Cheers echoed and camera flashes lit the arena as 2,140 Spring ISD seniors crossed the stage at the M.O. Campbell Educational Center, capping a weekend-long celebration that stretched across three days and six ceremonies. Students from Spring High School, Westfield High School, Dekaney High School, Carl Wunsche Sr. High School, Spring Early College Academy and Momentum High School each had their moment in the spotlight — tassels turning, names called and diplomas earned.
Superintendent Dr. Kregg Cuellar addressed graduates at every ceremony, grounding his remarks in the district’s guiding theme for the year.
“This year, our guiding theme has been ‘212 degrees: Going the extra degree,'” Cuellar said. “At 211 degrees, water is hot — but at 212 degrees, it boils. That single extra degree represents the difference between potential and transformation. That is exactly what we see in you.”
Cuellar charged each class to recognize its place in a pivotal moment for Spring ISD.
“You are the first graduating class to fully experience what we are calling ‘The New Spring ISD’ — a district in motion, a district in renewal, a district committed to ensuring that every student is prepared not only for graduation, but for life beyond it,” Cuellar said. “Your journey, your effort, and your story are part of what makes that real.”
Spring ISD Board of Trustees President Justine Durant also delivered remarks, challenging graduates to hold on to the qualities that defined their journey.
“The world belongs to people who keep showing up — people who work hard, lead with integrity and refuse to quit when things get difficult,” Durant said. “That is exactly who you have shown yourselves to be.”
Spring High School
The weekend opened Saturday evening with Spring High School, where 551 seniors in green took their final walk as the ‘Mighty Lions’, filling the M.O. Campbell Educational Center with energy and pride.
Dr. Alonzo Reynolds III, principal at Spring High School, challenged graduates to think beyond the diploma and focus on who they were becoming.
“Who are you going to be, what is your purpose — and how will you make a difference?” Reynolds asked his now former students. “Purpose is not found in comfort. It’s discovered through effort, through failure, and through a commitment to something greater than yourself.”
For senior Frank Bastion, graduation was the culmination of four years of leadership and involvement. The honor cords draped around his shoulders represented his work in Student Council, theater, speech and debate, the superintendent’s advisory board and the Distinguished Service Graduate program. He also served as president of both the school choir and the Texas Association of Future Educators (TAFE).
After attending two other districts, Bastion found a place at Spring ISD where his ambitions could grow.
“Spring ISD has helped me with anything I’ve needed, anything I’ve wanted,” Bastion said. “They offered things I didn’t even know existed. I remember my freshman year.I told people I wanted to be a teacher. This was the first district I had heard of that offered a program that fit the pathway I want to pursue in education.”
Through TAFE, Bastion turned that goal into a plan. He is one of Spring ISD’s Future Educators, committing to return to the district as a teacher after earning his degree.
“It makes me realize it was all worth it,” Bastion added. “I worked hard throughout high school and knew what I wanted to do. I just didn’t realize how much I would accomplish along the way.”
That same theme echoed throughout the ceremony, including in remarks from valedictorian Jaylan Tran, a two-time First Team All-District basketball selection who surpassed 1,000 career points, served as Student Body President and earned $491,000 in awards, including the Posse Foundation Scholarship.
“What makes today so emotional is realizing that this is the last time all of us will be together like this,” Tran said. “Every person in this graduating class has a story. Every person here knows what it feels like to be tired, to feel pressure, to question yourself — and yet, here we are. We made it through because we kept going.”
Tran will attend Colby College in Maine to study economics, with plans to pursue a career in law advocating for underserved communities.
Salutatorian Andy Huynh, QuestBridge Finalist, president of the Spring Band and CIEE Study Abroad Scholar, earned $79,768 in scholarship awards and will attend Northwestern University to study chemical engineering. Reflecting on the community that shaped his time at Spring High School, Huynh offered a reminder to his classmates about the important things they’ve gained throughout their time as Lions.
“Over these four years, we’ve gained more than just knowledge,” Huynh said. “We’ve developed lasting relationships, we’ve learned new skills — and after obtaining those things, hold on to them tightly. Everything you experience in high school will stay with you for the rest of your life.”
