Record 179 graduate from Liberty High School

	Liberty High School graduates receive their diplomas May 30 at Hutchins Street Square in front of family and friends. (Jennifer Matthews-Howell/News-Sentinel)

By Julie Z. Giese
News-Sentinel staff writer

Sam Magnasco said it took perseverance to don the powder blue mortar board and gown.

“I kept thinking to myself, I have to do it,” Magnasco said, reflecting upon his milestone. “And here I am.”

Magnasco was among a record 179 Liberty High School, Alternative Learning Center and Adult School students recognized for earning diplomas at Thursday morning’s graduation.

Several hundred family members and friends filled seats on Hutchins Street Square’s lawn to cheer on the Class of 2002, despite the sweltering heat. They brought balloons and flower bouquets for the graduates and even bubbles, which occasionally floated from the audience.

Liberty Principal Robert Rivas said the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C., bonded the students.

“You may not have realized the months that followed the attack were the most productive,” Rivas said.

Since September, students turned their focus to working hard and setting future plans following high school, he said.

Ken Davis, Lodi Unified’s first African American trustee elected to the school board, shared his life experiences with the graduates as the ceremony’s keynote speaker.

Davis said some people doubted he would be elected to the school board, but that didn’t stop him from trying.

“I didn’t listen to people who told me what I couldn’t do,” he said. Instead, he believed he would succeed.

“But I didn’t do it alone,” he said.

Davis, who runs a nonprofit money management service, credited support from family and church to help him achieve his dreams.

The path to graduation was difficult for some students, who struggled with personal challenges to achieve their dreams.

Randi Rice, 17, proudly walked to get her diploma with her 1-year-old son, Peter, in her arms.

After scrambling to finish her assignments up until Wednesday afternoon, Rice was happy to achieve her goal.

“I was like, ‘Wow, I made it,’ ” she said. “I was so excited to get my diploma that I forgot to shake everybody’s hands on stage. When I finally got back to my seat, it finally hit me that I’m done.”

Rice is considering a career in architecture and plans to attend San Joaquin Delta College in the fall.

As for Magnasco, he plans to study Web page design, starting out at Delta.

He explored the career field through his senior project on designing Web pages, which school officials touted as one of the best projects ever submitted.

Graduation brought mixed emotions, Magnasco said.

“I just don’t know what to think,” he said. “I’m both happy and sad to leave high school.”