Hold on to your mortarboards: SYHS's Class of 2026 graduates

By Michael Chaldu · Thu Jul 09 2026

Gusty winds can't stem the enthusiasm of 189 Pirates getting their high school diplomas

Although Friday, May 29 — graduation day at Santa Ynez High School — was blessed with a clear day and blue skies, weather conditions weren't all perfect, as gusty winds permeated the Santa Ynez Valley, leaving many outgoing seniors having to hold their mortarboards in place as they made the walk from the SYHS gym to Rio Memorial Field for the 2026 commencement.

However, that didn't stunt the happiness of graduating high school for the 189 SYHS students who made up the Class of 2026, especially with a packed grandstand of family and friends ready to cheer on their graduate when their name was called and even set off a few confetti bombs for their new graduation.

Tori Martinez, presiding over her first commencement ceremony as SYHS principal, got the festivities started by noting the special kind of community the Santa Ynez Valley is.

"I also grew up in small town like Santa Ynez," Martinez said. "Some may consider it limiting, but there's something incredibly special about growing up in a community where people know you, support you, and care about who you become. No matter where life takes you, I hope you carry that with you."

Martinez noted that more than 90 percent of the new graduates are continuing some sort of higher education, with others entering military, religious vocation, or workforce. She also disclosed that the Class of 2026 earned over $217,000 in scholarships.

"Class of 2026 today is a celebration of everything you’ve accomplished and everything still ahead of you," she said. "I hope you leave here confident in who you are proud of how far you’ve come and excited for what comes next. Congrats on your incredible milestone. We are proud of you, and it has truly been an honor to be a part of your journey."

With that, Martinez introduced the first of three student speakers, Elena Sleiman.

Sleiman took the podium and began her speech by recounting the experiences shared with her classmates when they were all just freshman in the 2022-23 school year.

"It didn't matter if you knew everyone or just a few, it was our shared experiences that bonded us," she said. "We first had to survive freshman physics, the first summer of Honors English reading, and, for me, a plethora of 'shut up, Sleiman' pushups from Coach [Josh] McClurg."

However during that time, Sleiman said she read a quote from author Rudolf Anaya and took it to heart.

“He said 'Take life’s experiences and build strength from them, not weakness.' In the last four years, I've read that quote over and over again," Sleiman said. "Now, I don’t see the freshman with the funny haircut and the huge backpack — I see the people smiling back in the hallway, the team that won the first the first JV powder puff game, the classmate who camped out in the bowling alley for 'senior assassin.'"

"Now its time to take a step out of these mountains that hug us in, rise to the tops of our toes and look over at our future," Sleiman continued. "Take the experiences of SYHS and build upon them in the next part of our lives.

We have the roots ready to push us up and bloom, our choice to break the soil and take in the sun."

Sleiman was followed by the second student speaker, Greyson Foy.

Foy greeted the crowd speaking Chumash and English, saying "My name is Greyson Foy and I am Samala Chumash. It's a big part of who I am, but it's not what defines me."

That was the launching point of Foy's message to classmates to not be defined by what they have come across in the last four years.

"We had a four-year battle of attrition that included a lot of principals, and a new (academic points) system that everyone hated," he said. "But everyone remembers the trip to Italy and France where we got super sick, the first volleyball CIF championship, hiding phones and video games when Mrs. [Assistant Principal Jasmine] would walk in, and the senior assassin game that lasted three months — I still haven't gotten paid, by the way."

Foy maintained that it's important to rise up above any experiences.

"I want everyone to be inspired by everyone around you," he said. "Be inspired by a teacher you like to talk to, a classmate that’s always answering questions, or a teammate that never seems to quit. Strive to be that inspiration for others."

The final student speaker was Lewie Mathis, who started his speech with a few choices stanzas of his favorite poem, "Charge of the Light Brigade": “'Forward, the Light Brigade!/Charge for the guns!” he said/Into the valley of Death/Rode the six hundred."

"The poem is about a suicide charge by members of the British cavalry," Mathis said. "Why is a graduation speech starting off like this? It may be a stretch, but I believe the poem represents the Santa Ynez graduating Class of 2026."

Mathis explained that in this era of economic uncertainty he felt he and his classmates were about to chase "the American dream with the understanding that we may not achieve it."

However, Mathis believes they have been "given the tools" during their time at Santa Ynez High and in their other experiences in the Valley, with the knowledge and determination, and he is ready to charge.

"I thank our teacher, administrators, the FFA, and our families, because there's group of people I'd rather ride into the battlefield of life with than the Santa Ynez graduating Class of 2026."

Before getting their diplomas, the class and audience were treated to a musical interlude as Addisynn LaLiberte and Anelly Tovalin did a duet of the Fleetwood Mac classic, "Landslide."

With that, Martinez presented the Class of 2026 to Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District Superintendent Dr. Kimberly Sheehan and the district's Board of Trustees for the awarding of diplomas, and the ceremony concluded with each student getting their ticket to a future unknown, with Sheehan's final message to them: "Once a Pirate, always a Pirate."

Congratulations to the Santa Ynez High Class of 2026!