Westfield High School
Sunday morning belonged to Westfield High School, as 443 Mustangs kicked off the day’s graduation ceremonies, creating a sea of red and black across the floor of the M.O. Campbell Educational Center.
Westfield High principal Laura Hunter told graduates that character, not credentials, would carry them furthest in life.
“Every challenge we overcome becomes proof of our strength and preparation for the future ahead,” Hunter said. “The world does not need people who never fail. It needs people who refuse to quit — leaders who choose kindness, courage and integrity.”
The perseverance Hunter described was evident throughout the Class of 2026, including the journey of Valedictorian Jade Francis. A four-year varsity letterman and captain of the Girls Basketball team, Francis earned District MVP honors, four-time Academic All-District recognition and $327,870 in scholarship awards. She will attend Xavier University in Louisiana to pursue pediatric medicine. In her address, she urged her classmates not to let the hard moments of high school overshadow how far they had come.
“God will show you not to let a page in your life define your whole story,” Francis said. “High school was never meant to be perfect. It was meant to prepare us.”
Like Francis, Salutatorian Jennifer Cervantes viewed adversity as an essential part of growth.
“There were times when we failed, doubted ourselves, or felt like giving up,” Cervantes said. “We kept going. We learned how to grow from failure, support one another and continue moving forward.”
A National Honor Society member graduating with her Associate of Arts degree from Lone Star College, Cervantes plans to attend the University of Texas on a Pell Grant to pursue a career as a Physician Assistant in surgery.
For many graduates, growth wasn’t measured by awards or scholarships, but by personal transformation. Senior Hazel Quiroz saw that transformation firsthand.
Quiroz, who spent four years quietly becoming someone she didn’t know she could be. She came into Westfield describing herself as the shy type — keeping to herself and unsure how to navigate a new environment. By the time she crossed the stage, she had done things she never imagined, including presenting and speaking in front of crowds.
“This means so much to me,” Quiroz said. “I am so proud of myself for all of the accomplishments I’ve made. I’ve done things I’ve never done before — and for that, I feel like I made it.”
After high school, Quiroz plans to enter the workforce and pursue a career as a phlebotomist.
Carl Wunsche Sr. High School
The second graduation ceremony on Sunday afternoon honored 392 graduates of Carl Wunsche Sr. High School — a class that left the campus carrying Associate’s degrees, industry-based certifications and hundreds of community service hours earned through the school’s specialized career and technical pathways.
Principal Dr. Kevin Banks reminded graduates that what they had done at Wunsche went far beyond earning a diploma.
“You have not simply attended a high school,” Banks said. “You have engaged in a learning experience designed to prepare you for the responsibilities, opportunities and expectations of young adulthood. You’ve strengthened your critical thinking, served others, led with purpose and demonstrated the maturity required for the opportunities ahead.”
Valedictorian Kamorey Delagraentiss delivered one of the weekend’s most memorable addresses, using her moment at the podium to implore her classmates to measure their value through character, not numbers.
“Your worth is not defined by your GPA,” Delagraentiss told her peers. “True character is built on the love you receive when your ‘expected results’ fall short. Being seen is when someone understands and holds space for you without you having to explain yourself. The care we receive will funnel into the work that we do.”
A Paralegal Studies pathway student who graduated with her Associate’s Degree, she also completed more than 600 volunteer hours and earned $866,000 in scholarship awards. Delagraentiss plans to pursue a career blending people-centered work with her interest in psychology and the legal system.
Salutatorian Gianni Rodriguez reflected on the people who made her journey meaningful. Rodriguez, who earned $293,000 in scholarships, credited the friendships and relationships built over their high school years as the foundation of who he became.
“I have really enjoyed the past four years as I’ve had the privilege to meet many of you and make some amazing memories and form bonds I never thought I would,” Rodriguez said. “I would not change any of my experiences as they shaped who I am today.”
Rodriguez will attend the University of Houston to study Mathematics with a minor in Finance, with plans to pursue law school.
Among those crossing the stage was senior Aziz Muhammad, a Wunsche student and Dekaney football player who described his growth over high school as more mental than physical. He credited his coaches, advisors and the people around him with helping shape who he became.
