danapointtimes.com Dana Point Times June 14 - June 20, 2024 Page 11
Class of 2024
Photos by Kaila Mellos
Congratulations graduates! You have grown and excelled in the classroom, in the arts, on the athletic field, in leadership roles and in service to your community. You are an extraordinary group of young adults headed to colleges and universities across the nation and the world, incredibly well prepared for the remarkable journey ahead. We are very proud of you, and have great faith in you. Remain true to yourselves and your Tartan values. We look forward to seeing your lives unfold with meaning and purpose.
Godspeed Tartans! Tartans Forever!
danapointtimes.com Dana Point Times June 14 - June 20, 2024 Page 12 PRESENTING the CLASS of 2024
31641 La Novia, San Juan Capistrano, California 92675 | 949.661.0108 | www.smes.org | Founded in 1979
Dana Hills High School Class of 2024
BY KAILA MELLOS
The students of Dana Hills High School Class of 2024 bid farewell to the place they’ve called home for the past four years on Thursday, May 30. These individuals, who embarked on their high school journey amid the challenging COVID-19 pandemic, walked across the stage with a sense of accomplishment, knowing they’ve triumphed as new graduates.
As they walked out onto the football field to the music of the Dana Hills Symphonic Orchestra, conducted by teacher James Caestecker, the students were surrounded by friends, family, and school staff who had cheered them on for the past four years.
Once the students were seated, Assistant Principal Ashley Ortiz welcomed all 478 graduating students and their guests.
“I want to welcome you all to the commencement celebration for the graduating Class of 2024. We are honored that parents, family, friends, community members, and guests have joined us today to recognize our outstanding group of graduates,” Ortiz said in her introductory remarks.
“Unfortunately, our principal, Dr. (Brad) Baker, is unable to attend today’s event, as he is celebrating his own son’s graduation. But he extends his heartfelt congratulations to the Class of 2024 and expresses immense gratitude to all parents, family members, and staff for their contributions in making this momentous occasion possible.”
Associated Student Union president Sofie Miller then conducted the Pledge of Allegiance for the crowd, followed by the singing of the National Anthem by the South Orange County School of the Arts Jazz Choir, conducted by Ray Medina, and then a rendition of the song “In
Another welcome, accompanied by words of wisdom, came from someone everyone at Dana Hills High School knows and loves: Steve Arizobal.
“Graduating Class of 2024, it has been so great to greet you every morning in the parking lot with Dr. Baker and chase you back to your class when you have taken the passport too long,” Arizobal said. “As you go out in the world to do great things, just remember that even though you are now young adults, you will always be my children.”
As the welcoming speeches concluded, the dignitaries rose to start the presentation of diplomas. Dignitaries and honorees presenting included Capistrano Unified School District trustee Amy Hanacek; trustee Dr. Gary Prichard; Associate Superintendent to Education and Support Services Dr. Greg Merwin; Chief Technology Officer Stephanie Avera; Dana Point Councilmember John Gabbard; Laguna Niguel Mayor Pro Tem Stephanie Oddo and Councilmember Foster “Gene” Johns, and DHHS senior class adviser Lindsey Lee.
With 478 diplomas distributed, it was time for the four student speakers to address their class. Scholar of Scholars Elle Waske was first, followed by Aidan McCormick and Emily Perez, and closing with Sophie Miller, who was also Dolphin of the Year. All four touched on the impact of the last four years and how much all the students have been able to grow into themselves.
As the ceremony drew to a close, seniors turned their tassels, led by Senior Class President Grace Willard, to end the commemoration of their hard work. With that, graduation ended, friends embraced, and families ran onto the field to congratulate their seniors.
Class of2024 danapointtimes.com Dana Point Times June 14 - June 20, 2024 Page 13 DANA HILLS HIGH SCHOOL
My Life” by The Beatles.
Principal Dr. Brad Baker’s message to the Class of 2024
BY DR. BRAD BAKER
Ahuge congratulations to the Dana Hills High School Class of 2024! You’ve worked tirelessly to reach this significant milestone, and your dedication is truly inspiring. This achievement is a testament to your perseverance and hard work.
