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Members of TIDE Academy’s Class of 2026 held their heads high as they crossed the stage during the public school’s fourth and final graduation ceremony. On Thursday evening, June 4, at Smithwick Theatre at Foothill College in Los Altos, TIDE students, families and staff celebrated the small high school’s legacy as the campus is set to close down permanently this month.
“What stood out was not loss but how we came together and supported each other,” said graduating senior Hidalgo Rodas in her speech. “What we built here doesn’t just stay here. Community isn’t a place, it’s something we carry with us.”
Forty-four students graduated from TIDE this year, six years after the opening of its $50 million campus in Menlo Park with an inaugural freshman class. The ceremony featured speeches from seniors Hidalgo Rodas, George Umbenhauer, Alessandra Vilchez, Marcus Burke, Kimberly Sanchez Alonzo and Jesus Chavez.
The challenging year the community faced did not go unnoticed. Student speeches made it clear that the Sequoia Union High School District Board of Trustees’ “devastating” decision to close TIDE “felt personal.”
Despite the disappointment of TIDE’s closure, graduates showed their school spirit and optimism as they highlighted the impact the school has had on their personal growth, the uniqueness of their close-knit community and the memories they will carry with them.
Graduates clap for Principal Simone Kennel at TIDE Academy’s graduation ceremony at Smithwick Theatre at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills on June 4, 2026. Photo by Seeger Gray. 
A graduate receives a diploma from Principal Simone Kennel during TIDE Academy’s graduation ceremony at Smithwick Theatre at Foothill College on June 4, 2026. Photo by Seeger Gray. 
A graduate wears an embellished cap before TIDE Academy’s graduation ceremony starts in Los Altos Hills on June 4, 2026. Photo by Seeger Gray. 
TIDE graduate Breanna Nuulua Sama is decked out in dollar bills following the graduation ceremony at Smithwick Theatre on June 4, 2026. Photo by Seeger Gray.
The STEM-based school of nearly 200 students will be merged into Woodside High School next school year. Its students and staff will be transferring to one of the four larger campuses within the high school district: Menlo-Atherton, Carlmont, Sequoia and Woodside.
“While it’s heart-wrenching that TIDE is coming to a close, we should be grateful that we’ve all had the opportunity to grow here and to place our confidence, our hearts and years into this school,” said Umbenhauer.
Community was a prominent theme among the graduating cohort. Vilchez noted in her speech that relationships are what make TIDE unique. She spoke about the value of having teachers who knew her face and name, staffers who would always keep an open ear and having the opportunity to make lifelong friends.
Not every school has a principal who knows every student’s name, teachers who are passionate, classmates who all know each other and a community that is willing to speak up to fight for their school, said Burke in his speech.
“We don’t have to let TIDE die back in that building,” he said. “As we all go on to explore the world, I want us all to remember that we can take TIDE with us.”
While the underclassmen at TIDE will be dispersed to other campuses, graduating senior Emelly Cardona told The Almanac that “at the end of the day, they will always be astronauts, wherever they go,” referring to TIDE’s mascot.
Ninth-grade English teacher Joanne Yao said this was her first time witnessing her former freshmen take the next step in their academic journeys after four years of teaching at TIDE.
“I am so glad that the kids came to this positively, to say that TIDE is a feeling of loyalty and community — that it’s not just a physical place,” Yao said. “I am astonished by their growth from freshman year and I’m so proud of them.”
As the ceremony came to a close, “Celebration” by Kool & the Gang echoed through the theater as students walked down the aisles and out into the courtyard. Family and friends who were smiling ear to ear hugged the seniors as they popped confetti, handed them bouquets and draped leis around their necks.
“I’m focusing on all the good that came out of the school and hoping that one day people will see that this is what a school could be,” said Yao.
Editor’s Note: Sequoia Union High School District declined to provide a list of the names of the graduates at all of its campuses this year.
For all of our graduation coverage, go to our central graduation page.
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