“Coming together when you’re at your lowest to show you that you can power through at your highest — that’s what these four years meant to me,” Muhammad said.
Football, he said, taught him something that carried into every part of his life.
“Being an athlete showed me the principles of leadership,” Muhammad said. “Even when you’re down, you’re not out. If you choose to get back up, it’s all about your personal growth, your personal experiences. If you’re not trying, what are you doing?”
Muhammad plans to attend the University of Houston to study business administration with aspirations to earn his master’s degree.
Dekaney High School
Sunday’s final graduation ceremony saw 487 Dekaney High School graduates take the stage and turn their tassels. The Dekaney family was on hand to share in the celebration — Mrs. Eileen Dekaney, wife of the school’s namesake Andy Dekaney, attended alongside sons Josh and Chris, Kyle.
Dekaney principal Connie Smith welcomed the Class of 2026 with a charge to carry the values of the Wildcat Nation forward — to believe in their ability to overcome obstacles, to lead with purpose and to never forget where they came from.
“Your circumstances do not define your potential,” Smith said. “Your response to those circumstances does.”
Salutatorian Arthur Prince delivered a speech centered on finding oneself, making the case that learning who you are matters just as much as any grade or credential. Prince, a standout in Academic Decathlon and Quiz Bowl, earned $367,824 in scholarships as a QuestBridge Match Scholar and will attend Middlebury College to study Computer Science, with a focus on developing software for healthcare organizations.
“School teaches us to focus on our future and map out a path for what we want to accomplish in our lives,” Prince said. “In a way, we were each other’s catalysts to self-discovery. They made me realize what school is truly about: learning who you are. When you walk out these doors, you must be aware and proud of who you are.”
While Prince emphasized self-discovery, Valedictorian Hser Nay Paw reminded classmates to take pride in how far they had come.
“I would first like to congratulate every single graduate who is here today,” Paw said. “Be proud of yourselves because you spent four strenuous years in the classroom to walk across this stage and towards your future.”
Paw, who earned her Associate’s degree in computer programming, will attend the University of Texas at Austin to study biochemistry in the fall.
Class President Zaniyah Berard closed the ceremony by ringing the ceremonial bell and sharing life lessons.
“Life is going to hit you. It’s going to test you, knock you down when you least expect it,” Berard said. “The real question is: how will you respond? If high school has taught us anything, it’s that we know how to get back up.”
Among those reflecting on the full weight of the day was senior Maximus Olivares, who saw graduation as the payoff for everything he had put in.
“This is the cap off of everything we worked for,” Olivares said. “The cords we wear, the stoles we have — this is a representation of every challenge we’ve faced, every year of high school that we completed. We did everything we had to and we got here, to the finish line.”
Olivares plans to pursue mechanical engineering through ROTC, with aspirations to commission as an officer in the Air Force and work on aircraft.
Momentum High School
Momentum High School’s ceremony opened Monday morning, and it saved some of the most powerful moments of the entire weekend for last. Spring ISD’s nontraditional high school serves students who have taken unconventional paths to graduation, balancing academics with jobs, family responsibilities and personal hardship. When the final name was called, 184 graduates had crossed the stage — each one having earned that diploma in the truest sense of the word.
“Some of you took not one, not two, but three different Metro buses just to make it to campus,” said Momentum principal Ayesha Ahmad-Burriss. “Some of you worked overnight shifts — clocking out as the sun came up — and instead of going home to sleep, you showed up, tired but determined, to take your STAAR tests. Your perseverance? Your determination? That’s extraordinary.”
No story in the room captured that spirit more fully than that of Romeo Ballard.
At 16, shortly after dropping out of high school, Ballard was in a car accident that took the lives of both his best friend and his friend’s girlfriend. Ballard walked away with a rod in his pelvis, a rod in his arm and three years of grief ahead of him. It was his sister who eventually introduced him to Momentum High, giving him a second chance at a diploma.
Ballard completed four years of high school coursework in a single school year, passing every STAAR test on the first attempt. He sacrificed lunch breaks at his job to work on coursework and studied late into the night after closing shifts. Ballard plans on enlisting in the U.S. Navy following graduation.
