As Castle View High School said farewell to its first graduating
class, the days, weeks and months leading to the event set the tone
for graduates for years to come.
With new traditions intended to foster a sense of community at
Castle Rock’s newest high school, principal Lisle Gates aims to
place Castle View at the top of the list as a school where kids and
families come first.
The seniors began the year with a sunrise service celebration on
the first day of school, highlighting the significance of the
senior year and raising the bar for the senior class, Gates said.
The seniors gathered on the last day of school for a sunset
service, signifying the end of one chapter and the beginning of
another, as the graduates look forward to life after high
school.
A senior awards ceremony, breakfast and pep rally were all part
of the senior send-off at Castle View, led by a man with a passion
for kids and community.
Gates is committed to creating traditions at Castle View that
celebrate the students and highlight academic strength. Gates takes
pride in the significance of every event meant to celebrate student
accomplishments.
At the senior pep rally, days before graduation, Gates unveiled
a ceremonial send-off in the school gym that had kids and teachers
alike in tears. The school bleachers are divided into four
sections, each of which was filled with its own graduating class.
Seniors in one section, juniors in another, and so on, until every
bleacher was filled.
Teachers formed a human tunnel to lead the seniors from the
halls of high school, while each class moved to their new section,
making way for next year’s incoming Castle View freshman.
“I had crying kids, crying staff members,” Gates said. “We’re
just setting traditions we’ll be following in the school for a long
time.”
The feeling of community was clear the next week, the day before
graduation, when the school opened its doors to all seniors and
their family members for a senior breakfast. Hundreds of students
and extended family members enjoyed a smorgasbord of breakfast
treats, as grandparents, parents and siblings basked in the final
glow of their graduate’s accomplishment.
With the threat of wet weather forecast for graduation, Gates
promised the show would go on, rain or shine, and urged graduates
to arrive at Red Rocks Ampitheater early, umbrellas ready.
At 7 p.m. May 22, 210 graduates descended the steps at Red Rocks
for a ceremony that featured 250 musicians from the feeder
community of elementary and middle schools that will eventually
send their students to Castle View High School.
As dark clouds descended on Red Rocks, Gates acknowledged the
work of those feeder school teachers who prepare kids for Castle
View High School, the family members surrounding the graduates, the
12 seniors who plan to join the military following graduation and
what he calls “the greatest staff in the world” at Castle View.
Castle View conducted its inaugural graduation ceremony without
a traditional class valedictorian and instead recognized seven
honor students who earned a 4.0 GPA or higher during high school.
The honor students who received special recognition during
graduation are Marc Lata, Amanda Bailey, Maria Pearson, Amanda
Abla, Alison Sherrill, Megan Stark and Morgan Thomas.
With the participation of students from the feeder schools, the
sunrise and sunset senior services and every ceremony to honor
seniors at Castle View High School, Gates hopes to foster a sense
of pride for years to come. He leaves little doubt the goal at
Castle View comes full circle on graduation day.
“When kids are graduating that’s what we are about,” he said.
“All other activities are important but what we’re really about is
providing an academic education for our kids so they can be
successful when they leave here.”