JSerra Valedictorian: Greetings From Fresno

When your school’s only been around since 2003, you’re still entitled to a few “firsts.” So when  hosted its sixth graduation ceremony today, it was the first time a valedictorian delivered his speech by video.

“We have a problem, Houston,” outgoing Principal Tom Waszak said to a packed audience in the Fieldhouse Gymnasium.  “Luke [Decker] is not here. Luke is in Fresno," competing in the CIF state track championships in the 1600-meter race.

But the valedictorian prepared a DVD for his class from Fresno, Waszak said. It kicked off with a musical montage of scenes of Decker running.

The “secret” to his success, Decker said, was found in the faculty and staff – and his fellow students – at the school. “I surrounded myself with successful people from the day I set foot on JSerra High.”

Besides being an excellent athlete, Decker’s accomplishments included a grade-point average of 4.71. But he was hardly the only scholar. Three other students came within .3 of his GPA.

“If the word success doesn’t capture this graduating class at JSerra High School, I don’t know what does,” Decker told his fellow 219 classmates, 20 percent of whom made National Honor Society.

Decker offered an anecdote to encourage the class of 2011. In his junior year, he knew the Trinity League championship was in sight, but he could also envision a CIF championship. So, running the 1600-meter race, he got out front fast. With 400 meters to go, all he had to do was hang on. But he collapsed.

When the paramedics arrived, “I didn’t need an EKG to tell me my heart was broken,” Decker said. His dad rushed to his side and promised him everything was going to be OK. Looking up into the star-filled sky reminded him of God’s presence, and how running had displaced God his junior year.

“God humbled me. He literally had me on my knees,” Decker said. So he turned his focus back to God. “It became a defining moment in my life. Now I’m a Christian who, by the way, is a runner too.”

He encouraged his classmates to look “always forward,” the school’s motto, “where our path will always lead us at the feet of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The ceremony also marked a transition for Principal Tom Waszak, whose contract the school board did not renew. 

“My time has been amazing," Waszak said in remarks that drew a standing ovation. "I wish to thank all of you. Thank you for providing me with support. Class of 2011, it’s an honor to have let me be a part of your experience. You will forever hold a special place in my heart."

Waszak said the class of 2011 set the bar high for future classes. Graduates are bound for such universities as UCLA, USC, UC Berkeley, MIT, Brown, Dartmouth, Carnegie Mellon, Notre Dame and Boston University. In total, the 219 seniors received 805 college acceptance letters, and 209 are off to four-year schools.

Athletically, the school had no championship team banners until the class of 2011 arrived, Waszak said. Now the school boasts six Trinity League championships, two CIF championships, one team state championship and two individual state championships – with more possibly to be added today in Fresno.

“We are no longer picking up the rear. We are leading the pack in athletics,” Waszak said.

Meanwhile, the school has grown artistically as well, with a choral program starting in 2007 that has since received local, regional, national and international acclaim, the principal said. Students were even able to. 

But best of all, because of the graduating class, the school has made strides in personal spiritual growth, which Waszak acknowledged is hard to measure objectively.

“You see it in their faces. You see it in their eyes as they greet you. You see it in their conduct,” he said. “They forged a deeper understanding of themselves, their peers and of God the Father.”

One by one, the students lined up to receive their diplomas. Announcer and Admissions Director Andy Sulik thanked the crowd for not cheering or blowing party horns. “We appreciate your cooperation and realize none of you are going to listen to it.”

No one did.

Ending with a traditional throwing of the graduation caps, the PA system blasted Katrina & the Waves’ “Walking on Sunshine” and members of the class of 2011 walked out to a crowded courtyard and the rest of their lives.