Oldschool finish for S.F.’s seniors
Graduation day (inperson!) caps very difficult year
When San Francisco high school seniors walk across real stages to receive their diplomas this week, it promises to be bittersweet.
For the nearly 4,000 seniors, it’s a chance to finally gather with their classmates one last time after more than a year of seeing them only on a screen. But they may also grieve the losses from prolonged distance learning. They can’t get back the lost time with friends and the missed proms, performances and sporting events.
Still, there promises to be joy at San Francisco commencement ceremonies, being staggered Tuesday through Thursday, with ceremonies for the largest public high schools at Kezar Stadium in Golden Gate Park and for smaller schools at the former McAteer High School campus.
In many ways, Balboa High School’s graduation ceremony felt almost normal, as students gathered in front of the stadium wearing shiny, polyester royal blue robes and caps, chatting and laughing.
Parents hovered, carefully placing brightly colored flower and candy leis over the students’ heads as the teens rushed to find their seats, spaced 6 feet apart. Lingering family members were exiled to the stadium seating surrounding the sea of bright blue graduates in the center of the football field.
“Who’s excited to be here!” exclaimed Balboa Principal Freedom Siyam, opening the ceremony over upbeat music.
Senior and valedictorian at Balboa Kayvan Zahiri graduated with his classmates Tuesday afternoon.
“I’m excited to go back and see everyone and to finally move on,” he said before the ceremony.
While the transition to virtual instruction at the end of his junior year was challenging at first, Zahiri said it’s gotten easier. But, he still finds it difficult to connect with classmates over Zoom.
“It’s awkward,” he said. Even during distance learning, Zahiri maintained a 4.0 gradepoint average. This isn’t the fist time he has had to adapt to unusual and at times difficult circumstances: When he was 9, he underwent surgery for a large tumor on his spine and he lost most of his function from the waist up. During his time at Balboa, he rediscovered his childhood love of drawing through animation classes using computer software operated by his feet.
“I will always be ready to create and find solutions for any challenges that I may encounter in the future,” he said.
For Zahiri, he’s most disappointed about missing out on high school football games. One of his parents is a coach, and he got to attend only one game before the pandemic hit last March.
And on Tuesday a prerecorded version of his valedictorian speech was played for the crowd on a large screen at Kezar Stadium to accommodate his disabilities. While he was nervous, he felt the recorded speech went well.
After a long year filled with disappointments, he spoke about the resiliency of his classmates and their ability to overcome obstacles. “We all have come a long way,” he said.
“Verily, with hardship there is relief,” said senior class president Maria Anjum, speaking to similar themes in a speech after Zahiri’s. She explained that, despite the hardships she and her classmates had experienced, “It all seemed to have paid off in the end because we pushed through.”
For Tatania Garcia, watching her cousin graduate from Balboa on Tuesday was particularly meaningful. She graduated college just a week ago via Zoom.
“I feel excited for her because I wasn’t able to experience that,” she said.
High school students were largely left out of the district’s reopening plans, which were targeted at younger students and students in focal populations. Seniors were given the opportunity to return for a few days in mid May, but only about 600 opted to come back to classrooms just days before the end of the school year.
The decision was largely made to qualify for a $12 million state reopening grant, but it’s unclear whether the district will ever see those funds. Early last week state legislators accused the district of trying to exploit a legal loophole, arguing the district did not bring back enough students to qualify for the money.
Superintendent Vince Matthews congratulated seniors in a statement Wednesday, saying graduation is a moment to savor students’ hard work.
“Families and friends get to appreciate the accomplishments of loved ones. For teachers and school staff, this rite of passage is the culmination of their commitment to lifting up the next generation,” he wrote.
School board Commissioner Jenny Lam, who was at Kezar on Tuesday, announced that students had officially graduated.
“We are so very proud of you,” she said.
After graduating, Zahiri is excited to start his psychology degree at the University of San Francisco in the fall.
“I don’t really know what college is like,” he said, adding that he’s looking forward to “the overall experience.”
“I’m just excited,” he said.