Commitment ceremony puts focus on graduation

    FORT LUPTON — Pride and commitment.
    That was the message Fort Lupton High School’s class of 2015 took with them Sept. 8, following a freshman “Commitment to Graduate” assembly in the FLHS auditorium.

Photo by Gene Sears

Weld Re-8 Superintendent Mark Payler offers a handshake and encouragement to freshmen committing to graduate in four years or less during an assembly last week. Receiving inspiration from peers, teachers and district staff, the class of 2015 pledged themselves to succeed in their high school careers.

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    “Look around at your friends,” Look around at your classmates,” Weld Re-8 Advanced Placement Incentive Coordinator Carla Sanchez said in opening the assembly. “Colorado state statistics say that one out of five of you will drop out. We are not letting that happen at Fort Lupton High School.”
    To further that goal, Sanchez, working in tandem with district and high school administrators, put together the first Commitment to Graduate ceremony for this year’s crop of freshmen. The idea is to instill pride, and a deeper sense of belonging and commitment in the students, at the very beginning of their high school careers.
    “You guys are awesome,” FLHS Principal Alice Sueltenfuss said. “I heard about you last May, and I heard about you in August. I heard how smart you are. We were told to look at this class and their CSAP scores, and we were rocked. You are amazing. You all rock”
    Sueltenfuss impressed upon the class the importance of staying focused on their goals while not letting obstacles get in the way of their successful graduation, be it in three or four years. She introduced the Freshman Academy teachers as the most talented teachers she has hired and worked with in her career. She followed that by introducing the students to the teachers, as “the best freshman class we have ever had at Fort Lupton High School.”
    Also speaking were valedictorian and salutatorians in-line for the class of 2012, Caesar Balderama and Oscar Navarro. They reflected upon their careers at FLHS, each pressing the importance of following through to graduation.
    Class counselor Maribel Marquez impressed the value of “not just graduating, but graduating with style,” something she said is accomplished by becoming involved in groups and clubs reflective of each person’s talents and desires.
    “I will tell you that teens who are involved in activities are well-rounded,” Marquez said. “That means they ‘know stuff.’ Being well-rounded is being in the know.”
    In addition, Marquez promoted school activities for friendship, confidence and esteem building, all critical building blocks to the emerging adults in each student.
    “Figure out what you enjoy, what you are good at, or try something new,” Marquez said. “We need your ideas, we need your service, and we need your help.”
    Driving the commitment home, each student then signed an oversized diploma, signifying their intentions to stay the course and graduate in 2015 or earlier. Overseeing the signing and offering handshakes and encouragement were Weld Re-8 Superintendent Mark Payler and Director of Student Achievement Carrie Duits.
    “There is a pride component, learning to build pride in the school,” Sanchez said. “Statistics show that the more pride a school has, the less dropouts and more graduates that school has.”
    As a reminder, Sanchez will frame the poster-sized diplomas in a prominent area and will display them at graduation, in the hopes that each signer will be present in cap and gown. It’s the start of a program Sanchez hopes to further with each passing year.
    “With this being the first year, I would love to grow it. But you have to start somewhere,” Sanchez said. “I would love for them to do time capsules on a day like today, talking about their experiences and their excitement for the future, then handing them back when they are seniors for them to look at their emotions as a freshman.”

Contact Gene Sears at 303-659-2522, ext. 217 or gsears@metrowestnewspapers.com.