Schools

Photo Gallery: Class of 2012 Turn Their Tassels, Protest Layoffs

More than 350 students graduated from Mar Vista High School Tuesday.

Mar Vista High School's Class of 2012 celebrated its 62nd commencement ceremony Tuesday afternoon at the school's stadium.

Many members of the graduating class collectively stood and turned their backs on keynote speaker and Sweetwater Union High School District board member Jim Cartmill.

Board member John McCann was scheduled to speak.

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According to students, they turned their back in protest to the layoff of near 200 teachers.

After about five seconds, Principal Wes Braddock asked seniors to sit down so as not to "tarnish" the ceremony.

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Anselmo Fuentes, who plans to attend Brown University, was the class Valedictorian.

"That's like a small earthquake," Braddock said of Fuentes' 4.4 GPA.

Althea Escalante was the class Salutatorian.


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