Sept. 11 adds solemn air to graduation day

Tuesday, June 11, 2002 | 11:15 a.m.

When the sea of Las Vegas Academy seniors in teal caps and gowns began their solemn march into the theater at Cashman Center Monday evening, dozens of hand-held video cameras shot up in the audience to capture the moment.

There were the usual trappings of graduation -- balloons, bouquets and banners. But there were also several reminders that this academic year was unlike any other.

The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 were a reminder that every day is precious, academy Principal Robert Gerye said.

"You have to make the most of your life in the living years," Gerye said, referring to the popular song by Mike and the Mechanics.

How this year's graduates choose to face the changed world will define the generation, just as Pearl Harbor and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy did for young people who came before, he said.

School district officials are hopeful a record number of diplomas will be awarded by the time the last of the 30 high school commencement ceremonies ends Saturday, though they won't know the total in the Class of 2002 until later this summer.

The number of this year's 11,500 seniors who pass all three portions of the state proficiency exam is expected to top last year's total, although some students still may not have enough classroom credits to graduate, Costa said.

"Overall we're anticipating a very strong year," said Judy Costa, director of testing for the Clark County School District. "I think the success of our schools is probably underrated."

Clark County's high school dropout rate, one of the worst in the nation, has been steadily declining, from 9 percent in 1998 to 5.7 percent last year, according to district numbers.

The lure of hospitality industry jobs, many of which do not require high school diplomas, makes it difficult to keep some students in class, Agustin Orci, deputy superintendent of instruction, said. The district has added more alternative programs and online classes to try and catch those students before they slip away, but teacher and administrators can only do so much, Orci said.

"Ultimately, it's up to the students," Orci said. "They have to want to be here, and want to learn."

The learning of those who graduated Las Vegas Academy continued Monday night, as Superintendent Carlos Garcia passed on some wisdom.

It was one of 15 commencement ceremonies that Garcia will attend over the coming days, but this ceremony held special meaning for him and his family, he said. His daughter, Asia Garcia, was one of the more the 286 graduates.

A visibly emotional Garcia earned a standing ovation from the graduating class, after he implored them to take risks and stand up for others.

"Look on the front of your programs, it says 'Commencement,"' Garcia said. "That's exactly what this is, it's just the beginning for you."

He warned the students against "whining" or making excuses to avoid challenges.

"Life isn't going to be fair for anyone in this room," Garcia said. "Life is what you do with the stuff that comes at you."

Students at the academy, which offers intensive programs in the arts and international studies, said Monday their success was based on a combination of self motivation, family influence and teacher support.

Co-valedictorian Courtney Rowland described parents who got up at dawn every morning and -- still clad in pajamas -- drove their children to the academy. Other students talked of the struggle to find time to sleep between rehearsals, homework and classes, and teachers who stayed late to make sure mathematical formulas were understood.

Stephanie Meuir, who studied the viola at the academy, said the school's teachers were as dedicated and determined as the students.

"When it comes to teachers, we got the cream of the school district's crop," Meuir said Monday, as she adjusted her graduation gown outside of the Cashman Center.

Neil Holder, whose daughter Sara graduated Monday after three years studying the oboe at the academy, said he was grateful his daughter had been introduced to music as a student at Woodbury Middle School. Holder said he was disappointed to hear school district officials planned to eliminate middle school athletics in the fall as part of the budget cuts.

"The most successful kids are the ones who are in structured activities, like music or sports," Holder said. "Those are the programs that teach them the discipline, that show them you only get out what you put in." Life is what you do with the stuff that comes at you."