Senators bid farewell to high school

In his address to fellow graduates, senior class president Steven Chaparro, 18, thanked those who supported them along the way.

"If it wasn't for our families, friends and teachers, we would not be here right now," he said.

He thanked parents especially "for every time you have done everything possible to make your child's high school career easier, better or embarrassing."

Friends were also key, he said.

"Some covered for us when we were late to class, or stood side by side with us in front of (dean of students Joe) Girdner as he tried to catch us for tardy sweeps," he said.

More than 450 Carson High School seniors marched across the stage Saturday morning to receive their diplomas as the class of 2010. Altogether, the class earned more than $2 million in scholarships.

"The four years flew by pretty quick," said Taylor Silva, 17. "I'll miss a lot of things about high school, but I'm excited to move on."

He plans to attend the University of Nevada, Reno next year to major in business.

For some students, however, the reality of the situation still hadn't quite sunk in.

"It's weird," said Ryan Hoskins, 18, who also plans to attend UNR. "It doesn't feel like it's happening."

Nate Eng, 18, wanted to make the day as memorable as possible, keeping time on a giant gold watch around his neck.

"I wanted to have a good time," he said. "It's the last high school memory, so you might as well go out with a bang."

Alysse Austin, 18, went out with more of a bang than she had anticipated. She didn't find out until the final semester that she would be class valedictorian, with a grade-point average of 4.78.

"I was completely surprised," she said. "It's kind of different being in the spotlight, but it's good." She plans to attend Brown University with a neuroscience major.

Austin narrowly edged out Merrill Asp, 18, whose grade-point average was 4.775. Asp plans to major in physics at Brigham Young University.

"I'm just glad I did as well as I did," he said.

Principal Ron Beck said he was proud of all the graduates.

"It's a great class, an awesome class," he said. "They've got great academics and a lot of leaders."