As you move forward, remember the power of connection and inspiration. Stay connected with the Dana Hills community and the friends who have supported you along the way. Seek out new relationships that will challenge and motivate you. Let your journey inspire others to pursue their dreams with the same determination and passion.
Keep striving for excellence, and never give up on your goals. Your success story is just beginning, and with your talent and drive, there’s no limit to what you can achieve. Congratulations once again, Dolphins, and here’s to a future filled with endless possibilities!
Class of2024 danapointtimes.com Dana Point Times June 14 - June 20, 2024 Page 14 DANA HILLS HIGH SCHOOL
Scholar of Scholars: Elle Waske
Hello to the illustrious Class of 2024 and all of you here today supporting us! We’ve had a great and grueling past four years, and I’m happy to see everyone here today. I’ll keep this brief, I promise.
I’d like to take you on a journey — a journey that begins with a batch of lemon bars. For my brother’s birthday, I was attempting to make them, as a surprise. I followed the recipe, popped them in the oven, but when I pulled them out, they looked more like soup than lemon bars. So, I kept putting them back in the oven, and with each check-in, they got a bit better — but I still had my doubts that they would ever shape up. When my mom walked in, she told me I had more options than I thought I did — I could give it more time, and that if it didn’t work out, we could always make something else. I got several things out of that experience: I learned a new recipe, had fun despite the mishaps, and, of course, used it as inspiration to write this speech all these years later.
Now, I know you’re wondering how this connects, but stick with me here.
Our time at Dana Hills High School has resembled this process of making lemon bars —full of hard work and mishaps, but we’ve found fun in every corner of our high-school experience. From surviving the pandemic to braving the horror of the T-Mobile cell tower going down and losing our own time capsule, we’ve experienced a full spectrum of memorable high school moments that are fun to reflect back on. And, seeing as we’re all here today, the school hasn’t been burnt down from a “false fire alarm” that turned out to not be so false. I think that’s a pretty big win for all of us.
For surviving that craziness alongside us, I’d like to give a big thank you to the teachers and faculty on campus! And, while many of our most cherished memories and lessons learned
were made during school hours, I want to take a moment to express gratitude to those who made our high school experience special long after the 3:15 bell rang. Thank you to all the parents, siblings, and friends who stood by us through late nights, shared laughter, and brought smiles to our faces.
I’d also like to thank the ingredients that helped me cook up my own high school experience. I’d like to thank my parents, my younger brother, Eric, my close friends, my teachers, my HMO cohort, AP Gov Period 6, and Silly Milly for making my high school experience as wonderful as it has been.
So, back to those lemon bars...
In the end, I waited. I opened the oven to find lemon bars instead of soup. Life’s a bit like baking those lemon bars, isn’t it? Sometimes it feels like a recipe for disaster, but if you keep at it, things start to come together. So, whether you’re on track to conquer the world or still figuring out which ingredient you’re missing, keep pushing forward. Embrace the journey, relish the detours, have fun, and never shy away from improvising in your very own recipe for a dish called life.
Every one of us here has the potential for greatness. So, keep chasing those dreams, even if they take a little longer than expected or you realize you’re on the wrong path — there’s always the option to add a new ingredient, or make something else entirely! Everyone follows a different recipe. To the Class of 2024, I’d like to wish you a very bright future, where whatever dish you choose to make turns out wonderfully. Even though I’ve been your scholar of scholars for 2024, eh... What do I know? I don’t even have my high school diploma yet. Congratulations to the Class of 2024!
