There was a full house at the Mancos Performance Center last Saturday as the San Juan Basin Technical School and Pueblo Community College performed their graduation ceremonies.

"We had 90 students graduating from the technical school and 40 students graduating from PCC," said Anita Neely, the schools’ bookstore manager.

Speakers for the joint ceremony included Bill Lewis, executive director of San Juan Basin Technical School, Joe May, president of PCC, as well as two student speakers.

"For the last couple of years we have been asking a student representative from each school to address their classmates," said Rysta Williford, the executive secretary for the technical school.

Student speakers for the 2000 commencement included Rachel Hale, who graduated from the technical school with a degree in accounting, and Sheila Sparks who left PCC with a paralegal degree.

Williford said that Ressa Muller, a long-time business and technology teacher for the Vo-tech, was given the distinguished service award after announcing that she was going to retire this year.

It was also announced on Saturday that a memorial will be sponsored in the name of Levi Garrett Jr., who passed away in March of this year.

Garrett was an eight-year member of Pueblo Community College’s Advisory Council, an ex-officio member of its advisory committee and a long-time member of the Center’s Foundation.

"Levi was a soft-spoken person who got involved at PCC because he deeply cared about students and education," May said shortly after Garrett died.

Garrett’s daughter, Sheryl, and son-in-law, Vic Bruce, attended the ceremony and accepted the memorial on behalf of Garrett.