Highland Park High School honored traditions and showcased emerging talents during Class of 2026 commencement exercises on May 22 at SMU’s Moody Coliseum.
The graduation ceremony’s highlights included a guitar and vocal duet from seniors Isaiah Lee and Jaron Pierce, as well as a clarinet solo of What a Wonderful World by senior Ian Hyde.
The evening also stayed true to the customs that are most closely associated with Highland Park ISD.
The ceremony began with music from the Highland Park Symphony Orchestra, along with high school bagpipers Olivia Allan and Jackson Cruz. It closed with a singing of the Highland Park High School alma mater and the traditional raising of graduation caps.
Salutatorian Bradley Liang, who had a GPA of 4.729, and valedictorian Henry Zhu, whose GPA was 4.782, each began their time at the podium by thanking the teachers, friends, and family members who had made their success possible.
Liang told the audience “I hate it when a guy gets on stage and thanks half a million people. I’ll keep this list short.” He then unfurled a list of people to thank that stretched to the floor, to laughter from students and families.
Zhu spoke about the value of time, commenting that, “People like to say that time is money, but it’s not just money. It’s the only thing that we have.” He urged classmates to devote their energies to the people, dreams, and passions that make them who they are.
Zhu and Liang placed first and second in a class of 540 students that included standouts in academics, athletics, and the arts.
“Success at Highland Park isn’t just an achievement, it’s a standard,” class secretary Carter Sutton told the graduation audience. “That takes grit and determination.”
The class of 2026 included 18 national merit finalists and 24 national merit commended students. Sixteen seniors will pursue a fine arts major in college, and 36 seniors will continue to balance academics with competitive athletics, Sutton said.
The Class of 2026 devoted 67,671 hours to community service, he continued. Two students contributed more than 1,300 hours, and 13 students served for at least 500 hours.
Principal Kevin Hunt said that he was proud of the class’ achievements, but that numbers told only part of its story at Highland Park High School.
“Fellow Scots, I have found you to be an incredibly determined and diligent group of students and scholars,” Hunt said. He continued that students will be faced with challenging choices in the future, and that he hoped they prioritized treating others with kindness, respect, and dignity.
“Be a light of hope in our world. Choose to focus on what is positive and what is possible,” he said, adding later. “I am proud of each of you, and I am thankful for the opportunity to get to know you. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as your principal.”
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