On Thursday, June 17th, we celebrated the achievements of our high school graduates from Riverfront School and Career Center. Our CEO and President Craig Opperman started the evening with announcements and a tribute to Senator Manning’s beloved wife Lawanda Manning who recently passed away. Instead of a moment of silence, we had a cheer to honor her as she would have preferred that. Last year, Senator Manning was our key-note speaker and Lawanda was here dancing with our graduates. We are deeply saddened by the passing of Mrs. Manning.
The graduation was socially distanced with graduates and families gathered around their cars and in their family “pods”. Two Looking Glass board members were in attendance - Jeanne Staton and Paul Frishkoff. The key-note speaker this year was longtime Looking Glass supporter Pat Frishkoff. Thank you to everyone who participated in this awesome celebration!
Riverfront School Director, Cheryl Zwillinger, gave acknowledgements to all of the people who helped the graduates get to this day.
“Graduates – Your family, friends, and everyone who is here supported you to get to this day. We are so glad to be able to meet this year, safely distanced and outside. This past school year was like no other. Students needed to learn about quarantining, sanitizing, distancing, online and hybrid instruction, and that cohorts and variants were not just math concepts! The pandemic created anxiety, but we didn’t let that keep us from achieving our goals. We had a daily routine of screening students which included asking students whether or not they felt fatigued. I always thought that asking students if they were fatigued was silly. We all know teenagers never get enough sleep and are always feeling some level of fatigue! I’d like to thank all the parents & guardians – we couldn’t have gotten our students here without you. Thank you to Riverfront teachers and staff. Your patience and support for one another has been immensely helpful. Instead of thinking of COVID as only a disease, think of it like this:
Creating
Our
Very
Incredible
Destiny “
A particular highlight at graduation was the presentation of the Oregon Black Education Foundation Scholarship to Valentine Martinez-Zavala. Valentin was awarded $750 which he will be applying toward his tuition at Lane Community College. Valentin will be studying diesel mechanic’s. Valentin shared these thoughts with us.
“I started off at Willamette High School and did so poorly freshman year, I didn’t know if I would reach my graduation today. Growing up, going through K-8, many teachers knew I had some troubles, but nobody gave up on me. They told me of stories about other children. I knew from a young age I would have to work extra hard. My parents always supported me growing up. We were not rich, but I found their words are way more valuable than a $100 bill. The staff at Riverfront have supported me personally, better than a regular high school could have. The class sizes made a huge difference in my ability to learn. When things got hard, my teachers and family pushed me, specifically Cheryl & Shannon pushed me to follow my dreams. I am excited to say that I applied for FAFSA and will be attending Lane Community College in the fall with no out-of-pocket costs.”
The ceremony concluded with the graduates walking or driving up to collect their diplomas and goodie bags. Congratulations to the Class of 2021! We are so proud of your accomplishments!