Class of2024 danapointtimes.com Dana Point Times June 14 - June 20, 2024 Page 15 For 50 years, Capistrano Valley Christian Schools has been dedicated to providing educational excellence in a Christ-centered environment. We equip students with credentialed teachers and championship level coaches who genuinely care, ensuring they are fully prepared for life and leadership. CLASS OF 2024 CONGRATULATIONS GRADUATES 32032 Del Obispo St., San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675 facebook.com/capovalleychristian@cvcseagles www.cvcs.org Since 1973 (949) 493-5683 YEARS
DANA HILLS HIGH SCHOOL
Christina Abrams
Courtney Adams
Annabelle Adversario
Karyme Aguirre Enciso
Mia Alcantara
Kyle Alexander
Lauren Allain
Micah Allen
Brandon Alonso
Javier Alva
Rodrigo Alvarez Torres
Ariel Amin
Darius Amiri
Rayan Anabtawi
Tessa Anderson
Jasmine Aparicio Camacho
Annika Arreola
Sandra Arteaga
Bryce Aviles
Mike Ayala Mendez
Gabriella Badgwell
Rilynn Baker
Sophia Ballard
Madison Banuelos
Victoria Barba
Catherine Barnett
Lillian Barr
Jessica Barron
Kai Bartholomew
Dominic Barto
Oliver Baskurt
Arno Battaglia
Sebastian Becerril Pastrana
Macey Beightol
James Bellino
Tatiana Bellomo
Angelica Berardi
2024 Dana Hills graduates
Chase Berry
Viola Bertolino
Jessica Beutler
Luay Bishtawi
Mercedes Bloom
Claire Boersma
Joel Brda
Blaise Brebner
Miguel Brito
Ethan Britton
Noah Brown
Kayley Buc
Liam Buck
Baron Buehler
Madison Bui
Makenzie Bui
Violet Burke
Jenna Bush
Jolie Bush
Lucille Reana Butacan
Lyrah Cabrera
William Calder
Alina Callahan
Edwin Cambray
Addison Campbell
Victor Canchola
Axel Canongo Cejudo
Gissel Carachure
Trinity Carey
Emmeline Carlisle-Besseling
Josina Carlisle-Besseling
Matthew Carpino
Sabine Carr
Sophia Carrillo
Laylani Carter
Samuel Carter
Alex Castillo
Juliette Caudillo
Sabrina Chang
Liza Charles
Evelin Chavez
Evelyn Chavez
Sierra Chiakmakis
Alondra Cigarroa
Dionisio CiPollone
Benjamin Clark
Matthew Clayton
Martha Colin
Anna Collar
Lucy Collar
Lily Collins
Arie Covarrubias Aguirre
Lauren Crabtree
Jordan Cram
Jacob Crouse
Alberto Cruz
Madison Culp
Graciella Curran
Alyssa Darst
Spencer Davis
Ashley De Jesus
Josabeth De la Rosa
Donovan Dean
Madison Dellner
Riley Dellner
Nathan DePierro
Alexa DeShazer
Nicholas DeShazer
Kathryn Dewey
Mckayla Dickerson
Kylie Dickson
Caden Diehl
Sophia Dillon
Class of2024 danapointtimes.com Dana Point Times June 14 - June 20, 2024 Page 16
See
GRADUATES on page 17
DANA HILLS HIGH SCHOOL
from page 16
Artem Dobrin
Kaili Dodd
Hayden Dominguez
Kaitlyn Donner
Peyton Dopf
Emma Eckl
Keegan Eckl
Elise Edwards
Ariana Esquivel
Sofia Estes
Damon Estrada
Reed Ezor
Jordan Farinich
Grady Faris
Joseph Faris
Kayla Faussette
Grace Fermelia
Hayden Finley
Cash Flaman
Allen Ford
Jacob Fowler
Parker Fox
Audrey Francisco
Nathan Freeborn
Nicholas Fry
Allison Fuentes Ortiz
Alexander Fuller
Mason Galaviz
