Matanzas High School’s Class of 2026 crossed the finish line on a stage at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach on May 31.
The class produced 515 graduates.
Matanzas senior speakers emphasize resilience
Mia-Katharina Apfelbach, the senior class president, said graduates have spent years gaining tools by completing class assignments, practices, and rehearsals.
“They all don’t mean anything if you just leave them in the past,” she said.
“Now, as we move forward, it is time to see not just what tools you have, but what you’re going to build with them,” Apfelbach said. “For example, if you failed a test and you had to find every way to pull your grade back up, you learned resilience.”
Another senior, Remmika Battles, shared her backstory, which involved being placed into foster care when she was 10.
“I had already built a wall around myself to protect myself from any more harm,” Battles said. “After four cities, three years in foster care and six homes, I finally found my place here in Palm Coast.”
At Matanzas, she found her home, reason and purpose.
Though classes, sports and clubs, she found security and confidence, “allowing myself to build relationships that I will never forget.”
Her fellow Pirates showed up for one another, she said.
“Graduates, sitting here is a testament to your grit, courage, resilience and strength,” she said. “This journey wasn’t easy, but you did it effortlessly.”
Class achievements
Principal Michael Rinaldi said the senior class performed 22,412 hours of community service, with more than 3,000 of those hours performed by JROTC cadets.
Among the seniors, 23 earned both high school diploma and AA degrees from Daytona State College, with 15 earning honors or high honors.
The class collectively earned 315 industry certifications, the most in Matanzas history, while 205 graduates earned honors status by amassing a 3.75 grade-point average or better.
Cambridge AICE achievements
The Matanzas seniors stood out in participation in the Cambridge AICE pre-university program. Seventy graduates earned the Cambridge AICE diploma, surpassing the 48 who reached that achievement in the previous year. Rinaldi said that helped Flagler County Schools earn recognition as Small District of the Year by Cambridge International Education.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Matanzas High School graduation sparks cheers in Daytona
Reporting by Mark Harper, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
