About 400 seniors in Woodside High School's class of 2021, the school's 62nd class, marched across Bradley Field, the school's football field, at 10 a.m. on Friday, June 4, to receive their diplomas.

The school held a more abbreviated graduation ceremony per San Mateo County health guidelines, with fewer speeches than in years past. This ceremony was closer to the norm than last school year's, when Woodside held a car parade graduation ceremony and livestreamed graduation speeches.

The school band played the processional and the national anthem, and Ava Krampert, the senior class president, welcomed the audience of family and friends in person and over a video livestream.

Valedictorian Dominic Borg spoke on "A Time for Every Purpose." Graduate Anthony Neo Marcos spoke of the adversity his class has faced in his speech "Heart of a Lion," looking back on the orange sky from wildfires last fall, remote learning and the pandemic.

Principal Diane Burbank, who will retire at the end of this month, spoke to students for her last commencement as the school's head. (The district is still searching for her replacement.)

"I'm not calling you the COVID class because you're more than that," she told the class of 2021. "You're more than just a commemorative postage stamp for the pandemic."

She ended her speech with a final "Go Wildcats!" in honor of the school's mascot.

The class graduated more than 30 valedictorians (students with a cumulative, weighted grade-point average of 4.1 or greater).

There were 420 candidates for graduation in the class of 2021, according to the school. View the full list of candidates here.