Los Alamos High to honor graduating seniors committing to military service

Los Alamos High School will bring graduating seniors headed for military service into the public spotlight again on Wednesday, May 6, with a recognition ceremony from 5 to 6 p.m. in the Lower Commons at the school.

The event is meant to honor students who have committed to military service after graduation, with recognition for the enlistees, support from military recruiters and remarks from a guest speaker. It gives families, teachers and neighbors a chance to mark a step that is both personal and civic, especially in a town where service to the military, Los Alamos National Laboratory and public institutions often shapes post-graduation choices.

The ceremony follows a recent tradition at Los Alamos High School. In May 2024, seven seniors were honored for formally committing to the military, a group described as one of the largest from the school in recent history. At least some of those students headed to the U.S. Army, underscoring that military service remains one of the visible paths taken by Los Alamos graduates.

One of the best-known examples from that class was Alexander “Boom” Pasulka, who was graduating from Los Alamos High School on May 25, 2024 and had received an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in New York. His path, along with the larger group honored that spring, reflects how the school continues to send students into uniformed service as well as into college and STEM careers.

That military connection is reinforced year-round through Los Alamos High School NJROTC, which has been described as beneficial to students and the community. The unit hosts a formal military ball every year, fully managed by cadets, and takes field trips to military bases and places such as Los Alamos National Laboratory. NJROTC also held its annual change-of-command ceremony on April 10, keeping that culture active this spring as the school prepares to honor another class of graduates choosing service.