Some students have been with the same classmates since preschool, while others have met their peers during high school. On Friday, all 305 graduates joined together at the Owensboro Sportscenter as the 2019 class of Apollo High School.
AHS principal Rick Lasley said, thinking back on all the events that have taken place since August and focusing on the positive — it has been a great school year. He said this was due to the special graduating class.
“Between the connections that we have made with these students, how much they have all grown and what they have achieved, 2019 will be one to remember,” he said. “We wish all these students the best of luck.”
Honor graduate Marcus Gage Hayden echoed a lot of the same statements as Lasley. He said the group of graduates has grown together from a lot of first to a lot of lasts. He said he wanted the entire Eagle family to love each other and be the best version of themselves.
This group of students was awarded more than 10 million in scholarships. This was a record amount of money offered to any senior class at Apollo. While many plan to attend college, currently, there are 10 students making commitments to the military and 38 students who already have jobs lined up in the workforce.
One of the students headed off to college is Angeles Sevilla. This accomplishment means more to her than most because, just a few years ago, finishing high school was something she didn’t even think was possible.
At the age of 12, Sevilla came to the United States with her mother and sister after escaping violence and poverty in Honduras.
“I didn’t understand the change that was about to happen in my life coming to the United States,” she said. “My mom made the decision of coming to the United States after seeing that my sister and I didn’t have a good future and we were not going to be safe in Honduras. Having a good life or even finishing high school was not in my mind. My mom needed help, so I had plans of starting to work at an early age. Our journey to the U.S. wasn’t easy, but it was worth it.”
Sevilla said, while the language barrier was difficult at first, the staff and students would always find a way to communicate with her and make her feel like she belonged. She said graduating from AHS is one of the best things that has happened to her.
“I never thought of finishing high school, it was not in my plans, but I did and it was in God’s plan,” she said. “College was just something impossible. And now just the fact I’m graduating makes me happy. Apollo is not just a school, it’s a home. I’ve never in my life felt so welcome in a place as I did in AHS. It truly was an Eagle family.”
After graduation, Sevilla plans on working in a career where she can be a translator and help people who come to America and don’t speak English.
“I will miss AHS, but the memories will always stay with me,” she said. “Once an Eagle, always an Eagle.”
