La Cañada High’s Class of 2011 Celebrates Graduation (La Cañada-Flintridge Patch article)

La Cañada High’s Class of 2011 Celebrates Graduation

The Class of 2011 graduated from La Cañada High School during a beautiful ceremony, with the San Gabriel mountains before them and the sun setting behind them

By Justin Chapman, La Cañada-Flintridge Patch, 6/17/2011

With 380 seniors graduating from La Cañada High School on Thursday evening, thousands packed the stands to proudly cheer on their accomplished loved ones.
The ceremony's commencement speakers recognized the Class of 2011's particular struggles and achievements. Before the presentation of diplomas began, teacher James Harvey stated to the enthusiastic audience, "In my 38 years here I can say this class ties with the top classes I've ever seen. I love you guys, you're the best!"
A few students spoke with Patch before the ceremony took place about plans for next year and that bittersweet mix of emotions that comes to anyone experiencing a significant transitional period in their lives.
"It's really great to be graduating but at the same time, it's really nostalgic in a way because everyone's going away to their own places," said Jin Ahn, who plans to attend Syracuse University next year to major in psychology. "So it's sort of saddening in some ways but it's also really rewarding."
Ahn believed the school prepared him and his classmates well for college, but fellow classmate Katherine Propper didn't think it was so much school as it was the experiences she went through the past four years that prepared her.
"It feels really surreal," said Propper, who will be attending Georgetown in Washington, D.C. "It doesn't really feel like I'm graduating. It's kind of anti-climactic. But I'm excited for next year, so it feels good."
Haley Herkert, who's going to Los Angeles City College next year and planning to transfer to USC to major in political science, said she's very happy to be graduating after being in the La Cañada school system since kindergarten.

"I just can't believe the day's finally here," she said. "We dream about it and we wake up and it's the day, so it's kind of crazy and surreal. I definitely think the school prepared me for college, having the mix of teachers and everything, through good times and bad times, but overall, I definitely feel prepared."