View Comments
A breezy Wednesday morning greeted the first round of class of 2021 seniors at Rio Mesa High School in Oxnard.
This year, commencement was separated into three ceremonies at the school to help keep crowds manageable in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The earliest ceremony at 10 a.m. had 117 graduates out of nearly 400 seniors.
Speakers, including student government leaders and valedictorians, picked either the morning or afternoon ceremony to share remarks. The majority were slated to receive their diplomas at the evening ceremony, but they came to give their speeches at the earlier times.
Rio Mesa s graduation, along with most others in Oxnard Union High School District, happened as COVID-19 safety restrictions lifted on Tuesday.
Oxnard Union High School district welcomes back in-person graduation ceremonies
OXNARD, Calif. – It’s graduation day at Pacifica High School in Oxnard. All of the high schools in the Oxnard Union High School District are allowed to have in-person graduation ceremonies.
“It is a bitter-sweet moment,” said Destiny Marquez, a graduating senior from Pacifica High School. “I want to cry, and I want to get up and party. It has been a year, so I am really excited for this.”
Marquez is one of nearly 700 Pacifica High School seniors celebrating graduation day in a live ceremony.
Like many schools across the state, Pacifica s in-person ceremony was up in the air due to the coronavirus pandemic. For most of the senior class, graduation day will be the first and last time they re all together.