For Maureen Nelson, Wednesday's Capital High School commencement was more than just another spring day filled with teens wearing black robes.

Nelson, who has taught at Capital since it opened in 1988, has seen her share of graduations. But the gravelly-voiced, quick-witted language arts educator is retiring after this school year.

At Wednesday's ceremony in the Santa Fe Community Convention Center, she served as commencement speaker for the school's 20th graduating class.

"Boy, it's an honor to be here," she told the 182 graduates present, "and it's an honor because of you."

She told the crowd of her path to Capital, starting in elementary schools, learning from a master principal and eventually moving to the fledgling high school on the city's southwestern edge.

She recalled various antics, both student and teacher, such as chair races down a hallway, the time her car somehow ended up blocking Capital's main entrance and "fire drills, more fire drills and more fire drills."

All of it, she said, was part of her journey. Now, she said, it's time for graduates to start their journey. She urged them to "make it the life you truly deserve" and "be your own hero."

More than 2,000 people packed the main ballroom of the convention center, with hundreds standing in the back and along the sides of the room because there weren't enough chairs to accommodate them.

Both valedictorian Melissa Mallory and salutatorian Dominic Romero spoke to their graduating class. Romero joked that he wasn't sure what he was going to say. "So I did what any high school student would do in times of need," he said. "I went to Google and searched for a speech."

After the ceremony, he said he had been nervous about talking to the group but that after he got up on stage, he felt fine.

Romero said he plans to attend New Mexico Highlands University, where he'll pursue studies in medicine and play football.

A multisport athlete — he was named the school's male athlete of the year — Romero said he had a lot of fun in high school. "I know I'm going to miss it," he said, "for sure."

As graduates, families and friends filed out of the ballroom, Janette Perez and Carina Mendoza stopped to pose together for a picture.

The two have been friends since kindergarten at Piñon Elementary School. Perez plans to attend The University of New Mexico to study architecture and Mendoza is going to enroll at Santa Fe Community College to figure out what she wants to do.

"I'm really excited," Perez said. "This is just the beginning."

Contact John Sena at 986-3079 or jsena@sfnewmexican.com.