Edison High graduates feel charged up after receiving diplomas

Jenny Kottman spent four years in Edison High School’s Center For International Business and Communication Studies program.

She learned about innovation. Her senior project was to create a business, and she launched J Kott Collections, featuring handcrafted jewelry organizers.

The future Cal Baptist business major appreciated, then, the uniqueness of the Chargers’ drive-through on-campus graduation Thursday.

News

Class of 2020 Series: Graduating in Orange County during the coronavirus pandemic

Honoring this year’s graduating seniors from high schools in Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, Laguna Beach and other parts of Orange County.

July 3, 2020

Kottman, her parents, three of her cousins and her cousin’s husband entered in a white Jeep. It was decorated with green and yellow balloons to celebrate.

“I actually like that part of the drive-through graduation, to have my family go through that with me and celebrate and make the whole thing upbeat is really cool,” said Kottman, a four-year pole vaulter for the track team. “It’s probably less hot than sitting in the sun for three hours.”

Edison graduated 489 seniors during the ceremony. Shannon Stolaruk, who played varsity girls’ tennis for four years, was another one of them.

Dylan Delaney, 18 of Huntington Beach, left, fixes his tassel as he waits to have his professional photos taken after receiving his diploma from Edison High School during a drive-through graduation ceremony at the school on Thursday.

(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

Stolaruk participated in the Academy of Sustainability in Engineering for all four years. Working on cool science projects should suit her well for her next stop, as she will major in biology at UC Irvine.

Stolaruk went to the drive-through ceremony with her mother Kazumi, father Randy and 12-year-old brother, Kai. Both of the family’s dogs, Tucker and Dewey, also were in attendance dressed in little cap-and-gown outfits.

She planned to attend a gathering with fellow graduates after leaving campus.

“It should be pretty safe,” she said. “I think we’ll be wearing masks and trying to keep our distance and whatnot. It’ll be fun to see friends.”

A group of graduates tosses their caps into the air for a photo after receiving their diploma from Edison High School during a drive-through graduation ceremony at the school on Thursday.

(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

Sean Fajardo said he appreciated being in the Chargers’ basketball program for four years, including two years as a varsity guard.

“We’re all one family,” Fajardo said.

He added that he looked forward to a post-graduation dinner with several of his classmates, including Kate Davies, Nicole Field, Abby McCollam, Dylan Delaney, Ian Schilling and Jacob Shapiro, as well as their families.

As she moves forward, Kottman classified being in the class of 2020 as an interesting experience.

“I wouldn’t say that it was easy, but I would say that you can find beautiful things in any stage of life,” she said. “Going through COVID for my class, I’d say we learned how to have life be slower, which was a huge blessing. This is a generation that schedules event after event, practice after practice. To be able to have time to just be with our family … has been such a blessing. I’m definitely going to try to implement that into my life more.”

Members of Beachcities Church cheer Edison High School graduates just outside the school during a drive-through graduation ceremony in Huntington Beach on Thursday.

(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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