Six Eagle Rock School Students Receive Their Diplomas on Friday

A half-dozen Eagle Rock students will be honored from 4 to 6 p.m. this Friday (April 8) at our 68th graduation ceremony. In addition, the graduation ceremony itself will be broadcast live on our Ustream channel.

We asked our new grads to tell us a little about their experience at Eagle Rock School and, not surprisingly, they all had profound things to say. Some of the grads say they’re off to college and all of them credited successes they experienced as part of the Eagle Rock community for their personal growth and academic development.

Here’s what else our graduates’ had to say about their experience, as well as their advice for others considering applying to and then enrolling in Eagle Rock School:

June Jones-Knight joined the Eagle Rock family in September of 2012, and became a member of Pinon House. The Cambridge, Mass., student said her big successes at Eagle Rock came as a result of learning how to push herself to do better and to find “the true artist within.”

She credits having a strong group of friends for becoming involved in “everything,” at Eagle Rock, from musicals to a consistent workout program. June suggests new students learn how to “always be who you are, and realize there is always room for improvement.”

Now that she’s graduating, June said her dance card is open. “I’m not sure what I’m going to do, but mainly I want to travel everywhere.”

Carson Grogard hails from Chesapeake Beach, Md., joining Aspen House in January of 2013.

Carson quickly got caught up in the Eagle Rock community, discovering his leadership skills in the school kitchen and taking advantage of the hands-on learning possibilities within a progressive education environment.

As for the future, this independent student said he’s “in the wind,” with a future that holds no bounds.

Martin Araiza is another Aspen House resident who arrived on campus in 2013 (May), from his home in Long Beach, Calif. Martin jumped into every activity he could and took on a number of leadership roles, including the mentor program participant, lead student ambassador, gate run attendance leader, KP leader and community leader.

He said the relationships between students and teachers were what really worked for him at Eagle Rock, and he suggested new students, “Stick to yourself, but be patient with others.”

Martin’s next stop? He’s off to culinary arts school, business school and law school, and will work as a lifeguard whenever possible.

Jenny Guaman hails from Piñon House, which she joined in October 2013, after heading west to Eagle Rock from her home in Queens, N.Y. She said her big takeaways from her time here include having the courage to speak up and go after what she wants no matter the challenge. Her next challenge, she said, is to study criminology in college.

Ebony McDuffie hails from New York City and joined a much smaller community within Eagle Rock’s Juniper House in January of 2014. Among her responsibilities here were running the student side of Eagle Rock School mentor program, and she said she learned how to use her work ethic in a positive way.

Among her successes: “Working on my anger with others and learning how to show a different emotion.” Before heading off to college, Ebony had this to impart to new Eagle Rock School students: “Remember that talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.”

Cassandra Zambrana is another New Yorker. Originally from Harlem, she settled into Aspen House in January of 2014, which became home base for a variety of her activities, including a Professional Development Center trip to Vermont, a Green River adventure, being accepted at the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), and rock climbing in Wyoming.

Among her successes was, “working through my struggles to be able to receive my high school diploma,” and working on her personal growth. She urged those who follow that, “When you put your mind to it, there is nothing that you won’t be able to do — no matter the obstacles that come with it.”

Cassandra is off to her adventure with NOLS and then on to college.

Congratulations to all of this trimester’s graduates! Watch graduation live online between 4-6pm Mountain Time on Friday, April 8 by visiting http://www.ustream.tv/channel/eagle-rock-school-graduation.