Thursday was a special day for 30 eighth-grade students at Ripona Elementary School.
They received their certificate of promotion from the Ripon Unified School District, in turn, paving their way to high school.
Most, if not all, will attend Ripon High, where notable former Ripona students Jennica Baldwin and Ulises Martinez were back to share their experiences as the special honored guests.
McKayla McCord led the large group attendance at the school’s Multi-Purpose Building in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Claire DeKruyf and Sarah Lyons followed that up, welcoming those to the celebration – incidentally, Kool & Gang’s “Celebration” was also the recessional tune.
Principal Dante Alvarez presented the Class of 2017 for the distribution of promotion certificates, with Ripon Unified school board President Chad Husky accepting the group on behalf of the district.
The classmates honored are as followed:
Preston Alberti, Gabriel Campa, Claire DeKruyf, Devaney Dougherty, Nicholas Garoutte, Connor Guinan, Kenneth Johnson, Gabriella Loa, Jimena Martinez, Mikayla McCord, Kole Nelson, Hortencia Perez, Isaac Rocha, Daymion Rosado, Nicholas Vasquez.
Adam Cadruvi, Isabella Clous, Andrew Dominguez, Trevor Eskes, Hector Gonzalez, Brenna Hansen, Robert Kelley, Sarah Lyons, Leticia Martinez, Sophia Medina, Gabriela Garcia, Fatima Raygoza, Jason Rodriguez, Josphine Turner and Irma Yciano.