Fremont High grads Mike Pasibe (left) and Joe Naivalu wear candy leis given to them by friends after graduation.
By Anne Gelhaus
If the adage about a less-than-perfect dress rehearsal leading to a great performance held true, then Fremont High School's class of '96 could expect a memorable commencement.
It was their second rehearsal, but the graduates who were charged with announcing the names of their classmates as they accepted their diplomas were still stumbling over some pronunciations.
Finally, the senior who was selected to announce the names of the students in Praneetha Hordagoda's row approached her for some help.
"It's Horda-GO-da," she said.
"Horda-GO-da, Horda-GO-da, Horda-GO-da," he repeated. "I was pronouncing the 'o' wrong."
The announcer was not the only classmate Hordagoda didn't meet until her last week in high school.
"The guy I'm walking with [for commencement exercises] is someone I never talked to in four years," she said at the June 5 rehearsal. "I didn't even know he was a senior. Now we're talking to each other."
The 250 members of Fremont's graduating class had three rehearsals before the real thing June 6. Last Wednesday morning, they endured the blazing sun to go through the motions on the high school's football field. Many graduates were carrying umbrellas or wearing their mortarboards to protect themselves from ultraviolet rays.
Students who had already rehearsed their handshake and tassel-placement techniques lounged on the grassy field, signing each other's yearbooks and passing around photos from their senior prom. For many, these rituals were a reminder that the time they'd shared with their high school friends was almost over.
"I'm going to remember all of our senior activities," said Vanessa Coates. "They made us all really close."
Still, Coates added, she already feels that closeness slipping away.
"I have seven really close friends I know I'll keep in touch with," she said, "but everyone else, I'll probably never see again."
Hordagoda and her friend Charles Cline both said they'll miss history teachers George Gredassoff and Art Ryan.
"Mr. Ryan's retiring," Cline added. "It's sad. He and Mr. Gredassoff are everyone's favorite teachers--at least, all the seniors'."
During commencement rehearsal, both Gredassoff and Ryan stood on stage under huge umbrellas.
Next fall, Hordagoda said she'll attend De Anza College for two years and then transfer to law school at Santa Clara University. Coates will study physical therapy at Fresno State University.
Ali Farzaneh said he decided to enroll in the pre-dental program at San Jose State University after taking oral hygiene courses at Fremont.
"I found out I pretty much liked it," he added. "I want to be a dentist."
Other graduates seemed to be pumped up about moving on to seriously discuss post-graduation plans.
"I'm going to the top of the world after high school," said Jesse Bynum. "We plan to change the future."
"We want to be the next generation of revolutionaries," said Devinder Singh with a laugh.
A more immediate concern was what to do right after commencement. At rehearsal, members of Fremont's Grad Night committee were selling tickets to an all-night party in the school gym, designed as an alcohol- and drug-free event.
On the football field, student committee members wore T-shirts adorned with a photo of John Travolta from the movie Grease , from which Grad Night organizers culled the party's theme: "We'll always be together."
After about 90 minutes of rehearsal, those who were about to graduate became increasingly vocal about wanting to take a break and get out of the sun. Administrators complied, figuring it would give them the chance to work out the bugs in the school's new sound system.
As seniors rushed off the field en masse, someone cranked "Pomp and Circumstance" through the speakers, which made the familiar processional sound as though it were being played over a poorly tuned AM car radio--not the most auspicious way to introduce the graduates on their big night, but perhaps a fitting rite of passage into a world where things are often unclear.
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, June 12, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.