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Snowy Peaks celebrates the Class of 2025 with ceremony at the Breckenridge Riverwalk Center

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Cody Jones

Cody Jones/Summit Daily News
Snowy Peaks High School students stand with their diplomas during the school's graduation ceremony on Thursday, May 22, 2025 at the Breckenridge Riverwalk Center.
Cody Jones/Summit Daily News

As Memorial Day weekend gets underway, the Summit School District is closing out the school year by hosting several graduation ceremonies. The weekend of celebration kicked off on Thursday night, May 22, with a graduation ceremony for Snowy Peaks Junior and Senior High School. 

Snowy Peaks — a magnet school located in Frisco — had a total of 18 graduates this year.

The Class of 2025 marks the seventh year that Snowy Peaks has had a 100% graduation rate and 0% dropout rate, showcasing the school’s focus on excellence and relationship building.

Additionally, Snowy Peaks is one of nine schools in the state this year to be awarded the High School Academic Growth Award by the Colorado Commissioner of Education and the Colorado Department of Education. 

“What we really are is a non-traditional and innovative school that creates love and hope for students who want something different,” Snowy Peaks principal James Smith said. “And it works. We are accredited as a performance school, the highest rating that a Colorado school can earn. We have a 100% graduation rate, we have not had a single dropout since 2018 and we have a 92.7% daily attendance rate.”

The graduation ceremony at the Breckenridge Riverwalk Center began with Smith thanking staff members, donors, district employees and community partners for their continual support of Snowy Peaks.

Cody Jones/Summit Daily News
Summit School District Superintendent Tony Byrd delivers a speech during the Snowy Peaks High School graduation on Thursday, May 22, 2025.
Cody Jones/Summit Daily News

Smith then welcomed Summit School District Superintendent Tony Byrd on stage for a brief speech addressed to the group of seniors. The speech was highlighted by Byrd giving several pieces of advice to the Snowy Peaks graduates.

“This is my advice as you go,” Byrd said. “The first one is to continue to be kind. You are the kindest group of people I have ever been around. I love all our schools, to be clear. Continue to be that way.”

Byrd went on to remind students to continue to chase their dreams, to continue to learn, to keep caring and to remember that they always have family back in Summit County. 

“Remember that you have a family at Snowy Peaks and in the Summit School District,” Byrd said. “We all mean that deeply from our hearts. We love you. We will support you in any way we can, and you need to enjoy this very special day.”

Perhaps the most notable moment of the evening however, was when longtime teacher Jen Wolinetz stepped on stage for a heartfelt farewell to the school. Seeing the inception of the school in 2011, Wolinetz fought through tears as she saw a final group of students across the stage.

“We have been through a lot, you and I (Snowy Peaks),” Wolinetz said. “We have seen marriages of (both) staff and students, babies have been born to (both) staff and students. We have buried both staff and students. We have celebrated so many graduates. It has not been easy. Most worthwhile experiences come with equal parts joy and pain.”

As Wolinetz enters retirement, she knows that Snowy Peaks will be in good hands.

“I do know that you have the most incredible group of people tending to your well being,” Wolinetz said. “You are so loved. My dear friends, my sole family, will be with you for this next part. … Thank you Snowy for loving the flawed and wondrous parts of me. It has been one of the most significant parts of my life. Keep using your powers for good.”

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Smith subsequently returned to the microphone to declare that the 18 students leaving the hallways of Snowy Peaks are bound for success.

“You are a group who seizes these opportunities and creates moments that mean something,” Smith said. “You are a group that can let go of the old and begin anew. You have a little rebellion in you, and at the end of the day, you have the biggest hearts I have ever seen.”

Snowy Peaks then had staff members step on stage to talk about each graduate and the legacy they will be leaving behind at the high school. From resilience and perseverance to lightheartedness and love, each staff member’s speech displayed that Snowy Peaks is a better place because of the Class of 2025.

After receiving their diploma, graduates had the opportunity to give a rose to a person that has helped them in their schooling journey. The tradition was both intimate and sweet, drawing sounds of love and even more tears from the approximately 200-person crowd.

With diplomas now in hand, Smith welcomed the 18 students back on stage, officially recognizing them as Snowy Peaks High School graduates and ushering them onto their next adventure. 

“Graduation for some of you may have seemed unreasonable,” Smith said. “Instead, you seized the opportunity. Maybe more than any class who has ever walked through Snowy Peaks’ halls, you bought into the Yeti way. You made it happen.”

2025 Snowy Peaks Junior and Senior High School graduates
  • Christopher Joan Alfaro
  • Cassie Marie Alford
  • Liliana Mendoza Brace
  • Carmen Nataly Casillas Escobar
  • Serenity Elizabeth Chrisman
  • Noel Estrada Saenz
  • Moraima Chanel Galicia Contreras
  • Daphne Michelle Garcia Fletes
  • Leah Natasha Gard
  • Kayli Ivette Gomez-Zubia
  • Jazmin Alexandra Gramajo Donis
  • Ronan Alexander Muckler
  • Melody Joelene Nogueda Lazcano
  • Adrian David Pinon
  • Adri Jordan Rascon
  • Villa Miguel Rosas
  • Hayden Elizabeth Smith
  • Matthew Anthony Tater

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