For the 89th year, Point Loma High School sent a class of young adults on to pursue their dreams and ambitions. The first class in 1925 numbered only six students, while the 2014 group counted just more than 400. Of that, 175 graduated “with academic distinction.”
The commencement program on June 12 this year showcased a tight-knit class, one which cheered the announcement of every name. And, for the first time in recent memory, not a single beach ball appeared among the seated graduates, replaced instead by a number of American-flag-holding scholars. 
“I’ll never forget that moment,” said first-year PLHS principal Hans Becker, reflecting on the momentous occasion of leading the procession onto Bennie Edens Field. “When the audience really started cheering, I got choked up.”
More than 90 percent of Point Loma High’s graduates are continuing their education from community colleges to Ivy League universities. They earned more than $5 million in scholarships and can now echo the familiar phrase: “Once a Pointer, Always a Pointer.” — Essay and photos by Scott Hopkins