Class of 2021 makes history at Heritage Academy

The first-ever class of Heritage Academy Maricopa graduates was recognized for its perseverance at Thursday night’s commencement.

The 25 graduates in blue caps and gowns gathered in the school gymnasium where friends and family sat on bleachers to watch as they accepted their diplomas.

To start the ceremony, the graduates were introduced as they walked from behind a black curtain, many stopping before their classmates to do a quick dance move or take a bow before continuing to their seats to cheers from the audience.

Valedictorian Hannah Skousen thanked the gathered parents, guardians and teachers for their help in making it to Graduation Day.

“There is no way we would be here without you,” she said.

Skousen then talked about the Class of 2021’s determination to get through a senior year complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic, a common theme through the ceremony.

“The most important thing we learned,” she told her fellow graduates, “was how to keep going even when the odds were against us … we finally made it and now we are here.

“These final two years have prepared us to be better and stronger.”

Paola Carter, one of three graduates with a perfect 4.0 grade average who will attend Central Arizona College and then study animation at Northern Arizona University, said the public health crisis made for a difficult year.

“It’s a relief,” she said after the ceremony. “It was just chaotic with the pandemic. So, finally getting my diploma was just a moment I’ve been waiting for a long time. I feel honored to be part of the first class of Heritage, so that felt really nice.”

“The start of (school) was very difficult especially with online learning, not being able to be in person with my teachers and fellow students,” agreed graduate Andrew Fowler, who is headed to Northern Arizona to study psychological sciences. “But honestly it was very worth it. I feel like without the hardships, this year would not be as meaningful as it was.”

In his speech, salutatorian Tyler Kientzler recognized a number of teachers and administrators for their contributions to the class – both in and out of class – including Lyle Hamblin, an economics/government/U.S. history teacher who was voted by the class to make a speech, and Mimi Lopez-Adams, who Kientzler called “them most beloved person on campus.”

Quoting Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky and Thomas Jefferson, Hamblin told the graduates that “beauty and happiness are choices we make.” He told the graduates that even though they have yet to learn how to love themselves, they should know they are “loved, and deserve to be loved. You each deserve true happiness.”

And then he reminded them about the essence of happiness, quoting Mahatma Gandhi, who said, “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”

Principal Kimberly Ellsworth congratulated the students for their resilience in a challenging year.

“You really have persevered through the whole thing,” she said. “The odds were stacked against you.”

Ellsworth asked the school’s teachers to stand for a round of applause. “We appreciate,” she told the graduates, “what they have done for you.”

Four graduates were recognized with academic awards and will receive scholarships.

Skousen won the George Washington Award for Achievement, Character and Service, as voted by faculty.

Logan Porter accepted the Abraham Lincoln Award, given to the outstanding male scholar, as voted by faculty.

Maritzka Lopez Anton won the Dolly Madison Award as outstanding female scholar, as voted by faculty.

Cal Huff accepted the Benjamin Franklin Award in recognition of his extraordinary persistence.

Ellsworth also recognized Dayv and Sarah Morgan for their commitment – both financially and otherwise – in the early days of the school.

The evening featured performances by the school’s chamber orchestra and concert choir, which presented a stirring rendition of “Homeward Bound,” a song written by Marta Keen for a loved one setting out on a new phase of life’s journey.

Victor Zamora, whose daughter Hannah was graduating, said she and her family were prepared for a school year without a graduation – if it was necessary.

“We were ready to deal with whatever happened,” he said before the commencement exercises. “Either way we were going to celebrate Hannah. But we want things to be normal for them.”

Angel Raymond, Fowler’s mother, said she was thinking about the students and families who did not get to celebrate graduation last year.

“I feel bad for the parents last year – and the kiddos,” she said.

Heritage Academy Maricopa, a charter school for students in grades 6-12, opened in 2019.