Shafter, Wasco seniors complete high school careers

It was an unusual year for high school seniors in Shafter and Wasco, but the students made it, graduating from high school and moving onto the next chapter in their lives.

Shafter High School will have their seniors walk across the stage at Shafter High for the last time, celebrating their careers with their commencement ceremony.

The event will be held on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. An in-person graduation was approved after a year that restricted the events that were allowed because of the pandemic.

Shafter High will be graduating 361 students this year, one of the largest classes in the school’s history.

“We knew that if it was possible, we were going to graduate in person this year,” said Principal Russell Shipley.

Wasco High School held an in-person graduation recently at the Wasco High School football stadium.

Valedictorian Rafael Viscarra told the graduates to congratulate themselves and said that graduation is the culmination of strength. Luis Luna, who was the valedictorian of the Wonderful Academy, told his fellow graduates that he appreciated everyone who helped him along the way. Luna lives with autism spectrum disorder and has already received his Associates of Science degree due to his participation in the Wonderful Agriculture Career Program.

Wasco High graduated almost 300 students.