After a long and eventful four years, the Class of 2026 is getting ready to walk the stage, throw their graduation caps, and begin their next journeys in life.

Graduation Ceremony

This year’s class is the biggest graduating class of seniors from Venice, with over 500 students walking the stage this week. 

 Assistant principal Melissa Shelton said that the ceremony will be held on the Watson Field, which is a long-standing tradition for Venice graduates. 

“Our graduating class of over 500 students is pretty significant,” she said. “It speaks to the prominence of Venice having seniors that have remained here for four years, students who really want to stay and be a part of this community.” 

According to Shelton, there are going to be some slight differences to this year’s graduation, including a livestream of the special occasion.

“We are having our livestream opportunity,” said Shelton. “So if families and people from afar won’t be able to experience it in person, they´ll still be able to enjoy it.”

Students Speakers

This year’s ceremony will feature many speakers, including speeches from valedictorian Kian Cooper, salutatorian Max Blincow, and two other chosen student speakers: Ella Wind and Aarna Kumar. 

The first student speaker is Wind, a student in the Dual Language Academy. She said that the one-minute limit was a bit of a challenge, because it was hard to encapsulate her experience at Venice in such a short amount of time. 

“I decided to take a kind of non-stereotypical approach and instead of writing a speech, I wrote about a story of something that happened to me here at Venice,” she said. “I just wanted to convey a story about something that really stood out to me as super memorable during my time here.”

The only hints that Wind gave was that her story stars Campus Aid Ms. Jones, and it centers around a time she went to the bathroom sophomore year.

Wind says that her favorite thing about Venice has been the community, and the friends that she’s made in her time here.

“I feel like because our campus is so large and there are so many people, I’ve been able to involve myself in so many different clubs, sports teams, and organizations,” she said. “I’m just super excited for graduation, and I think it’s going to be a great ceremony to honor everyone, and I’m honored that I get to speak at it.”

Wind left a message for future Venice students.

“My advice to incoming Gondos, and anyone still at Venice, is to enjoy your time as much as possible,” she said, “because as a senior, I’m now realizing how fast graduation comes up. So definitely just do everything and have fun.”

Kumar, the other student speaker, is a student in the STEMM magnet’s Engineering pathway. Similarly, she took a non-traditional approach to the one-minute graduation speech when she decided to write a poem. 

“Poetry is my forte, and if I didn’t write my reflection on high school in poetry, I wouldn’t be doing it justice,” she said. “I was on the slam poetry team, so it’s kind of incomplete if I don’t close off my experience with a poem.”

According to Kumar, her poem isn’t only about high school, but also how it marks an end to an era.

“It’s about how it’s a culmination of everything that came before it,” she said.

This year, 26 students auditioned to give speeches during graduation, according to Shelton.

“It just showed the passion and the commitment that the students have, wanting to leave their mark,” said Shelton.

EDDY And WAVE Awards

Local institutions awarded two Venice teachers for their hard work and dedication this school year.

Last month, the Venice Chamber of Commerce’s Education Committee presented the WAVE Award to computer science teacher Brent Rojo. The award is for “local teachers, selected by their peers, who creatively engage their students and contribute to the enrichment of the next generation of leaders,” according to the Venice Chamber of Commerce’s website. 

“There’s a series of nominations, and then the teachers vote on it,” said Rojo. “And I was chosen as the Venice representative.” 

Rojo, the lead teacher for Venice’s STEMM magnet, spearheaded the WASC accreditation, along with Community Schools Coordinator Brian Bleser, that occurred earlier this year. His leadership of STEM also allowed the magnet to flourish this year and be nationally recognized.

“Well, to me, the WAVE means that my peers think that I’m doing a good job, and that I’m a good representative of the school, being effective, and a meaningful teacher,” Rojo said.

He said that he tries his best to give students the drive to do well in school, by assigning projects that are both interesting and meaningful. This will help them with skills that can apply to real life situations and finding success.

“I look forward to teaching for as long as it’s still interesting to me, and hopefully to my students,” Rojo said.

In addition, Italian teacher Carolyn Willcox received the EDDY Award this year, which is presented by the LAX Chamber of Commerce at a celebratory banquet. 

“I am very humbled to be a recipient, as I work with so many outstanding, dedicated educators,” she said. “I am grateful for the recognition. 

“In my career, I strive to inspire a passion for learning about the world. I do my best to create a clear path for academic success in my classroom.”

Seniors Awards

A record number of awards was presented to the senior class during Senior Awards Night last Thursday, according to principal Yavonka Hairston-Truitt.

Some of these awards included the Elks Legacy of Service Award, the Congressional Award, and the Civic Engagement Award. 

Senior Naylea Ruiz, who received the Elks Legacy of Service Gold Award, had 1,500 community service hours, significantly over the required 250 hours.

When asked about her favorite part of Venice, Ruiz said she felt that the community and diversity at Venice was unlike other high schools.

“The community and diversity around here is really nice,” she said. “I don’t see any other schools with that.”

According to Dr. Angela Fajardo, a co-magnet coordinator for WLGS, 245 seniors received the State Seal of Biliteracy across 16 different languages, with 41 students receiving double seals. There were also seven students who received the Global Seal of Biliteracy for scoring at an intermediate level and studying abroad. 

This year’s valedictorian, Kian Cooper, as well as the salutatorian, Max Blincow, were revealed at the ceremony. 

“I feel great,” said Cooper. I’m super excited for what’s to come in college. It’s just great to move on from this chapter, even though I have a lot of good memories here with friends.”

The Venice Alumni Association awarded seniors a total of $140,000 in scholarships this year, with the highest being $16,000 to Misty Garcia. 

Craig Jaffe ’86, a member of the Venice Alumni Association, is proud of his alma mater.

“I’m proud of the school in the fact that this is one of the very few high schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District that is growing, improving, and winning awards,” he said. “Venice High School is and always has been a fantastic school.”

The alumni association also presented a new scholarship created in the legacy of Angelo Gasca, the late head football coach and special education teacher who passed away in March. 

At the awards ceremony, his daughter, Alyssa Gasca, gave a speech about her dad and his impact and unwavering dedication to the Venice community and other students he mentored. 

“Football couldn’t exist without my dad,” she said, “And my dad couldn’t be who he was without football.”

She ended with heartfelt congratulations and final statements to graduating students before presenting the scholarship to Miranda Soto.

“No matter where you go, who you become, you will always have a piece of Venice with you.”