A cacophony of applause and the shriek of air horns marked the
culmination of 12 years of hard work for Mount Madonna Continuation
High School’s Class of 2010, the school’s largest graduating class
yet.
A cacophony of applause and the shriek of air horns marked the culmination of 12 years of hard work for Mount Madonna Continuation High School’s Class of 2010, the school’s largest graduating class yet.
Eighty-five students marched, jogged and pumped their fists across the Gavilan Theater stage Tuesday night to accept their diplomas.
Joe Silva, 18, wearing a purple dress shirt and a cap with the words “Let’s Party!” written in white paint, earned his diploma a year ahead of time to get a jump start on his career as a firefighter. Silva and his soon-to-be wife, Desiree Rivera, 16, met at Mount Madonna and are expecting their first child, a girl, this October. The two met when Silva held the door for Rivera, and they hit it off in art class.
“I am so proud of him,” Rivera said after the graduation ceremony. “He’s going to be a good dad.”
Once Silva found out that his daughter, who will be named Aalliyah, was on the way, he accelerated his course schedule and graduated ahead of time.
“I didn’t want them to struggle, but he’s going to be OK,” said Maria Silva, who watched both her son and her daughter, Monique, 19, graduate from Mount Madonna Tuesday night.
First-year Mount Madonna Principal Jennifer Del Bono kicked off the ceremony with a heartfelt speech that evoked rounds of applause so loud she had to pause several times until the boisterous crowd died down.
“Some of you came to Mount Madonna because you were deficient in credits and you needed a second chance,” she said. “Some of you came to Mount Madonna because the school you loved – El Portal – closed last year. Some of you came to Mount Madonna because you were expecting a child. You came to Mount Madonna for many reasons but you share a common spirit.”
Like the koi fish that decorated the cover of the graduation program, “The Mount Madonna student is determined, perseveres in the face of many obstacles, has a heart as big as an ocean – and sometimes an attitude to match. You came to Mount Madonna for many reasons but you leave tonight together as graduates,” Del Bono said.
Graduate Kerri Mammini enrolled at Mount Madonna in her sophomore year after a rocky freshman year at Gilroy High School.
“I got sidetracked at Gilroy High,” Mammini said. “It was much too big for me. I wasn’t really into school and I did really bad. My aunt convinced me to go to Mount Madonna because she said it would give me a second chance.”
At her new school, Mammini thrived. She jokes with her younger brother, who plans to attend Mount Madonna, that he has “some really big shoes to fill.”
From student government to organizing prom and helping out teachers in their classroom, “I’m pretty much involved with everything at school,” said Mammini, the treasurer for Mount Madonna’s student council.
“She’s awesome,” said Sabrina Granados, the girlfriend of Mammini’s uncle, who carried two bouquets of balloons and a stuffed bear wearing a graduation gown for Mammini and her cousin, Celina Diaz – another Mount Madonna senior who graduated Tuesday night.
After taking a photography class at Gavilan, Mammini was hooked. She hopes to attend the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in San Diego to study visual communications after graduating from the community college. Her dream is to be a fashion photographer.
But if not for Mount Madonna, she may not have made it to where she is today, she said.
“The teachers made everything fun. I always had a good time going to class,” Mammini said. “I love Mount Madonna.”
