Central Coast New Tech High School celebrates ‘extremely diverse’ Class of 2019 graduates

When they entered as freshmen in 2015, Central Coast New Tech’s Class of 2019 were the first students to attend the South County school with all four grade levels present.

Before that, the high school was still adding a grade level each year, starting with its inaugural freshman class in 2012.

But the Class of 2019 was the first class of Direwolves to attend a fully populated campus — and as such, they’ve been instrumental in the solidification of the school’s culture, according to Principal Sarah Butler.

“The Class of 2019 is an extremely diverse group of students with various backgrounds and interests,” she told The Tribune via email ahead of Saturday’s commencement ceremony. “They truly brought their unique selves to our school and were pivotal in the formation of our strong school culture.”

On Saturday, the small school — located next to the Nipomo High School campus — honored its 63-student graduating class in a commencement ceremony on its quad.

Notable achievements for the class this year include its 100% graduation rate.

According to Butler, 92% of its students are graduating with California State University or University of California transferable units, which will put them ahead of the curve during their college careers.

Twenty-two of the graduating seniors will move on to four-year universities, according to Butler, going to places such as UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Santa Cruz, UC Merced, Tufts University, Cal Poly, Sacramento State and CSU Stanislaus. Other students are attending Brigham Young University, Arizona State University, Westmont College, University of Montana, Dodge College at Chapman University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Boise State University.

Butler said 32 students plan to attend community colleges or trade schools, four will join the military and five will enter the workforce.

“Their amazing experiences and scholarship at Central Coast New Tech High will no doubt serve them well in the next step of their life journey,” Butler said. “We truly wish all 63 of these amazing students the best. “

This story was originally published June 8, 2019 at 4:58 PM.