Serrano High School celebrates Class of 2025; superintendent certifies diplomas

Snowline Joint Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Ryan Holman formally certified diplomas for Serrano High School’s Class of 2025 at the school’s commencement ceremony, praising graduates and offering three pieces of advice to the class.

Dr. Ryan Holman, the district superintendent, closed the formal portion of the ceremony by saying, “By the power vested in me by the Snowline Joint Unified School District Board of Trustees, I hereby certify that these students have met all the requirements as set forth by the state of California for high school graduation and are now graduates of Serrano High School, Serrano High School Class of 2025.”

The ceremony included student speeches, musical performance by the Diamondback Singers, recognition of legacy graduates and alumni staff who work on campus, and acknowledgements of retiring staff. Principal Lisa Hanson opened remarks to the Serrano community and addressed the graduates, saying, “To the class of 2025, tonight is your night.”

Administrators and staff recognized 31 legacy graduates whose parents also graduated from Serrano and identified 38 teachers and counselors on campus who are Serrano alumni. The school also named three longtime staff members retiring this year: Janie Harrer, Morgan Reid and Ken Quinn.

Academic honors were announced on stage. Principal Lisa Hanson explained the criteria for academic distinctions: students wearing gold caps and blue stoles were identified as high honors graduates, who “must have earned a cumulative GPA 4 or higher through the fourth quarter progress report of senior year and must have also completed college entrance requirements, a CTE pathway, or a multi-year program.” Students in blue caps with gold stoles were identified as honor graduates with cumulative GPAs between 3.5 and 3.99 through the fourth quarter progress report.

Serrano named two salutatorians, Abraham Gomez Castro and Erin McKeon, each with a reported GPA of 4.82. The program says Abraham will attend Princeton University on a full-ride scholarship and plans to major in aviation engineering. Erin will attend the University of California, Santa Barbara, planning to major in physics. The valedictorian, Jackson Kim, was introduced with a reported GPA of 4.9 and said he will attend the University of Southern California to major in accounting with minors in history and political science.

Student speakers addressed classmates with remarks on shared experiences and next steps. A student speaker closed a segment with “Class of 2025, we did it,” and another speaker, Serena Ford, urged graduates to carry forward memories and keep connections as they move on to college or other paths.

The superintendent offered three pieces of advice — that graduates remember they are “special,” pursue their hopes and dreams, and always do their best — referencing cultural and literary touchstones in his remarks. After the superintendent certified the class, board representatives from Snowline Joint Unified joined district staff on stage to assist with the presentation of diplomas and the traditional movement of tassels from right to left concluded the ceremony.

Diplomas were distributed to the graduates as their names were read aloud; the program listed many individual graduates and included notes about students who will enter military service (indicated by branch stoles) and students who earned cords, medals and stoles for program-specific achievements. The ceremony emphasized community continuity — both in family legacies among graduates and in staff who returned to teach at their alma mater.

No formal votes or policy changes were taken at the ceremony. The superintendent’s certification was presented as the formal administrative act completing the graduation requirements reported by the district.