Longtime Tiburon pals serve as Redwood co-valedictorians

Tiburon’s Sa’ar Lipshitz and Jackson Bramlette met in kindergarten, became friends in fifth grade, formed a band together and, on June 8, shared the stage as co-valedictorians of Redwood High School’s class of 2023. (Elliot Karlan photo / For The Ark)

One of Redwood High School graduating senior Jackson Bramlette’s earliest memories of classmate Sa’ar Lipshitz is from kindergarten.

“We were supposed to have a playdate, but my babysitter took me out to the park, and I came back late,” says Jackson, 18. “Sa’ar and his mom had come by to my house, and I wasn’t there. I was so sad, and I remember crying a lot in my father’s arms.”

The boys’ friendship cemented in fifth grade, when they went for a school trip and bunked together in the same cabin with other kids.

“We found we had many interests in common, like science and music, so we became close friends, and we hang out a lot,” says Sa’ar, 17.

In the latest milestone in their long friendship, the two Tiburon teens took the stage June 8 to address their peers as co-valedictorians at Redwood’s graduation ceremony.

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