'Enjoy your life': Class of 2026 graduates from College Place High School

While Lucinda Weaver was growing up, there was a phrase that was unacceptable in her house - "I have to."

That phrase was replaced with, "I get to."

" One morning, I found myself complaining about waking up early to go feed our animals, and my mom reminded me that getting to farm, though strenuous and demanding, was a unique and fulfilling experience few people had, and I needed to change my perspective and stop treating my blessings like burdens," Weaver said.

While it may seem like a small difference in wording, Weaver said, it leads to a greater appreciation of the little things. As she addressed her fellow graduates at College Place High School on Saturday, June 6, she encouraged them to take that mindset into their futures.

"What we sometimes treat as ordinary is, to others, extraordinary," Weaver said. "The opportunity to play the sport, join the club, get an education, work a job, or make a new friend, these are all things we had the privilege to choose."

She said that there would undoubtedly be tough times ahead for herself and her classmates, as there are for everyone. That is why it's important to be able to find joy in the small parts of life when the big ones provide none.

"Go outside; put down your phone; talk to a sibling, parent or friend; create; cry; read a book just for fun; or rewatch your favorite show for the 12th time," she said. "Try to remember that life works in seasons. This season will pass, and we can still practice gratitude during difficult times because gratitude can do more than help us acknowledge the past. It can reframe the present and shape our future."

During Saturday's ceremony, 105 students graduated from CPHS. Among them were four students who tied for salutatorian and another four who tied for valedictorian.

Aleyda Soto, another graduate who gave a speech during the ceremony, said there was a time when graduating didn't feel like a guarantee for her.

"I'm not an athlete, an outstanding musician, or involved in many extracurricular activities," Soto said. "I'm just me. Someone who laughs at corny jokes, who loves to sing in the car, and who struggles getting up in the morning for school. We are all uniquely different in our own distinct ways. As many of us continue in our own paths that we have chosen, we have all experienced high school together, whether it was all four years or just one year."

But she said no matter how different from each other all the students of the Class of 2026 are, they have one thing in common - change. It's inevitable, and it can be little shifts you don't even notice or big shifts that drastically change you forever. It's what makes us human, she said, and it's what brings us all together.

"As we step into the next chapter of our lives, I want to remind you that this is a moment for you to enjoy your life and to live it to the fullest, because change will come, and it will be uncomfortable," Soto said. "But it's in those moments that we have the opportunity to grow and to learn how to embrace life's challenges. We should take it as a chance to become better versions of ourselves and to have a positive impact on the world."

While this might be the end of a chapter, fellow graduate Ava Mohney said, it's also the beginning of a new story.

"And that's the strange thing about growing up. While we were busy counting down the days until graduation, we were also living through moments we'll spend the rest of our lives trying to remember," Mohney said. "Because the truth is, this isn't just the end of high school, this is the end of a version of ourselves that only existed here together."

Mohney encouraged her classmates, as they go down their own paths after high school, to remember that tomorrow is always waiting for them.

"If these last four years taught us anything, it's that we are capable of getting through anything. We learned how to adapt, how to begin again and how to keep going even when we are unsure of what came next," Mohney said. "Four years ago, we didn't know what we were doing. Today, we still don't. The difference though? Now we have each other and the lessons we learned together. To the Class of 2026, although I am saddened to see us part, I am grateful to have known you well enough to feel this way."

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This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 10:04 PM.