Jackrabbits Honor Scholars, Athletes, Tradition
VICTORVILLE, Calif. (High Desert News Online) – Victor Valley High School marked a major milestone Thursday evening as its 110th graduating class crossed the stage before a packed crowd at Ray Moore Stadium. More than 450 graduates from the High Desert’s oldest high school celebrated academic excellence, athletic achievements, and a legacy of community tradition that has shaped generations of Victor Valley families.
Top Areas This Article Covers:
- Victor Valley High School’s 110th graduating class
- Academic honors and top student achievements
- Major athletic accomplishments and scholarships
- School history and Jackrabbits tradition
- High Desert education and community impact
Victor Valley High Celebrates 110 Years of Tradition
Victor Valley High School celebrated its 110th graduating class Thursday night, continuing a tradition that stretches back more than a century in the High Desert. Founded in 1915, Victor Valley High holds the distinction of being the region’s first high school, serving generations of students from Victorville and surrounding communities.
This year’s graduating class featured more than 450 students recognized for outstanding academic and extracurricular accomplishments.
Leading the Class of 2026 was Valedictorian Valeria Medina, who earned an impressive 4.58 grade point average. Co-Salutatorians David Mendoza, Karen Camarena, and Arlene Rojo Rojas each completed their high school careers with 4.52 GPAs.
Several graduates secured significant opportunities beyond high school. Xavier Hudson earned a prestigious $200,000 Marine Corps Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps scholarship, while Nikolas Blocker accepted a full-ride Division I football scholarship to UC Davis. Terion Mathis also secured a full athletic scholarship to play Division I football at Weber State.
Athletics played a major role in the Class of 2026’s legacy. Blocker and Mathis helped power the Jackrabbits football team to reclaim “The Bell” in Victor Valley’s storied rivalry with Apple Valley High School, ending a 12-game drought in one of the High Desert’s most recognized sports traditions.
The school also celebrated a historic achievement by its boys basketball program. The Jackrabbits captured the first CIF boys basketball championship in school history — a landmark accomplishment that marked the first CIF basketball title won by a High Desert team in 73 years.
Victor Valley High’s long history reflects the growth of the High Desert itself. Over the decades, the school has produced educators, business leaders, public servants, military personnel, and collegiate athletes who have left their mark across California and beyond.
As the Class of 2026 joins the ranks of more than a century of Jackrabbit alumni, graduates leave behind a year defined by academic excellence, athletic milestones, and renewed school pride.
