Arroyo Grande, Morro Bay, Templeton and 5 more SLO County high schools celebrate grads
Eight San Luis Obispo County high schools so far this week have celebrated the class of 2022 with commencement ceremonies.
Arroyo Grande, Morro Bay, Shandon and Templeton high schools each held separate ceremonies across the county, as did Lopez Continuation High School, Pacific Beach High School, Pacific View Academy and the Lucia Mar Unified School District’s adult education program.
“This group of students has demonstrated resilience, perseverance and determination,” said Jennifer Brown, principal of Lopez Continuation High School in Arroyo Grande. “They have shown what it truly means to be a Lobo and they have overcome all of the obstacles in their way. We are so proud of their success.”
The Lucia Mar Unified School District had four separate graduations across Wednesday and Thursday.
Its largest, Arroyo Grande High School, had 466 students walk across the stage at its stadium Thursday evening.
The school had 16 valedictorians, and no salutatorians.
Three of the high school’s students will attend Ivy League schools: Cornell University, Dartmouth College and the U.S. Naval Academy. Another 36 will attend Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, while 132 will attend Cuesta College and 35 will go to Allan Hancock College.
Students at the school received more than $270,000 in local scholarships.
“The staff of Arroyo Grande High School is incredibly proud of our graduating class of 2022,” Principal Dan Neff said. “They have seen their high school years transformed in ways no one could have imagined and yet they persevered to success. We eagerly await all the great things that are to come for this group of students. It has been a pleasure and honor to have been with them these last four years.”
At Lopez Continuation, which held its graduation ceremony on Wednesday evening, 67 graduates received their diplomas.
Sierra Salazar and Jake Gruver earned the valedictorian spots, and will be attending Allan Hancock College and Cuesta College, respectively.
Another six students at Lopez will attend Cuesta College, while another 14 will attend Allan Hancock College. One student from Lopez plans to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps.
A total of $24,500 was awarded across seven students at the high school.
Pacific View Academy, another Lucia Mar high school, celebrated its 33 graduates in a ceremony held Tuesday evening.
The school’s valedictorians were Robert Lewis, who will be attending California Lutheran University, and Liberty Massman, who will be attending UC Davis.
Another two Pacific View graduates will attend four-year universities, while one will attend Allan Hancock College and nine plan to attend Cuesta College.
Morro Bay, Pacific Beach high schools celebrate class of 2022
Up the coast, two San Luis Coastal Unified School District high school celebrated their graduating senior classes on Thursday.
A total of 228 students graduated from Morro Bay High School in a commencement ceremony held at the school’s stadium.
The school’s valedictorian was Liam Ditscheiner, while the salutatorian was Riley Logan, according to the school’s principal, Scott Schalde.
More than 155 of the students completed the Career Technical Education pathway, which includes two years of study in a specific industry sector.
Of the Morro Bay High graduates, 214 are going to college, with 147 of those choosing to continue their education at a community college.
Schalde noted that many of the students going to a community college were also accepted into a university, but “are making the best decision, financially and personally, for themselves.”
At Pacific Beach High School in San Luis Obispo, 38 graduates were celebrated in a commencement ceremony held Thursday morning, according to Principal Chris Dowler.
Lexy Moreno was the Principal’s Award recipient, Dowler said.
While most Pacific Beach grads plan to attend Cuesta College in the fall, one student is enlisting in the Marine Corps, Dowler said.
Templeton High School
In northern San Luis Obispo County, Templeton High School celebrated its class of 2022 in a ceremony held Thursday evening at the school’s stadium.
A total of 162 graduates earned their degrees, according to Principal Josh Aston.
John Nicholson, who will be attending UC Santa Barbara, earned the high school’s highest ever recorded grade-point average of 4.7, and was honored as the valedictorian.
Owen Daulton, who will attend Loyola Marymount University, and Zachary Gonzales, who will attend Cal Poly, both earned the salutatorian honors with 4.6 grade-point averages.
Another 23 Templeton High School grads plan to attend Cal Poly in the fall, while 76 plan to attend other four-year universities and 63 to community colleges.
Two of the students plan to enlist in the U.S. Air Force, while one plans to enlist in the U.S. Army.
Grads from the North County school earned a total of $89,100 in scholarships from local organizations.
Shandon High School
Farther north, Shandon High School celebrated its grads in a ceremony held Thursday evening at the school.
A total of 20 graduates earned their degrees, according to Gabriela Gavilanes-Contreras, executive administrative assistant for Shandon Joint Unified School District.
Esmeralda Mendoza earned the valedictorian spot, while Hailey Kennedy earned the salutatorian spot. Both will be attending Cuesta College in the fall.
Fifteen of the school’s graduates plan to attend Cuesta College, Contreras said, adding that 11 students earned a total of $17,250 in scholarships.
