Morro Bay, Arroyo Grande, Templeton celebrate 2026 graduates. See the photos
Students in all corners of San Luis Obispo County turned their tassels and tossed their caps after officially receiving their diplomas Thursday night.
Morro Bay High School, Arroyo Grande High School, Templeton High School and Shandon High School all celebrated their graduating seniors on Thursday evening.
Alternative education ceremonies included Pacific Beach High School, Independence High School and Liberty Continuation High School.
The evening’s commencements saw hundreds of students walk the stage decorated in leis and honors cords as they received their diplomas.
The graduations mark another class of students off to colleges, trade schools, military service and more.
Morro Bay High School celebrates Class of 2026
Morro Bay celebrated 174 graduating seniors at the high school stadium Thursday night.
The ceremony honored valedictorian Margaret Appel and salutatorian Ginger Russell, both of whom were scheduled to give speeches, according to the grad program.
A record number of those students are heading straight to Cal Poly in the fall, Principal Scott Schalde told The Tribune over email.
More than half of the graduating class will enroll in community college in the fall. Another 38% will attend four-year universities, with 3% going to trade schools, 2% heading straight to the workforce and 2% taking a gap year.
Three graduates plan to enter military service, Schalde said.
“Over half of our graduates who are choosing to attend Cuesta College and take advantage of the Cuesta Promise program, were accepted to four-year universities,” Schalde wrote in an email. “These students made the thoughtful financial decision to begin their college journeys locally before transferring to a university in the future.”
Graduates who are heading to four-year institutions will spread out to schools like UC Berkeley, the University of Hawaii, the University of British Columbia and the University of Utah — just to name a few.
Notably, over three-quarters of the graduating class held at least one job while completing their high school years, Schalde reported.
“Morro Bay High School congratulates the Class of 2026 and looks forward to the positive impact these graduates will continue to make in their communities and beyond,” he wrote.
Arroyo Grande High School salutes more than 400 grads
At Arroyo Grande High School, Thursday’s commencement marked another generation of Eagles launching from the nest.
According to district spokesperson Amy Jacobs, the high school saw 443 students graduate on Thursday night.
The school celebrated eight valedictorians: Mark Andrawes, Austin Fairburn, Natalie Hemesath, Oliver Jenssen, Eva Kerr, Atticus Mackaoui, Chase Porter and Eliora Schmidt, according to Jacobs.
The graduating class received over $270,000 in scholarships, Jacobs said, and nearly half the class took college courses while enrolled.
Staff reported that more than 105 grads earned over a 4.0 GPA during their high school careers.
Seven students will be entering the military, while others will be heading to universities, colleges or exploring other career training opportunities.
Templeton High School honors 186 graduates
Templeton High School celebrated another 186 graduates Thursday night.
While data was still being gathered, principal Jessica Lloyd said at least 69 students were headed to four-year colleges and 57 were headed to community colleges. Another three students were off to trade schools, and one was headed to the military.
The school celebrated a few outstanding students — including valedictorian Anabelle Borges, who graduated with a 4.78 GPA and is on her way to UCLA to study business economics, Lloyd said.
Salutatorian William Wallace graduated with a 4.66 GPA and will study industrial engineering at UC Berkeley.
Overall, Templeton’s graduating class received at least $181,000 worth of scholarships, as of May 29.
Shandon High School celebrates 20 students
Another 20 SLO County seniors officially graduated at Shandon High School’s commencement ceremony on Thursday.
The ceremony celebrated valedictorian Cristobal Cruz Rodriguez and salutatorian Kendall Granados.
Granados and Cruz Rodriguez, alongside graduates Yesenia Soto, Irvin Floriano Morales and Tristan Osuna, were named the five seniors who made a positive difference at the high school, superintendent Kristina Benson told The Tribune.
Soto and Cruz Rodriguez were also named athletes of the year, Benson said.
On Thursday morning, an assembly was held announcing scholarships for the students — including a $10,000 Vineyards and Farmworkers Scholarship award for Cruz Rodriguez, Benson said.
The crew of seniors then walked to Shandon Elementary School to thank and bid farewell to the elementary school staff before heading to their final day of school, Benson said.
Pacific Beach High School celebrates Class of 2026
San Luis Obispo’s Pacific Beach High School also celebrated a cohort of new graduates on Thursday.
This year, the alternative education school celebrated 47 graduating seniors — 15 of whom received scholarships totaling over $22,000, according to Principal Chris Dowler.
Students Aaliyah Sederberg, Jaidon Keanaaina, Cecilia Whittington and Atreyu Ponce all received special recognition for notable achievements, Dowler told The Tribune.
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