Honor, pride and accomplishment.Those were the words that Chad Hoang used to best describe Lathrop High’s graduation ceremony on Friday.The valedictorian led his classmates in a round of applause to “express our love for ourselves,” he said.Most of the 292 classmates complied by putting their hands together. It was one of many times during this special evening that they came together as one, showing support of a journey that began four years ago.LHS was an “island in the middle of nowhere,” as Hoang called it, that proved to be much nicer from the inside.This was where the community came out to equally show support, with city dignitaries along with the principals from the feeder schools -- Lathrop Elementary (David Silveira), Widmer (Kathy Brown Snyder) and Mossdale (Susan Sanders) -- all in attendance.It was where memories were made. Included was the school’s first-ever Valley Oak League championship in the Spartan girls basketball team.According to ASB President Virly Santos, LHS, since its opening in 2008, had long been considered an underdog.Times are changing.For Greg Leland, the Class of 2018 will always hold a soft spot in his heart. “This is my first graduation as principal,” he said.Leland, who was previously at Sierra High, came to LHS over a year ago as assistant principal.