By Marty Mayfield
KRTN Multi-Media
Raton High School held graduation ceremonies Friday evening May 19, 2023, at Tiger Gym where 49 seniors walked across the stage and received their diplomas to the delight of a packed house.
This year, the Valedictorian Cayden Walton and Salutatorian Anderson Weese are both young men, a change from years past when that honor went to mostly young ladies.
Emilia Rose gave the welcoming address thanking parents and faculty for the many things they did for the class. She noted this was the last class to go through all of the Raton Public School’s buildings and the last class to attend Kearney School.
Walton in his speech spoke of failure noting that “failing is a necessity if you want to succeed. Failure gives us the opportunity to bounce back from our mistakes and helps us appreciate the successes in our life.” He went on to say that many live by the old adage that failure is not an option. Walton disagrees saying “Failure IS an Option. In fact, it’s often a requirement. I prefer to follow the more truthful saying, Failure is not the opposite of success, it is part of success.”
Walton told his fellow classmates that failure was what made a four-time state championship cheer team. That the losses allowed other Raton teams to beat some of the best teams in the state. He finished off his speech by reminding his fellow classmates to remember to be thankful. “We must be thankful for this time in our lives, because there’s going to be no tother like it.” “I will remember you all with fondness and pride, for I will forever be part of the Raton High School Class of 2023.”
The keynote speaker Brian Colon told the Class of 2023 that “Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.” He went to explain how he grew up from a youngster watching his parents slowly pass and that he had a New Mexico community to help raise him. He explained that he lived his father’s dream of going to college and how he then went on to be a lawyer and eventually on to New Mexico State Auditor. The point is his failure lead to success.
After the seniors with accolades were recognized and diplomas handed out Anderson Weese spoke of the last goodbye and the history this class made. Weese said, ”Graduates! We are the last class to have gone through both Kearny and Columbian schools and we are the second 7th grade class to attend the high school.” This class also dealt with a “crazy covid year” “Through all the good times, and all the bad times our class has made Raton High our home, and it’s bittersweet to be finally leaving it.”
Weese went on to say “No matter what your choice is, this next chapter of our lives is a scary one. After all, “Life is a master of choices and every choice you make, makes you.””
2023 RHS Senior Class
Sapphire Rose Acevedo
>*Cyrena Nica Ayon
*Jadin Abrianna Bueno
#>*Erica Rosa Burgos
Brian Cesar Cervantes
Brenden Isaiah Davis
Derek Jude Day-Pineda
#JaVon LaVern Edwards
Nathaniel Abel Edwards
Kaily Jadin Elam
Cadin Nathaniel Fissel
#Amy Jean Fleming
Margarita Flores
Stephen Ray Flores
#*Deja Marie Garcia
*Travis Joseph Garcia
*Alison Ruby Gigante
Calyssa Ann Hanson
Angelo Marcello Hernandez
Ciara Marie Hernandez
#Luis Jaime Herrera
#*Cole Anthony Hopper
Keira Noel Kuchan
Zachary Michael Lose
Cameron Tyler Lucero
Mylah Marie Maes
Kayla Crystal Mares-Cordova
Alyssa Camryn Martinez
#Delayla Michelle Martinez
Jaden Anthony Martinez
Jesse James Martinez
#*Sophie Lauren Medina
Shannon Neveah Mendez
#Krystle Skye Montoya
Carolyn Elizabeth Victoria Najera
Cassandra Louarine Parker
Jesse Manuel Perez
Adrian Arthur-Giacomo Romero
#*Emilia Isabella Rose
Jacob Nicholas Salazar
Nathaniel Orlando Salazar
#*Zoey Sombra Salazar
Deanna Eleah Sanchez
Torrence Evelyn Sandoval
#Jaylynn Marie Trueba
Yaire Rachel Uribe
%#*Cayden Michael Walton
@#*Anderson Warren Weese
#*Noah Scott Weese
* National Honor Society Member % Valedictorian
@ Salutatorian > Military
# denotes students who took Dual Credit Classes in addition to meeting their high school graduation requirements
