Graduation Photos

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Harper Smith / Special to The Star Ross Wells, 17, and Chanel Weiser, 18, waiting Thursday for graduation ceremonies to begin, are part of the largest graduating class in Oak Park High School's history.

Harper Smith/ Special to the Star. 06/12/08. Graduates Talia Regenstreif (right) ,17, and Ayla Kell (left), 17, wait to enter the field at the 2008 Oak Park High School Graduation ceremony on Thursday, June 12, 2008.

Harper Smith/ Special to the Star. 06/13/08. Graduates Wes Taylor and Jordan Tasch enter the Oak Park High School football field during the Class of 2008 graduation ceremony on Thursday, June 12.

The little high school that could capped a year of achievement at its 26th annual commencement Thursday evening.

Oak Park High School, carved from the chaparral of eastern Ventura County, honored the 365 seniors who made up the largest graduating class in its history. That number includes 15 graduates of the alternative Oak Park Independent School.

The graduates — the girls clad in gold gowns and the boys in black robes — heard student speaker Michael Brightman describe the talent to be found in the student body.

Brightman noted there are students who can play the piano and drums on a near-professional level, and others who run 8 to 10 miles every day. There are those who volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, and others with enough talent to perform on Broadway.

"We have football players who mirror soldiers going into battle and an entrepreneur who earns more than a first-year attorney," Brightman told the crowd that filled Eagle Stadium.

Brightman credited the involvement of faculty in the lives of the students for their willingness to take on challenges. "Our teachers taught us to be thoughtful pursuers of possibility," said Brightman, who will attend NYU in the fall.

The school's smaller size makes achievement an equal-opportunity option, according to graduate Elizabeth Abate. "With 25 or 30 in each class, it gives each student a chance to succeed," said Abate, who graduated Thursday with her twin sister, Emily.

With around half the number of students as nearby Agoura and Westlake high schools, students become closer, said Suzanne Liepman, whose niece, Jennifer Liepman, was among the graduates. "This school builds lifelong friends," Suzanne Liepman said.

While waiting to file into the graduation, Andrew Karl called his soon-to-be alma mater a unified campus.

"This is the most private public school. You don't get that feeling at other schools," said Karl, who plans to study musical theater at Ithaca College in New York.

While signing diplomas earlier in the week, Principal Lynn McCormack said she was struck by how close-knit the campus is.

"I knew most of the students, because we are such a small school," said the administrator with 37 years of experience.

McCormack is retiring after four years as principal of the 1,300-student campus. "It looks like I finally got to graduate," she said to laughter from the standing-room-only crowd.

"Because of you," she told the graduates, "I have enjoyed coming to school every single day."

After a pause, she drew more chuckles when she added, "Well, almost every single day."