41 Estrellita grads receive diplomas

	The new grads of Estrellita High School turn their tassels after the graduation ceremony June 3 in Galt. (Mary Min Vincent/News-Sentinel)

By Ross Farrow
News-Sentinel staff writer

Forty-one Estrellita High School students received their diplomas and six awards Monday in a ceremony that lasted less than 30 minutes at the Littleton Community Center in Galt.

“I’m happy,” senior Erin Keener said outside after receiving her diploma. “I tried really hard to do it.”

Keener said she enjoyed being a student at the considerably smaller setting at Estrellita.

“I like it a lot better (than Galt High),” she said. “The staff is a lot better. Without them, I probably wouldn’t have graduated. At Estrellita, they push you.”

Decked in bright green gowns, students received their diplomas while shaking hands with Estrellita Principal Tony Lara and four Galt Joint Union High School District trustees — Gary Silva, Jim Aschwanden, Sue Roberts and Pat Maple.

Two students, Alma Estrada and Rodney Kimbrough, were awarded scholarships. Estrada, who will attend Cosumnes River College in the fall, was awarded a $250 scholarship by the Galt office of the Sacramento County Department of Human Assistance.

Kimbrough, who plans to attend San Joaquin Delta College, was awarded a $500 scholarship by the Galt Lions Club.

Special recognition also went to Estrada for leadership, Fernando Pelayo for citizenship, Yadira Lopez, who got the teachers’ award, and Chris Saldana, who was recognized for school pride.

“It’s about hope and understanding, it’s about caring, it’s about building success by making mistakes, it’s about being caring people,” Lara said, speaking in English and Spanish. “These are the qualities we look for in people we look for as role models.”

After the ceremony, Juan Torres was decked in his green gown with red, yellow and blue balloons. The soft-spoken Torres said he was happy to graduate and plans to work for United Van Lines.

Comparing Estrellita with the much-larger Galt High School, Torres said, “I think it was about the same, but less people to be with.”

Keener enjoyed Estrellita considerably more than Galt High because of the personalized attention she received at the continuation school.

“I like green better than red,” Keener beamed, comparing Estrellita’s green school colors with Galt High’s red and black.