Every senior at this Denver charter school network got accepted to college. There were fireworks and tears.

The shrieks of thousands of elementary and middle school students filled the Denver Coliseum on Wednesday morning as kids with homemade signs pompoms and light-up toys leaped in the stands with enough enthusiasm to match a greeting fit for a pop star The celebrities who took the stage may not be household names just yet But to the households packed into the venue they were far more beloved More than Rocky Mountain Prep high school seniors made a grand entrance on the floor of the roaring coliseum clutching the hands of their escorts who in a multitude of cases were mom and dad Seniors graduating from the Denver-area charter school architecture s schools were celebrated for achieving a college acceptance rate The students had the honor of standing before their peers teachers and families to declare their next efforts The signing day event a play on the tradition when high school athletes formally commit to their college of choice brought more than of the younger Rocky Mountain Prep students to watch the seniors celebrate their academic success We are celebrating the incredible accomplishments of these -plus students but also taking time as a district to show all of our students that this is what you re working for commented Tricia Noyola Rocky Mountain Prep CEO During the ceremony the students presented a rose to whoever they deemed their biggest supporter Senior Ashley Prycel beelined toward her mother Amanda Prycel Ashley Prycel placed the rose in her mother s lap bending down to embrace her and accommodate her mother s wheelchair The two stayed locked in embrace while Mom wept I m so proud and overwhelmed Amanda Prycel noted This ceremony is amazing I ve never seen anything like it before It s been a rough year and she worked really hard and I m just so proud She revealed her daughter pushed through post-pandemic social anxiety to achieve good grades and stick with school even when it felt tough Now Ashley Prycel is headed to the University of Northern Colorado to analysis forensic science By the end of the ceremony the attendees knew where each soon-to-be graduate would be studying next The students lined up and stormed the stage screaming their names and their postsecondary destinations while hoisting flags from the institutions in the air Metropolitan State University of Denver Colorado State University University of Colorado Cornell College The U S Army Pickens Technical College Tennessee State University Pima Therapeutic Institute Each proud declaration elicited raucous clapping and hooting from the crowd Graduating senior Jasmine Barrett becomes emotional as she hugs her father Mark Mitchell during a graduation ceremony for Rocky Mountain Prep s schools across the Denver area at the Denver Coliseum in Denver on May Photo by RJ Sangosti The Denver Post Vianey Gonzalez was nervous as she awaited her turn She looked into the stands at the adoring younger students and remembered being one of them I remember turning to my friend in sixth grade and saying Can you believe one day that s going to be us Gonzalez reported Now it s here Gonzalez who is headed to MSU Denver to inquiry sports medicine explained an event like this made going to college feel special It feels good and sad that we re all moving on but I know we ll be going onto better initiatives toward our futures she noted Wednesday s ceremony marked Rocky Mountain Prep s second year of reaching a college acceptance rate among its seniors Getting there is no accident CEO Noyola explained We re relentless about making sure our students have what they need to live a life that really matters to them Noyola revealed Talk of college and postsecondary opportunities begins early in Rocky Mountain Prep classrooms Noyola announced Teachers discuss goal-setting with students and research together what efforts students need to achieve different career paths Students receive college counseling but their teachers all incorporate lessons about goals and the future too They fill out college applications together They discuss what careers match up with their talents and interests Then when college acceptance comes Rocky Mountain Prep throws a big bash in front of everyone to celebrate its commitment to a higher instruction Related Articles First-of-its-kind Colorado campaign is paying parents to become full-time literacy tutors to their kids Colorado school district sues CHSAA state to clear way for transgender athlete ban Suspensions in Colorado schools jump as districts struggle to staff since pandemic ChatGPT is transforming Colorado development for better and worse Experts say maybe that s a good thing Superintendent accuses Denver school board member of working against DPS requests censure The event was unlike a regular school graduation At one point while Noyola was talking fire shot out of the stage while Katy Perry s Firework blasted through the arena Halfway through the ceremony students performed a musical number from The Wiz A DJ blasting Selena and top hits kept the ceremony moving During the event Rocky Mountain Prep educators and leadership shouted out statistics that brought the crowd to its feet The entire senior class earned more than million collectively in scholarship money One candidate Jaquelyn Fuentes Pacheco earned the preponderance scholarship money at more than and scored college acceptances It s an entire system that supports this Noyola reported Senior Geoffrey Juniel was all smiles when he declared his commitment to the University of Northern Colorado where he ll investigation acting He shook his head in awe as the arena erupted for him and his friends It s so surreal Juniel explained This puts a big highlight on the academics which is cool It feels nice to get that spotlight Graduating senior Geoffrey Juniel holds up a University of Northern Colorado pennant during a graduation ceremony for Rocky Mountain Prep s schools across the Denver area at the Denver Coliseum in Denver on May Photo by RJ Sangosti 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