Seven Graduate from Arvada-Clearmont High School, SCSD#3

Vito Nimick takes the branding iron from Shelden Malli

Seven seniors graduated from SCSD#3 on Sunday May 29 at 2 p.m. at the Clearmont High School high school gym, Timber Buhr, Shelden Malli, Peityn Manor, Norris Graves, Nick Sandfur, Tamica Smith and Mya Simondi.

The national Anthem was sung by Miranda Dunham, and Loyce Ellingrod, School Counselor, presented several scholarships to the students, total value of over $135,000.

Ellingrod also introduced Salutatorian Peityn Manor, who spoke about some of the good memories she had about her fellow students and teachers, and she told a short story about each of her classmates.

Dr. Boyd Brown, Superintendent, introduced Tamica Smith, Valedictorian, who achieved a 3.80 grade point average as well as being active in student government and FFA. She is a Daniel Scholar and has a full ride scholarship to the college of her choice. She thanked the teachers and others for helping her and the rest of the class get to this point.

She welcomed everyone, thanking everyone for coming and supporting them. She added, “We are not some person who can do it all on our own, we are still someone growing up.”

She said they made progress a little at a time and that they are still making progress.

Monica Castaneda, ACHS Vocational Agriculture teacher and FFA advisor, was the featured speaker, and she had several words of wisdom to impart on the graduating class. She spoke to each graduate individually with memories from the past years.

There was a memory slide show with photos of the graduates through the years with their chosen songs. Concluding the ceremony was the branding iron tradition, started in 2000, where the chosen colors of each graduating class are tied to a branding iron to be passed to the upcoming senior class. Sheldon Malli passed the iron to Vito Nimick who will be in the 2023 graduating class.

Superintendent Brown then spoke to the Class of 2022 for a few moments.

Tassels were turned and caps were thrown into the air as the seniors celebrated the end of their high school career.