Principal Britt presided over Kelly Walsh High School’s 2025 commencement and certified that 476 members of the class of 2025 had met requirements for graduation, after which Board Chair Kevin Christofferson declared the graduates prepared to receive their diplomas.

The ceremony, held for the Kelly Walsh graduating class, opened with performances by the combined choirs and the Chamber Orchestra and included presentation of colors by the Kelly Walsh Marine Corps JROTC color guard. Principal Britt welcomed families and guests and announced that this year’s graduating class set a school record: “I am extremely proud to share that we have a school record 476 graduates this year at Kelly Walsh.”

The principal’s remarks framed the event around three recurring themes: student resilience, mental-health work in the district, and broad extracurricular achievement. Salutatorian Emerson Levin told classmates that one word described their experience: “resilience. We didn't just survive high school, we grew, we adapted, we thrived and we kept moving forward,” and credited classmates, teachers and family for support during difficult periods. Valedictorian Haley Williams called the class “determination” and thanked teachers and family members who supported students through academic, personal and athletic challenges.

Principal Britt highlighted extracurricular accomplishments, saying Kelly Walsh reached a milestone of 100 team state championships in school history and that 45 of those titles came in the last 10 years. The principal also described the school’s mental-health initiatives with outside partners and said seniors had engaged with the Jay Foundation (as described in the ceremony program) as part of district efforts to promote student well-being.

The ceremony recognized district leaders and staff in attendance, including Superintendent Angela Hensley and Associate Superintendent Amy Rose, named several school administrators and the board’s trustees, and thanked American Sign Language interpreters and volunteer staff who helped run the event. The class officers conducted a ceremonial tassel change, and Principal Britt presented the class for diploma conferral; after the board chair’s declaration the graduates came forward to receive their diplomas and concluded the ceremony with a cap toss.

The program included student addresses representing the school’s four pillars—academics, athletics, activities and acceptance—and several speakers described how extracurricular activities and peer support shaped their high-school experience. The event closed with the traditional cap toss and congratulations to the class of 2025.