Baccalaureate , the church ceremony that celebrates the graduation of seniors, was held on Sunday, June, 12  at First Baptist Church. Well over half the senior class attended in their cap and gowns to celebrate and receive two extra tickets. The ceremony lasted an hour and included speeches from seniors Mariah Picou and Alejandra Montano.

The event started with the senior class lining up to receive their tickets from Mr. Nevarez and Ms. Sanchez. The future graduates then sat down and listened to the speeches and performances by their fellow classmates. Ms. Sanchez, who is in charge of all the senior activities, said the event was busy compared to the other years.

“We had a large turn-out of seniors who ended up going,” Sanchez said. “We ran out of tickets but students still were able to get their free tickets on Monday.”

Mariah Picou was the first of the speeches. Her speech included what doors high school had opened for her and her classmates, finishing her speech with her thoughts on driving for success. Picou described her anxious feelings before the speech, but finished with success.

“When I was about to give the speech I felt nervous,” Picou said, “but I like being on stage. Even though it was nerve wrecking waiting to be able to give the speech I ended up having fun. “

Picou was just one of the two speeches given; Alejandra Montano also gave a speech about high school and the heights that were achieved throughout their four years at Downey. Montano’s speech was a crowd favorite due to the fact that it rhymed. Senior Michelle Steele describes the speeches as being truly inspiring.

“When I started listening to the speeches I reflected on past events throughout the school year,” Steele said. “They inspired me to achieve my goals and leave Downey with pride.”

Students who did not receive their free tickets received vouchers to get tickets on Monday. This event set the tone for graduation and served as an opportunity to come together and celebrate the seniors’ successes.