1 minute read
Graduation Day is about more than a diploma at Alameda International High School
BY JO DAVIS JDAVIS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
High schools all over Je erson County are holding graduations through the end of May. For most of those graduating seniors, that diploma means a passage to the next stage of life.
For Alameda International High School seniors, graduation comes with even higher stakes.
Valedictorian Loc Tran described coming to the U.S. in his sophomore year, knowing only a few words of English. He described working hard to maintain a 4.0 GPA during his entire tenure at AIHS while learning English. Tran credits his friends and teachers with helping him get to the podium on graduation. He ended his speech with a few words in Vietnamese for his family in the audience.
is multilingual experience lled the day as students and families celebrated their cultures along with other achievements. ese were represented by each student in the form of a stole. e stole is a special sash that’s worn around the graduate’s neck. It drapes down the front of the graduation gown. ere were stoles emblazoned “First Generation” for the students who were the rst to graduate in their families.
“ e silver stole with blue trim is to represent rst-generation graduates,” explained Assistant Principal Marissa Duren. “ ese are students who are the rst to graduate in their family. We had 48 this year. White stoles are for the students who completed the IB Diploma Program.
P2
