Karla Medina Pasillas and Jaborrie Vail.
Following a performance of “Jurassic Park” by the eighth grade band, under the direction of Mitchell, and “Count on Me” by the eighth grade choir, under the direction of Dana May, Principal Joe Skerjanec recognized parents and the SMS faculty and staff. He also left the students with a few parting words, recalling back when they were second graders during his first year as principal at Ayres Elementary.
“I was reluctant to say goodbye then and I have to say, I am reluctant to say goodbye to you again today. Like families, we experience our highs and our lows, but I choose to hang on to the highs because I believe in all of you, I believe in your potential achievements. Some of you may not believe in yourselves yet, but I will continue to believe in you until you do,” he told the class. “You’re made for greatness. You may find yourself down and out, but choose to look up and if you embrace the fact that your greatness is just waiting for you to find it, I want to be there to see the stars shining on you when you do.”
Skerjanec ended by encouraging students to overcome adversity to make their lives extraordinary and gave them one last reminder, “Keep keeping on, continue to support each other along the way, work hard, strive for excellence and always, always remember smiles are free.”
The class was then presented to SHS Principal Jeffry Hoff, who accepted and welcomed them and told them “You’re going to have a lot more adventures and a lot more things you can accomplish and smiles are free at the high school too.”
The ceremony concluded with the seventh grade band performing “Alpha Squadron” as the new high schoolers walked out of the doors and onto the next stop in their educational journey.
The Class of 2028 includes: Reem Al Tameemi, Christopher Arevalo Sanchez, Marek Baca, Corban Ball, Bode Baney, Areyah Baray, Jorge Baray, Isabella Bartlett, Alexis Barton, Baylor Baseggio, Gabriella Becerra, David Beteta, Tatum Bowen, Vaughn Buckmaster, Aidan Canas, Jacob Canvasser, Mariana Capulin Mesita, Lily Carlton, Sydney Carpenter, Eli Chandler, Hunter Colburn, Raymond Cole, Jayla Conover, Patrick Coonrod, Alexa Corey, Nathaniel Delaney, Isaac Diamond, Iyana Diaz, Jair Diaz Yanez, Jamie Doughton, Gracie Emrick, Aiden Farmer, Alexander Franson, Evie Gamez, Jonas Garcia Hernandez, Baylea Genereux, Maubrisio Gonsalez, Dominic Gonzales, Jaycee Guhl, Emilee Harcourt, Jordin Harding, Kailynn Hartman, Jairo Hernandez Rodriguez, Landen Hershfeldt, LaDontay Hills, Aiden Huey, Rylie Kaiser, Zooey Knorr, Bryar Lee, Cody Lenk, Isaiah Leswick, Jacob Lim, Nathanial Low, JayLee Makinster, Anthony Marsh, Oktober Marsh, Evan Martin, Matthew Mauler, Karla Medina Pasillas, Eric Mejia, Isiah Meza, Megan Mitchell, Jacob Moeckly, Claire Moos, Samuel Morales, Noah Nava, Noah Newcomb, Addamari Ochoa, Ronnie Ochoa, Ian Ogle, Anthony Ortega, Alexander Peacock, Landon Peck, Johan Propst, Carla Ramirez, Aubrey Renteria, Lucas Renteria, Genesis Ribota, Madalynn Rinaldo, Kenzi Rubottom, Noah Ruiz-Jamry, Venice Skeels, Joshua Slade, Cooper Slater, Cole Smith, Zoe Spicer, Charles Stein, Zoey Taylor, Austin Trueblood, Jaborrie Vail, Kelli Vaughn, Misael Velez, Zion Vigil, Dallas Aubrey Walker, Kirsten Williams, Athena Winters, Trentin Wolf and EmaLee Zeleznikar.