Simone Gallagher
Carl Lawrence Garcia
Kevin Garcia
Rocio Garcia Jimenez
Arlett Garrido
Cathryn Geaney
Adalee Geiss
Camryn Geiss
Elana Gelfer-Mundl
Kaden Georgia
Giulianna Gerard
Daniel Ghobadi
Brianna Gholson
Gage Gibbs
Desiree Glass
Anthony Gonzalez
Erica Gonzalez
Sophia Gonzalez
Stephanie Gonzalez
Vanessa Gonzalez
Julia Gordon
June Gosselin
Gabrielle Graham
Anastasia Gray
Lily Green
Nikolas Grguric
Janie Gryzanoski
Shelem Guzman
Logan Harris
Naomi Hawkes
Jayden Hernandez
Lorelai Hernandez
Cindy Hernandez Villagomez
Jenna Hess
Ryan Heunemann
Isabella Hickey
Alyssa Higgins
Avery Higgins
Mason Higgins
Deacon Hill
Mitchell Hill
Taylor Hill
Lucy Himmelberg
Lauren Hoffman
Kira Holman
Ruby Hong
Benedek Horvath
Abigail Hulse
Siena Hunter
George Husek
Sara Ibgui
Bentley Jacobo
Gavin Jacobs
Holden Jensen
Class of2024 danapointtimes.com Dana Point Times June 14 - June 20, 2024 Page 17 100% CLASS OF 2024 ACCEPTED TO ONE OR MORE 4-YEAR COLLEGES 3.61 THE AVERAGE GPA FOR THE GRADUATING CLASS 714-234-2771 | FAIRMONTSCHOOLS.COM Anaheim | Anaheim Hills | North Tustin | San Juan Capistrano | Serving P-12th Grade WARRIORS MEET THE FUTURE! CELEBRATING THE CLASS OF 2024
Abigail Haas
Emma Hall
Jillian Hamilton
Colin Hammerman
See GRADUATES on page 18 DANA HILLS HIGH SCHOOL
GRADUATES
Class of2024
GRADUATES from page 17
Christian Jergensen
Karmel Johnson
Kaylani Johnson
Matteo Johnson
Mila Johnston
Gracie Jones
Lucia Josse Sutula
Eli Kalfin
Joseph Katnik
Madeline Keene
Savannah Keene
Hailey Kim
Luther Kingston
Kinsley Kirkpatrick
Krossley Kirkpatrick
Spencer Kleips
Tessa Koelliker
Louie Kojima
Kate Kokx
Esme Korman
Noah Kucera
Cameron Kuntz
Christopher Lagunas
Daniel Lapanc
Amelie Larios
David Larsen
Maia Laule
Travis Lawless
Isabella Lazo
Maya Leon
Thomas Leonard
Kassidy Lerum
Katlyn Lieberman
Valerie Linares
Aiden Lindsey
Alexandrea Lindsey
Olivia Lindstrom
Elizabeth Lipa
Hana Lipa
Travis Lisabeth
Isabella Llamas
Sara Llopart
Evelyn Lopez
Vanessa Lopez
Quinci Lott
Maritza Loya
Ryland Loyd
Summer Luboviski
Dylan Lucich
Alexander Lugosi
Hudson MacDonald
Jonathan Macias
Brandon Magana
Maura Mahoney
Chase Mairs
Ghamous Makideh
Elisa Marapinela
Valerie Mariche
Diego Martinez
Elizabeth Martinez Camacho
Jacob McCall
Aidan McCormick
Mia McDermott
Connor McDonald
Alyssa McHenry
Matthew McIntyre
Jamil McKean
Delaney McRae
Andrew Mendoza
Jessica Mendoza
Mattie Merino
Tatum Metz
Roxanne Meyer
Shea Mezzasalma
Lukian Milinovich
Sofie Miller
Donya Moaddeli
Donatella Mondino
Jackelinne Montero
Jeshua Morales Arriaga
Amanda Moreno
Catherine Mostrey
Brayden Muir
Fares Mujarkesh
Mason Mullinix
Isabella Mulqueen
Aiden Munoz
Juanmartin Munoz
Luis Munoz
Cooper Murphy
Ally Nadell
Laila Naji
Jesus Nandi
Madelyn Nasers
Vivian Negrete
Preston Newkirk
Ian Noonan
Talan Noorian
John Noxon
Peter Obleas
Madyson O’Brien
Isaac Ocana Lopez
