Last look back

Thursday afternoon, in the administrative office of Roseville High School, 16 boxes sat lined near the main assistant's desk in two rows. Each was packed with the files and notes of the 348 seniors who graduated Friday. They are destined for a secure storage area, never to be glanced over again unless the school district needs an audit.The school won't remember them.Teachers were hard to find too that afternoon. One was headed for his truck near the senior square. He talked tiredly in a cell phone as he hopped into his truck."Yeah, he failed," he said.Not all the teachers will remember.Those packed in the senior square Friday night, however, proved someone would remember everything from the class of 2006 - the seniors themselves, for the rest of their lives.Some remembered teachers."Physics with Addington," said Anthony Gonzales, 17. "Blowing things up into small pieces was cool. He's the dude with the meanest chops here," he said as he pointed to a teacher who indeed had mean (mutton) chops.Some recalled the scenery."I sat in gum at lunch; lots of gum," said Ritika Sharma, 18. Her merit medal, earned for having a 4.0 grade-point-average, hung around her neck. "I don't know how many times I've sat in gum, stepped in gum."Some were sure they'd never forget their friends."Megan's my best friend," said Jessica Darling, 17. "We've been through a lot together."Ashley Davis, 17, suddenly remembered Darling."I met you at orientation!" she said. "That's so weird!" The two hugged and began to chat.Miroslava Derkach, 18, wanted to remember other things. But in the end, she could only remember her brother, Roman, who was killed in a car crash in April."It's not fair, but things happen," she said, wiping away a tear.Destanie Faye Adams was remembering her middle name, and what it meant."It's my grandmother's name," she said. "I want her to hear it."One wasn't sure what to remember. Sean O'Ray, 17, was just talking with a friend."Nothing stands out," he said.Krystal Crusius, 18, had to remember the four other high schools in other states she's been to. Roseville was the best, she said.Helen Liu, the school's valedictorian, thought about putting one foot in front of the other."I never wear heels," she said. "I just worry about tripping on them."No one expects to forget the night. Some, however, would remember more than others.Mario Hernandez, 18, arrived 10 minutes late to the graduation. Everyone was on the field already. He lived far away, he said in a rush."This was the time I got here," he said, a bit of energy in his voice. He was going to go to the grad party later that night. He's bound for the Conservatory for Recording Arts and Sciences.The teachers at the gate would not let him onto the field. He looked at the field and walked away solemnly."I feel his pain," John Coleman, the assistant principal, said. "But I can't let him on."Hernandez kept walking away and called someone on his cell phone. He said he'd be OK.He probably won't forget the night.- Jake Dorsey can be reached at jaked@goldcountrymedia.com.