On a glorious but windy night 39 members of the Lucerne Valley High School Class of 2022 received their high school diplomas as a large number of family, friends and staff members gathered at the school’s Ron Peavy Field on Friday, May 27, 2022.
From the get-go, the ceremony was special. In one of the most dramatic moments anyone will ever see, graduating senior Krystal Mills, who was accompanied by FFA officers carrying flags, rode her horse “Digger” across the field, stopping in front of the graduates and the attendees to the song, “God Bless The U.S.A.” The gesture was in remembrance of Lucerne Valley students Daytona Bronas, Sandra Mizer and Willow Sanchez, who tragically lost their lives in a traffic collision last June, and sophomores Kristy Klaus and Kayden Davis, who were killed in a traffic collision at the intersection of Camp Rock Road and State Route 247 on April 8th.
The school’s Cadet Corps, who presented the colors, played an important role, with two cadets holding flags (the U.S. and California flags) throughout the entire duration of the ceremony despite a very strong wind. Their steadfast duty signified the resilient spirit of a town pulling together following two years of the pandemic and the loss of five beloved students.
Nate Lambdin, the school district’s assistant superintendent who shares principal duties with Kelly Boeing, greeted the attendees. A ceremony was held to honor the departure of four staff members who touched countless lives and are retiring. They were LVMHS English teacher Linda Schlenz, who served for 21 years, LVMHS physical education teacher Kenneth Calder with 27 years of service, LVES teacher Christine Fuller with 16 years, and LVMHS campus security Patrick Petras with 9 years of service.
The University of California, Berkeley-bound Landon Lindner, who earlier received the coveted Crystal Mustang Award, gave a speech with a blend of seriousness and humor. Valedictorian Elissa Otwell, a three-sport athlete, shared her memories and hopes for her and her classmates. Guess speaker Gary Schlenz, the husband of Linda Schlenz and the longtime pastor of Crossroads Chapel Church, gave advice to the graduates. Mr. Lambdin, who was a teacher before he became an administrator, gave a speech called “One Final Lesson” that implored the graduates to enjoy a meaningful life to the fullest.
Principal Boeing presented the Class of 2022 and School Board President Jessica Risler accepted the class. The diplomas were presented by school counselor Kevin Barda and staff member Adriana Barajas. Graduating senior Abigail Johnson, who was a highly involved member of FFA, presided over the Tassel Ceremony.
The Class of 2022 Graduates:
Elissa Otwell (Valedictorian), Liliana Velasco (Salutatorian), Daisy Alonzo, Lizbeth Avelar, Armando Castellon, Robert Cook, Sabrina Cortez, Thomas Cota, David Daniels, Andrea Garcia, Adam Gutierrez, Makayla Harris, Abigail Johnson, Jeremyah Jordan, Lukas King, Juana Ledezma, Landon Lindner, Christopher Lowe, Krystal Mills, Amethyst Murdock, Emma Nefferdorf, Jasmine Nguyen, Josclyn Nichols, Autumn Peterson, Melody Picco, Jose Ponce-Morales, Robert Rietdyk, Jason Rocha, Connor Rudolph, Cadence Russ, Mario Sierra, Andrew Silva, Levar Timmons, Ethan Uddin, Jacob Vaughn, Michael Warnock, Hannah Whitcanack, Blaine-Monet Willoughby, Paula Woods.
Elissa Otwell (Valedictorian), Liliana Velasco (Salutatorian), Daisy Alonzo, Lizbeth Avelar, Armando Castellon, Robert Cook, Sabrina Cortez, Thomas Cota, David Daniels, Andrea Garcia, Adam Gutierrez, Makayla Harris, Abigail Johnson, Jeremyah Jordan, Lukas King, Juana Ledezma, Landon Lindner, Christopher Lowe, Krystal Mills, Amethyst Murdock, Emma Nefferdorf, Jasmine Nguyen, Josclyn Nichols, Autumn Peterson, Melody Picco, Jose Ponce-Morales, Robert Rietdyk, Jason Rocha, Connor Rudolph, Cadence Russ, Mario Sierra, Andrew Silva, Levar Timmons, Ethan Uddin, Jacob Vaughn, Michael Warnock, Hannah Whitcanack, Blaine-Monet Willoughby, Paula Woods.