“Discipline is the ability to make yourself do what you need to do, before doing what you want to do, no matter how you feel,” Ballard said. “Today, I stand here not as a victim of poor choices and tragedy, but as a survivor of a blessing. I have a strong family support system and a team of educators who have rooted me on. I have a future — and so do you.”
For graduate Cyrus McQuarn, the journey to graduation was marked by profound loss. After losing both his mother and uncle within weeks of each other this spring, McQuarn balanced grief, family responsibilities and schoolwork while helping care for his two younger sisters. Through it all, he remained determined to earn the diploma his mother had always encouraged him to pursue.
“My mom was the biggest person advocating for me to focus on school,” McQuarn said. “She kept telling me my grades are the most important thing I will ever have in my life. I wanted her to see the results of my hard work, and then it was too late. So by any means necessary, I was going to graduate for her.”
Closing remarks came from Madeleine Levy, who described what it had meant to finally find a school that worked for her after struggling in a larger, traditional setting.
“For the first time, I was in a space that truly worked for me,” Levy said. “I felt in control of my learning, and that shift made all the difference. My voice matters, and so does yours. Speak up, stand firm and advocate for yourself.”
Spring Early College Academy
Spring Early College Academy (SECA) marked the final graduation of the season on Monday afternoon for a ceremony that reflected the depth of what its students accomplished before they ever walked across the stage. Of the 93 graduates who crossed, more than half, 48 students earned Associate’s degrees through Lone Star College–North Harris as dual-credit students. In total, the class was offered a combined $7,014,620 in scholarships and awards.
“These are the moments that stay with you,” said Spring Early College principal Kristine Guidry. “The people, the lessons and the experiences that helped shape who you are. This is not the finish line; it is the starting point.”
Valedictorian Amy Gutierrez, whose parents, Jose Luis and Gricelda Gutierrez, were in the audience to watch her walk, reflected on how much each graduate had changed and how SECA had been the place where that change happened.
“While we each carved our own paths, these last four years gave us all the opportunity to grow and change,” Gutierrez said. “Whether that change came through our surroundings, personalities, or the experiences we never expected to have, the time we spent here shaped us in one way or another.”
Gutierrez earned her Associate of Arts degree, accumulated 124 service hours through the Distinguished Service Graduate program and received $462,000 in scholarships. She will attend Texas A&M University to study civil engineering.
Salutatorian Ryan Galil, a National Honor Society president and Academic Decathlon competitor, offered his classmates both a laugh and a genuine reminder about what success actually looks like.
“Success looks different for each and every one of us,” Galil said. “Some of us have prepared a detailed four-year college plan, and some of us — well, we’re still trying to figure out what we will be having for dinner tonight. This class has united in so many ways over the years, and that’s the beauty of each of us finding our own path to success.”
Galil earned his Associate of Arts degree and $286,428 in scholarships through the Posse Foundation. He plans to attend Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota to study political science on a pre-law track.
Among the graduating class was Jericho Finona, who credited SECA’s culture of ambition and achievement with pushing him further than he might have gone elsewhere. Surrounded by driven peers, he said the environment made it impossible to settle for less than his best.
“It’s not so much competitive as it is having a community of people that are just as ambitious as you,” Finona said. “It really makes you want to push yourself — not settling for what you have now, but reaching for whatever it is you want to do.”
He had one piece of advice for the students coming up behind him.
“Act as the person you want to be, not the person you are now,” he said. “If I want to be an engineer, I have to be an engineer now — not wait until I’m in college for the future to come.”
Finona, who earned his Associate of Arts degree through Lone Star College–North Harris and served as student council treasurer, will attend the University of Texas at Austin to study mechanical engineering with plans to specialize in occupational biomechanics — the science of making work environments safer for people.
Class President Natalie Hajicek closed the ceremony by noting how much had changed — and how much had stayed the same — between the first day of high school and the last.
“On Aug. 16, 2022, we walked through those hallways in bright purple collared shirts,” Hajicek said. “Here we are wearing the same bright-colored purple — not as a grade-level polo, but as a graduation cap and gown.”