LAKE WORTH, Fla. — Graduation season is a time that’s already special and monumental for students. But this week probably feels different at Dr. Joaquin Garcia High School, as the school prepares to hold its first-ever graduation.
The School District of Palm Beach County says around 375 students should be walking across the stage Friday afternoon to get their diplomas from the county’s newest high school.
The school is so new, that all students graduating started their high school journey at other schools but chose to be a part of this legacy.
“Here it’s new, fresh, exciting, people want to be here,” said Kaia Castro, the 2024-25 senior class president. She said people really looked forward to coming to school daily.
This moment means double the excitement for Castro, who told WPTV reporter Victor Jorges her mother was also part of her high school’s first graduation. She said her mom graduated from Spanish River High School.
“It’s exciting because it’s a rare opportunity to be part of the first graduating class of a brand-new high school,” she said.
Castro says one of her favorite memories will be an April Fools prank, where she covered an administrator’s car in sticky notes.
She says she’s spent time “just remembering the good times I had here,” as this era wraps up for her.
Jorges also spoke to Daniela Herrera, a soon-to-be grad who came here from Cuba two years ago. She told him she didn’t even know how to say colors in English when she first arrived to the U.S., but the school has helped her tons.
She attributes the school’s ESL program, after-school lessons, and challenging classes to helping her learn English and plan for her future.
“It doesn’t matter where you come from or the language you speak,” she said.
She says the school’s campus is diverse. She says her friend group includes students from Colombia, Venezuela, Peru and other countries.
Education
Principal: 'Fabulous' first year at Dr. Joaquin Garcia High School
The school district says Hispanic students make up 48 percent of the student body at Dr. Joaquin Garcia High School. White students make up 25 percent.
Twenty percent are Black, and six percent are Asian or from other backgrounds.
The county’s student population overall is around 38 percent Hispanic, 28 percent Black, 27 percent White, and three percent Asian, while 3.3 percent are from “Other” backgrounds.
The district also says students at Garcia High speak 34 different languages, while 153 languages are spoken district wide.
The school’s principal, Oscar Otero, says diversity is what’s driving the students to succeed, and across the stage Friday.
“This is what families and students have been looking forward to, so it’s exciting to be a part of the first class at Doctor Garcia,” he said.
Castro says the senior class is working on a time capsule and legacy gift to leave on campus.
Students will walk the stage in Carolina blue, rather than navy blue, to mark this special occasion.
