Crockett Students and Families,
Congratulations on finishing the 2021-2022 school year! I hope each of you have a relaxing and rejuvenating summer.
Yesterday evening, we had a beautiful graduation ceremony. For those of you that missed it, here is my speech to the Class of 2022 is below:
Seniors, parents, friends, AISD staff, AISD superintendent and board members, I am truly humbled and honored to be with you today as the proud principal of Crockett Early College High School and welcome you to Crockett’s graduation for the class of 2022!
Before I get started with the rest of my speech, I would like to take this time to recognize our staff that has supported our students to get to this momentous occasion. Teachers, counselors, administrators, and all other staff members, please stand and be recognized at this time. Thank you all for your hard work and dedication to educating these students. I would like to recognize one staff member in particular that has supported this cohort for their entire four years at Crockett - Ms. Shana King. Thank you so much for everything you have done for this cohort and for standing by them especially during their transition back to campus and ensuring they all had what they needed to get here today. You may be seated.
Students, while you spent a great deal of your high school career in a global pandemic, we still managed to share many experiences during our four years together - hugs and high-fives in the hallways, catching up at the picnic tables in our beautiful courtyard, student performances, games, banquets, ceremonies, pep-rallies, prom, and for a select few of you we even shared four years of advisory together. Seniors, I am happy to say we are finally here, in person, at your graduation.
As a graduating class, you have come such a long way since your freshman year and you have had many accomplishments while you have been students at Crockett Early College High School. Some specific recognitions are our boy’s basketball, girls' basketball, and softball teams all made it to playoffs and our Boys' Soccer team won our Bi-District game and made it to the Area round for the first time ever. Wrestling and track advanced multiple athletes beyond district, specifically Vivika Green qualifying in state for Wrestling and Xavier Chapa made it to the Regional Track Meet in the 300m hurdles.
Theater made it to Bi-district with their UIL performance.
Michael Diaz and Oscar Martinez were part of a guitar quartet that qualified for state. Our guitar seniors were part of a group that received perfect scores on both stage and in the sight-reading room for the Concert & Sight Reading Evaluation.
12 band seniors advanced to state UIL Solo & Ensemble Contest and they helped make Crockett history at the Bands of America Super-Regional at the Alamodome by placing 3rd in Class AA.
Our seniors in Orchestra assisted with them earning sweepstakes at UIL Concert & Sight-Reading Contest.
Also, two of our senior violinists (Stephanie Ramirez and Lizbeth Sierra Castro) got 1st & 2nd chair in Region Mariachi and Lizbeth is going on to represent Crockett at the Texas State Solo & Ensemble contest.
The Tex-Anns seniors were part of the team that were named Academic Champions at both competitions that they attended this year for having the highest overall team GPA and they received Sweepstakes and multiple judges' awards for choreography, technique, presentation, and precision.
Crockett had 9 seniors earn their cosmetology license with the state of Texas.
Ethan Garza and Leonel Carbajal Sanchez achieved their Carpentry Specialization Level 1 certification in January while simultaneously being ECHS students and earning their associates degree.
Leslie Abrego was selected for the National Hispanic Recognition Award by College Board.
Klyrissa Porter earned a full ride to Notre Dame.
Lily Moore Drummond, Klyrissa Porter, Prince Pen all won the Dell Scholarship.
Together as a graduating class, you have earned over $5 million in scholarship dollars and have been accepted into over 65 colleges and universities.
Additionally, the Class of 2022 has about 120 seniors in Crockett’s graduating class that stayed in AVID through their senior year showing their steady commitment to becoming college ready.
I am also thrilled to announce we have 4 seniors who have met ACC’s Core Complete requirements by earning 42 core curriculum credit hours AND an additional 35 seniors that have earned their Associate Degree in General Studies from Austin Community College!
But, more importantly, you all came back to graduate from high school after taking almost a year and a half away from coming to school each day. Many of you worked incredibly hard to support your family during the pandemic and I know it was not easy adjusting to life back on campus, getting into your high school routines again, and catching up on your credits. However, you united and supported each other through your personal and academic struggles. I couldn’t be more proud of all of your hard work, determination, and successes throughout your school career.
At our end of the year orchestra concert a couple of weeks ago, our orchestra and band ended the show by collaborating on a beautifully performed piece by Soon Hee Newbold called Warrior Legacy. The music was not only breathtaking but the title stuck with me as well. Warrior Legacy. See, seniors, you all are Warrior Legacies. You fought incredibly hard to get here today. You have been warriors throughout this pandemic and have earned a true legacy by having to do something that no other Crockett graduating class has ever had to do.
Buckminster Fuller once said, “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”
I hope each of you will use the warrior legacy spirit that each of you have inside of you and build, create, problem solve and change this world we live in for the better. You do not have to change the big things. In fact, “Not all of us can do great things,” Mother Teresa said, “But we can do small things with great love.”
Seniors, as you continue on your journey, keep our PRIDE core values of Peace, Resilience, Integrity, Diversity and Engagement in your sight. They will guide you through these unprecedented times and allow you to emerge on the other side of this stronger.
So, I’d like to leave you with a blessing as you move on to the next phase of your life.
May the sun bring you new energy by day, may the moon softly restore you by night, may the rain wash away your worries, may the breeze blow new strength into your being, may you walk gently through the world and know it’s beauty all the days of your life.
Graduates, you have welcomed me with open arms since becoming your principal. I trust that you will do the same with whatever life brings your way. So, as each of you move on to your own new journey, I want you to trust yourselves, light up the world around you, be kind, and live your new life with determination, peace, love, hope, and light, and, last but certainly not least, remain Always Victorious. Congratulations Class of 2022!
Happy Summer,
Kori Crawford (Manor)
Principal
Crockett ECHS
