“Many teachers have told me that we were the best class,” Shannon Sweeney, the outgoing Associated Student Body senior president, said in her remarks at Benicia High School’s Class of 2018 graduation Saturday. “I would have to agree.”

Sweeney and her teachers were not alone in this opinion. As the speeches by graduating seniors and school officials rolled on, the reviews became apparent: this was a particularly exceptional graduating class. Judging what makes a class “great” is purely subjective, but Principal Brianna Kleinschmidt was quick to note that the class of ’18 had a lot to celebrate.

First of all, this was the first class to graduate on Benicia High’s campus in two years, as last year’s festivities had to be held 12 miles away at Diablo Valley College as the finishing touches were being put on the remodel for Benicia High’s usual venue, the George Drolette Stadium. The 2018 class got to be the first to graduate in the new stadium, and even amidst windy conditions where many graduating Panthers had to hold down their caps to keep them from blowing away, they were still energized to take that next step.

Another part of what made the Class of 2018 so special was how students stepped up in what Kleinschmidt called “a year marked with extraordinary circumstances.”

“I look out, and I see a group of young adults who’ve had several defining moments that characterize your class as one with voice, action and compassion,” she said.

In September, the school raised more than $1,000 for a pair of Houston-area schools affected by Hurricane Harvey. When the Wine Country Fires broke out in Napa and Sonoma counties in October and classes were canceled at Benicia High due to unhealthy air quality, many seniors used the time to volunteer at Northgate Christian Fellowship and sort through donations to evacuees. When 14 students and three staff members were shot and killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. in February, many BHS students organized a vigil, an on-campus rally, a walkout and a march that drew in people from throughout the city.

“You spoke, marched and registered to vote,” Kleinschmidt said. “You did so with respect to various opinions and opposing views. You have embraced one another, not in spite of your differences but because of your differences and you are better for it.”

Kleinschmidt added that she felt the Class of 2018 would “change the world for the better.”

In addition to activism, Kleinschmidt noted the many academic, artistic and athletic achievements of the 2018 class. These included the Panther Band traveling to New Orleans, 107 students receiving Golden Merit Awards, the girls’ tennis team having a perfect season, the wrestling team going undefeated in league play and the badminton team winning its first-ever league championship. Likewise, the drama department produced two plays and dance shows, and the weekly web series “Panther TV” was given a creative overhaul. To demonstrate this, the graduating crew of “Panther TV”— plus incoming senior Chris Weldon, who still wore a cap and gown for the occasion but later took it off in a planned bit where he confessed to not graduating yet— hosted a live episode at the ceremony and got to perform such favorite skits as “Iris Investigates,” “What’s in the Vase?” and “Hold My Squid.”

In his message, Superintendent Dr. Charles Young echoed sentiments about the 2018 class being a special one— and noted that they were graduating at a special time.

“You are living in one of the most exciting and rapidly changing times in the course of human history,” he said. “The advent of new technologies have advanced us so that nearly all fields are progressing at a rapid pace. While this is exciting, even thrilling, it can also be overwhelming and sometimes even a little disorienting. Amidst the fast pace of change, we are wise to remember as Americans our unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

Young noted that of these three rights, “happiness” can be the most elusive.

“However, our happiness is enhanced when we spend a little time each day being grateful for the gifts in our lives,” he said. “When we focus on our gifts, our gifts multiply.”

Salutatorian Madeline Beyer said the Class of 2018 has had its share of positive memories and adversities. Amidst it all, she said, students came together to speak their minds on issues like the dress code, proposed new graduation requirements and gun violence.

“The protests we held and the discussions we had were the reason why change happened,” she said. “Never be afraid to express your opinion because you can all make a difference in the world.”

Beyer also noted that while it would be difficult for students to say goodbye to a lot of their peers, it was necessary for growth.

“While it is unfortunate that we all must part, it’s the only way for us to grow into our own, to find our own niches,” she said. “To reach our full potentials, we must venture out into the world and keep learning. It is a lifelong pursuit that is well worth the hassle.”

Valedictorian Upraj Singh joked about how nice it was to look out and see all the graduates and their “seven favorite family members.” He used his speech to “reflect on the past, take in the present and look forward to the future.”

“In part, we are the sum of all the interactions we have with others,” he said. “We are also, in part, a compilation of our traditions and culture.”

Singh remarked that the Class of 2018 was tight-knit.

“We have taken what the previous classes have created and either improved upon it or started anew,” he said.

Among these, he said, were the creation of a full-fledged speech and debate team, an offshoot of the speech and debate class, which got to compete in regional tournaments and host Debate Nights and Debate Weeks “where everybody was on the edge of their seats as the teams battled it out.”

Another aspect of the Class of 2018 that Singh highlighted was its growing sense of social awareness.

“We won’t be remembered as the class who became stagnant or complacent but rather the class who took initiative to promote change,” Singh said in a speech that resulted in a standing ovation from the crowd. “This world is in turmoil. It has become a different place and has regressed in many ways. It is the role of the previous generation to do as much as they can and leave the rest up to future generations. As we are the next generation, we  must also try to close the gap between the world we wish for and the world we have, not only for ourselves but also for the generations to come.”

“When I look at this class, I see a bunch of good-natured souls and that brings me hope for the future,” Singh concluded.