CHS Grad Inspires Fellow Students

Garret Roldan Inspires CHS Classmates to Catch the Vision of High School Diploma

May 2010  When Garret Roldan climbed the student-lined staircase during Centennial High School’s symbolic staircase graduation in April, it was a chance to inspire other students to ‘catch the vision’ that they, too, could earn their high school diploma. (Garret is pictured at right with Mike Roberts, CHS principal.)

One of Centennial’s outstanding seniors, Garret has been a strong role model for other students throughout his high school years, displaying the skills needed to succeed in high school and in life, according to Roberts. Although he is known for academic excellence and leadership, Garret recently admitted that he was not always a good student. 

“Before I came to Centennial, I never felt the motivation to get involved with what I was learning,” Garret explained, adding that he only had a .6 average when he enrolled at the beginning of his sophomore year.  Garret’s grade point average has risen significantly after six semesters of earning straight A’s, and he will graduate with a 3.3 GPA, enough to earn him a spot at Colorado State University in the fall.

Garret said that after he graduates from CSU he hopes to attend medical school at the University of Colorado and eventually become a surgeon.  Garret credits Centennial for teaching him the skills that changed his attitude toward school, giving him a vision for graduation and inspiring him to plan for the future from the first day he enrolled his sophomore year.

“This school definitely taught me how to be an adult, interact with adults and be a successful human being,” Garret said, adding that he learned many of the skills he needed to change his life in Centennial’s discovery class, a six-week requirement for every new student who enrolls.

In addition to working hard on academics, Garrett worked as one of Centennial’s peer mediators for two years, teaching fellow students how to handle and resolve conflict. 

“As a peer mediator, I brought students together, listened to them and taught them a step-by-step system to resolve conflict,” Garret explained.  “Over two years as a peer mediator, I helped about 30 kids, working with them whenever they had conflicts with their teachers or with each other, and expected them to be able to work things out.”

Symbolic Staircase Graduation Helps Students 'Catch the Vision'

As a highly-acclaimed alternative high school, Centennial holds symbolic stairway graduations every six weeks to inspire undergraduates to “catch the vision” that they can also graduate from high school.    A long-standing Centennial tradition, undergraduates watch and cheer as fellow students dressed in caps and gowns climb the school's staircase to mark the date that they completed their graduation requirements.

CHS Formal Graduation Ceremonies Coming May 20

Roldan will join 2010 Centennial graduates at the school’s official graduation ceremony at 7:00 p.m., Thursday, May 20, at the Lincoln Center, 417 West Magnolia Street.