Andres O’Connor
Honora O’Connor
Vaughn Ohanesian
Aaron Ohlson
Ethan Ohlson
Rihanna Olayo
Santiago Oliva
Evan Oliveras
Zoe Oliver-Tuck
Tuesday Ondo
Riley O’Neill
Zuzanna Otomanska
Alyson Pacheco
Jennifer Pacheco Jaime
Jennifer Parks
Travais Parnell
Joshua Alexander Pasion
Molly Pearce
danapointtimes.com Dana Point Times June 14 - June 20, 2024 Page 18
See GRADUATES on page 20
DANA HILLS HIGH SCHOOL
danapointtimes.com Dana Point Times June 14 - June 20, 2024 Page 19 Congratulations to our graduate! You have made us so incredibly proud, Ads. Go chase your dreams, baby girl - the world is yours. All our love, Mama, Dad, Radley and Goose ADALEE GEISS Congratulations Ian! We are SO proud of you and look forward to the next phase in your journey through life! Love Mom, Dad, Grandpa Evan, Cupcake and Sparky IAN NOONAN CONGRATS 24 GRADUATES ‘ 949.493.7773 @COFFEE IMPORTERS Congratulations! We loved watching you play football. Wishing you all the best at the University of Utah! Love Grandma Linda, Poppy, Grandma & Grandpa CHASE BERRY Congratulations on your outstanding accomplishments at Dana Hills High School. We know that you will continue making us proud at Berkeley! Mom-mom and Pop SOFIE ROSE MILLER Congratulations on graduating from Dana Hills! We look forward to the great things you will do at Berkeley and the experiences you will have there. Love Mom and Dad SOFIE ROSE MILLER Thanks California PTA, DP Chamber of Commerce, DP Historical Society and Uzair Qureshi for the scholarships! Family, friends, teachers and community make my success possible. I will make you proud. ALEX SEGAL Congratulations Chase! We are so proud of you! Enjoy your next adventure at the University of Utah! Love Mom, Dad and Caden
BERRY
CHASE
Class of2024
Emily Perez
Tara Perryman
Mason Pettingill
Sayil Pino
Francesco Pitera
Luca Pitera
Stephanie Plata
Francois Poh Ndoumin
Wyatt Popka
Elliott Potter
Savannah Poulsen
Dennis Powers
Aaron Proctor
Yaretzy Prudente
Platon Pukhov
Gabriella Putrino
Gabriel Quilantan
Tyler Radley
Marisol Ramirez
Nicole Ramirez Morales
Joseph Ramos
Sterling Rapp
Samantha Rascon
Samantha Reinberg
Juan Restrepo
Evan Rey
Yovani Reyes
Govany Reyes-Beltran
Nick Rezaie
Brooke Rhorer
Concetta Ricciotti
Derek Richardson
Noah Richardson
Lauren Rider
Malaya Ring
Ronald Roberts
Luke Robinson
Michael Rodgers
Ashley Rojas
Yileidy Rojas
Emily Rossi-Yslas
Anthony Ruggerello
Mackenzie Ruggerello
Parker Rupe
Jose Saavedra Gomez
Vanessa Sagastume
Christopher Salcedo
Jonathan Salgado
Nicole Saline
Ty Salvaggio
Alan Sanchez
Francisco Sanchez
John Sanders
Ireland Saunders
Madilynn Scaia
Katie Schaffer
Paige Scheer
Jackson Schenkenberger
Annabell Schneider
Nathan Schupbach
Liliana Schwartzman
Logan Scodeller
Alex Segal
Naya Seligson
Matthew Shackelford
Makyla Shelton
Merrick Short
Skyler Sievert
Cortlynn Sieverts
Kayla Sill
