Santa Susana grads look to bright future
By Angela Randazzo Special to the Acorn

JOE WOODS/Acorn Newspapers NEXT STEP- Amanda Cuozzo, 17, of Simi Valley accepts a rose after receiving her diploma at the Santa Susana High School graduation ceremony on Thursday night.

On a sultry summer evening, an audience of more than 2,000 family and friends gathered on the lawns of Santa Susana High School. To thunderous applause and the strains of "Pomp and Circumstance," the 2007 graduates marched onto the open air stage.

Dressed in black robes with teal collars and silver accents, 207 students received their diplomas.

Principal Pamela Carter addressed the class, remembering many of incidents that made the past school year unique.

"All the students are extremely talented and bright. They did a great job," Carter said afterwards. "Basically I tried to make my talk personal, call the students by name and mention all the funny things that happened."

Carter also emphasized the students' achievements in Santa Susana's three focus areas: academics, the arts and information technology.

Many of the students will continue participating in the arts while studying in college.

During the ceremony, the jazz choir under the direction of Bevin Abbe sang "In Whatever Time We Have." Seniors Kathleen Barnes and Emily Piper followed with the vocal "I Will Remember You," and the wind ensemble performed a selection called "Fantasy on a Japanese Folk Song."

Class valedictorian Lindsay Hennes, 17, a National Merit Scholar with a 4.4 GPA, playfully added a reference to the famed British secret agent.

"I started my speech by congratulating the class of '007' and made references to James Bond," Hennes said. "Like Bond, we've had adventures and romances and sometimes had to survive by our wits."

Hennes plays the cello and was a member of the Santa Susana orchestra throughout high school. She'll study marine biology at UC Santa Cruz in the fall. Like many of her talented classmates, she plans to further her aspirations in the arts.

"There are some amazing orchestras in Santa Cruz, so I hope to audition and continue playing the cello," Hennes said.

This year classmates Seema Ullal and Christine Willson tied for the honor of salutatorian.

Presenting diplomas were Eric Lundstrom, member of the board of education; Shari Wohlstattar, interim director of elementary education; and Lynn Friedman, director of curriculum and instruction.

After all the buildup, anticipation and pregraduation parties, Hennes said, it seemed over in a instant.

"I was relieved after I gave my speech and then everything went so quickly," Hennes said. "You go up and get your diploma and then it's all over."

Still, there will be lasting memories and words of wisdom as the students meet the future.

"I told the students to use the skills they learned here and focus on their goals," Carter said. "It's really about attitude. You can wake up every day feeling good or wake up feeling bad. If you have a positive attitude, you can accomplish anything."