Under clear skies and before packed stands filled with proud family members and friends, Mineola Independent School District’s Class of 2026 crossed the stage Friday, May 22, during commencement ceremonies at Meredith Memorial Stadium.
The 8 p.m. graduation ceremony blended tradition, heartfelt speeches and laughter as students reflected on 13 years together while preparing for the next chapter of their lives. From start to finish, school officials coordinated a smooth, memorable evening that celebrated the graduating class’s accomplishments.
Principal Adam McMahon opened the ceremony by welcoming graduates, families and alumni while praising the class for its accomplishments in academics, athletics, fine arts and extracurricular activities.
“This group of students made the playoffs in several sports, including a Final Four appearance by the softball team,” McMahon said. “The Class of 2026 sure knows how to win, and we are thankful for them and the legacy they have built.”
McMahon also emphasized the importance of the support system surrounding the graduates, encouraging students to remember the teachers, coaches, mentors and community members who helped shape them along the way.
“You carry not just yourself, but also the combined impact of those who have believed in you,” he told the class. “So never forget that. Pay it forward.”
Salutatorian Makena Quiambao focused her address on perseverance, gratitude and the different paths graduates will take after high school.
“Success is not measured by a single definition,” Quiambao said. “Success is measured by purpose, integrity and the impact we leave on others.”
She reminded classmates that while many were headed in different directions — including college, the workforce, military service and technical careers — each journey carried value and meaning.
“This diploma is not the finish line,” she said. “It is the beginning of a new chapter filled with opportunities we cannot yet imagine.”
One of the evening’s most entertaining moments came during the “History of the Class of 2026,” presented by top-ranked students Raylie Peebles, Maiyah Gonzalez and Jorja Young.
The trio walked the audience through years of memorable — and often hilarious — class moments dating back to elementary school.
Among the stories that drew laughter from the crowd was a student climbing to the top of the monkey bars in fifth grade, only to realize she did not know how to get down and needed a teacher’s rescue. Another recalled students fearing arrest after picking bluebonnets during a fourth-grade wildflower assignment.
The speakers also revisited more recent high school memories, including the “great bathroom flood,” an auto mechanics class building a hidden fort in the woods instead of working on vehicles and students learning to survive without cellphones after new phone restrictions were implemented.
“Some of us even discovered that the classroom walls had clocks on them the whole time,” the speakers joked.
Valedictorian Jadelyn Marshall delivered a speech centered on the power of choices and positivity.
“Every day, every moment, every decision we have a choice to make,” Marshall said. “To love or to hate, to be a friend or an enemy, to fail or succeed, to be negative or positive.”
Marshall used comparisons between words of the same length — such as “hate” and “love” or “failure” and “success” — to illustrate how perspective and decisions shape a person’s life.
“When we choose the better side of things, we can change our lives and even someone else’s for the better,” she said.
Marshall also reflected on the success of the Lady Jackets softball team, which advanced to the University Interscholastic League state tournament after difficult early seasons.
“Nobody could have imagined that three short years later, we would be competing in the state tournament and coming home with a bronze medal,” she said.
Superintendent Cody Mize encouraged graduates to appreciate those who helped them reach graduation and reminded students not to forget their hometown.
“You only get one hometown where you grew up, and this is a special place,” Mize said.
Following the presentation of diplomas and the traditional turning of the tassels, McMahon officially declared the students graduates of Mineola High School.
As cheers echoed throughout the stadium and graduates celebrated with classmates, the evening closed with prayer, the school song and one final sendoff for the Class of 2026.