Congrats to the Northgate Class of 2012

Update 4:45 p.m. Thursday, updated math department award.

Northgate High sent the Class of 2012 out on a wave of applause after a raft of advice from guest speakers.

"As we move into adulthood, it's important that we remain childish enough to move between reality and fantasy with ease," student speaker Evan Scheps told some 380 graduates sitting down front at the Sleep Train Pavilion in Concord. "Never be so realistic that you give up on your childhood dreams."

"This senior class has left Northgate a better place than they found it," pronounced Principal John McMorris.

Another student speaker, Charles Ucciferri, urged the class to hang onto its sense of wonder. He remembers his anticipation on first going to school at age 6: "I had the coolest holographic Power Rangers lunchbox … I couldn't wait to show it off to the kids at school."

Between the speakers, the graduates enjoyed musical entertainment from:

• the school's Senior Madrigal singers.
• violinists Thomas Hon, Christine Senavsky and Esther Kim.
• singers Vicki Baratta, Carly Cannata and Kymber Starmack.

"A giant door has been opened for you," said Gary Eberhart, a member of the board of education of the Mount Diablo Unified School District. "Now it's your time to walk through that door into the world."

Award winners

The department award winners were:

• Apurva Pradhan — math.
• Matt Sardella — German.
• Omar Alden — Spanish.
• Tim Stapleton — art design.
• Je Yeun Min — fine art.
• Christine Senavsky — English.
• David Wei — science.
• Rahul Batra — social studies.

The Summit Awards went to:

• Cameron McCabe — Scholarship.
• Georgia Barnes —  Service.
• Kim Osbourne — Leadership.
• Rahul Batra — Summit Award.

The Memorial Scholarships went to;

• Dott Schmidt — Mary Wood.
• H.T. Payne — Christine Senavsky.
• Jayson Chang — Nathan Hill.
• Gene Faust — Carolyn Anderson.