Gavin Simon
Alexa Simonyan
Harmanvir Singh
Charles Sisler
Marcus Sjoholm
Jenna Slechta
Heather Smith
Mikyla Smith
Rocco Sofonio
Maritza Solano
Jesse Sparks
Christian Spaulding
Makaya Speier
Joseph Sprague
Dax Stabile
Aidan Steele
Shelby Steen
Kaidin Stein
Anjali Strampello
Tenaya Strand
Sophia Strempfer
Jordan Studer
Sosefina Sualua
Chloe Suer
Matthew Sumida
Kaitlyn Swartzentruber
Andrew Szkiba
Luke Tanael
Kayden Tarvaran
Ryan Taylor
Sean Taylor
Julian Teel
Tristan Theard-Garcia
Yvonne Theard-Garcia
Isla Thomas
Wyland Thomas
Dane Thompson
Ryan Torab
Jessica Torabi
Sarai Torres
Vaughn Trager
Christian Tran
Natalie Traver
Jessica Trinidad
Wyatt Turpin
Agustin Valencia Perez
Myles Van Wyhe
Daniel Vasquez
Yazmin Vazquez
Christopher Victorino
Stephanie Villanueva Zuniga
Cael Vincent
Lola Von Dwingelo
O’Shea Walder
Dylan Wall
Kayli Wallin
Cooper Walsh
Dennin Walton
Owen Wand
Logan Ward
Elle Waske
Kenzo Watanabe
Avery Watson
Kate Weinert
Reese Weinert
Chloe Weir
Gavin Weisberg
Makenzie Weiss
Jack Wentzel
Luke Wettengel
Kalena Whitaker
Landon Whittaker
Shawn Whitten
Grant Wilks
Grace Willard
Zack Williams
Evan Wilmert
Madeline Wilson
Garrett Woodruff
Leilani Wright
Stella Wrobel
Melissa Yasui
Spencer Yerger
Penelope Yerkovich
Benjamin Yoneda
Ava Zaharek
Iliana Zamarripa
Kiara Zaragoza
Juan Zarate Chavez
Artem Zhokhov
Ezra Zimmerman
Lailah Zisch
danapointtimes.com Dana Point Times June 14 - June 20, 2024 Page 20
from page 18
HILLS HIGH SCHOOL
GRADUATES
DANA
Capistrano Valley Christian School Dana Point graduates
Eva De La Torre
Alyssa Herbrandson
Emily Herbrandson
Eli Manrique-Aparicio
Haiden Motika
Cetin Seles
Gabrielle Susag
Halle Van Rensselaer
Noah Walther
Christian Wilkinson
Addison Williams
Fairmont Schools Area Graduates
Leighton Becker
Richard McCade Caso
Raegan Connelly
Dylan Cranford
Anchal Dabba
Cody Feick
Bryce Herman
Noah Hierl
Dylan Krugh
Casey Le
Grant Meier
Trevor Meier
Ava Mirhosseini
Trent Mork
Marlen Penaloza
Salma Smaoui
Owen Swanson
Michael Takla
Ryan Te
Vinh Thanh Lam Tran
Lindsay Wade Mu Yang
JSerra Dana Point Graduates
Natalie Baker Vela
Brianna Bittner
Drew Bowman
Charles Caruso
Thatcher Dilley
Ryleigh Fitzsimmons
Charley Giacobetti
Kilian Hannegan
Owen Johnson
Carson Lough
Vance Luedtke
Avery Meissner
Ashley Moro
Lauren Moro
Joseph O’Melveny
Aidan Ortega
Caitlin Quinn
Abigail Roberts
Lucas Robles
Isabella Scarcelli
William Schattmaier
Giuliana Schulte
Amanda Taba
Sydney Wood
St. Margaret’s Episcopal School
Dana Point graduates
Raphael Philippe Garrero
Abracosa
Dania Alexa Arteaga
Tai Guo Yizhen Jia
Emma Leigh Tomlinson
John Allen Tomlinson II
Heidi Marin Tufo
Luke J. Wolcott
danapointtimes.com Dana Point Times June 14 - June 20, 2024 Page 21 Class of2024 PRIVATE SCHOOLS
danapointtimes.com Dana Point Times June 14 - June 20, 2024 Page 22 T hank you to the 2024 Taste of Dana Restaur ants!