Palo Alto High School’s senior class of 2005 was successfully on their way Wednesday evening after a smooth graduation ceremony held in the Paly quad. With threatening overcast skies, the rain held off for the duration of the ceremony which consisted of moving speeches and student musical performances.

Proud family and friends packed the Paly quad to watch the graduation of the 400 seniors. According to Chuck Merritt, Assistant Principal and one of the ceremony coordinators, 2400 chairs were set up, and nearly all were filled. In addition, spectators lined the sides of the quad, filled the bleachers in back, and some even sat near the stage on the grass.

The ceremony commenced with the processional played by the Paly band and the national anthem sung in harmony by Maren Pearson, Kim Thacker, Ali Apple and Christine Lockner. Student Body President Adrian Bellomo presented the welcome speech, followed by "Time to Say Goodbye," sung by Katherine Adams.

Following the performance, Austinn Freeman delivered a commencement address which highlighted many of the talented individuals who make up the class of 2005. The audience responded with laughter and applause to Freeman’s descriptions of seniors. Freeman said, "Someday we may be seeing Remy [Champion] and Jeremy [Goldstein] in the Olympics and even Charles Vickery’s own fashion line." Freeman also quoted Martin Luther King Jr. and Mark Twain. Later in the ceremony Trevor Bisset also gave a commencement address, contemplating his Paly experience. He overcame minor technical difficulties in the sound system with his powerful vocal chords and animation to deliver his speech.

Senior Class President Arianna Gianola presented the 2005 class gift. The gift built on the gift of the class of 2004 by adding to the beautification of the Paly campus. This included adding trees and benches to decorate the new quad at the site of the old science building.

The ceremony was accompanied by the musical performances of Charles Vickery singing "Impossible Dream" and Adi Hamou playing "Misty" on the saxophone.

"I thought the ceremony went really well," Merritt said. "It was nice having it in the quad."

The class of 2004’s graduation was held at the football field where speakers had to compete with the train which passes next to the Paly campus. According to Merritt, the benefit of having it at the football field is having seats for approximately a thousand people in the bleachers, and not having to rent as many chairs.

Principal Scott Lawrence thanked the class for making him feel welcome as the new principal and congratulated them as his first Paly graduating class.

"I present the Palo Alto High School graduating class of 2005," Principal Scott Lawrence said.

John Barton and Mandy Lowell, president and member of the Palo Alto Unified School District Board of Education, accepted the class and congratulated them on fulfilling the California state requirements for high school graduation.

The audience cheered and blew fog horns and other noise makers as the graduates were called up for the last time as highschoolers and presented with their diplomas by Dr. Mary Frances Callan, Dr. Cynthia Pino, John Barton, and Mandy Lowell. Happy graduates danced down the runway, some even jumping and clicking their heels while letting out whoops of excitement. Others hugged the diploma-presenters, and embraced principal Scott Lawrence, who was shaking everyone hands.

"The ceremony went really quickly," spectator and Paly junior Elle Burstein said. "I thought it was good, the speeches were really appropriate."

As the last name was called the graduates threw off their hats and cheered.

"It’s pretty surreal," graduate David Coughlan said after the ceremony. "I can’t wait for grad night."

Coughlan along with many other graduates were looking foward to the long night of partying and celebrating to come. After the ceremony graduates boarded the seven charter busses that would drive them to their graduation party location; aboard the U.S.S. Hornet in Alameda at the Naval Station.

Awaiting them was a night full of excitement and fun as they spent their last moments together as a class before heading out to work, travel, and colleges all over the country.