‘People, Not Places,’ Mountain View High graduation focuses on community and connection

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When members of Mountain View High School’s Class of 2024 began their freshman year in 2020, each student was just a box on a computer screen, student graduation speaker Preston Bhat told the crowd at Thursday night’s graduation ceremony.

“Each box had a label, representing the name of the timid ninth grader attending their very first day of virtual high school,” he said, referring to remote learning during the pandemic.

Four years later, those same students celebrated commencement in a very different setting, with thousands of friends and family members filling Mountain View High School’s football stadium on Thursday, June 6, to honor the graduating seniors.

In his commencement speech, Bhat used those video call boxes as a metaphor for the graduates’ high school experience, describing how the boxes started out empty, but filled with memories over the next four years.

“No matter what, our boxes – containing the moments we spent with family, friends, coaches and teachers, and memories we made in classes, sports, clubs and tournaments – will stay with us,” Bhat said. “We’ll continue to add things to our boxes, both good and bad. But deep beneath the sea of new moments will lie the bedrock of old memories these past four years where we laughed, cried and smiled with one another.”

In total, more than 550 students graduated on Thursday, with school board members Esmeralda Ortiz, Catherine Vonnegut and Thida Cornes, and Assistant Superintendent Leyla Benson, handing out the diplomas.

Principal Kip Glazer described the graduates as “kind, accomplished, amazing humans,” and listed many of their accomplishments, including students who were National Merit scholars, Advanced Placement scholars, members of championship winning sports teams and leaders in student government.

Glazer said that 2024 will go down as the best year of her life, because it was the year that she became a grandmother. When she thinks of this year’s graduates, Glazer said that she will always remember the joy and concern she felt for her grandchild.

“I am confident that our little granddaughter … will be in a great world because of these graduates behind me,” Glazer said. “They have shown me kindness, academic excellence, and also concern for the planet and the future of democracy. I am so proud to be their principal and I wish you the best of luck.”

In what was likely her final graduation speech before retiring this summer, Superintendent Nellie Meyer congratulated the graduating seniors and wished them future successes.

“Your dedication, hard work and resilience have led you to this significant milestone today,” Meyer told the graduates. “As you embark on your next chapter, remember that the knowledge and experiences that you gained here at Mountain View High School will be that foundation that will help you for the rest of your lives.”

Thursday’s ceremony wasn’t limited to traditional speeches. Senior River Jones used his commencement address to present a light-hearted, rhyming poem titled “People, Not Places,” in which he used the classic Dr. Seuss book “Oh the Places You’ll Go!” as a jumping off point to focus on the importance of the people that make up the high school community.

“Oh, the places we go don’t matter that much. It’s the people we find, and reach out, and touch,” Jones said. “They’re the ones who will determine our fate. They’re the ones who will make our lives great.”

Check out this year’s list of Mountain View High School graduates and read our interview with Wesley Harwell, one of the graduating seniors.

For all of our graduation coverage, go to our central graduation page.