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Sebastian Tung

Students await receiving their diploma during Palo Alto High School's Class of 2026 graduation this afternoon at the Viking Stadium. According to PAUSD Board of Education President Shounak Dharap, failing is a step before success. "You will find that if you can fail over and over and over again, then when the time comes to do the new thing ... and when everyone around you is frozen and paralyzed by the fear of what could go wrong, you won't be," Dharap said.

“It is my pleasure, my privilege and my joy to authorize the diploma of graduation to be presented to the Palo Alto High School Class of 2026.”

These were the words said by PAUSD Board of Education President Shounak Dharap before diplomas were handed out this afternoon as the Palo Alto High School Class of 2026 graduated at Viking Stadium.

Celebratory performances were presented throughout the program, which ended with seniors , celebrating the end of four years together by tossing their caps into the air.

To kick things off, seniors Simone Batra, Isabella Nunez and Woody Chehadeh performed the song “Night Changes” by One Direction.

Next, the band played music from the film “La La Land,” and the choir sang Bill Withers’ “Lovely Day.”

Senior spirit commissioner Arabella Guinle gave the the Class of 2026’s speech recounting that mistakes and uncertainty are essential for growth.

“We’ve all failed tests, missed deadlines, let our parents down, said the wrong things, doubted ourselves more times than we could ever count, and yet we’re still here because we kept going anyway,” Guinle said in her speech. “So, as we leave this place, I hope we take that with us: the willingness to try, to risk being seen, to keep going even when it feels uncomfortable or uncertain because some of the best things we’ll every do will start exactly like that.”

Principal Brent Kline offered uplifting sentiments about the achievements of the Class of 2026 and obstacles students overcame.

“Class of 2026, you have accomplished a great deal,” Kline said in his speech. “You have competed, performed, created, questioned, advocated, learned and grown. You’ve also made mistakes because you are human and because despite how grown up you look right now, you are still young and you are still learning your way.”

Chehadeh said that he has mixed feelings about graduating from Paly.

“It’s tough to explain how I’m feeling,” Chehadeh said. “I’ve never really felt like this. The best word to describe it is bittersweet. Just seeing everybody, walking through the halls and saying hi — I’m going to miss that the most.”