In the last four years, their lives have been turned upside down by a global COVID-19 pandemic, the challenges of remote and hybrid classes and becoming accustomed to the “new normals” that went along with all that.
So, why wouldn’t the commencement ceremony for the Class of 2023 be turned on its head by threatening weather?
“Like many of you, we’ve been watching the weather very closely today,” said WHRHS Principal Dr. Christopher Jones in his welcoming remarks. “So we’re going to do something a little different, and we’re going to have our dessert before our dinner. Out of an abuncance of caution, we are going to flip the ceremony, thereby offering the graduates what they really came here for.”
The graduating class loudly cheered as Jones announced that diplomas would be awarded first, in hopes that the weather would hold out for the remainder of the program.
It did – but, just in case, there was a plan for that.
“If it rains, we will stay for the ceremony,” he said. “If it thunders, we will not.”
The plan for a dangerous storm involved having the graduates – and their parents, Jones emphasized – report to the Performing Arts Center in the high school for the ceremony’s conclusion.
New School Committee Chair Beth Stafford, a former Whitman Middle School teacher, congratulated the class on behalf of the School Committee, addressing that fact.
“I have one word that I will use tonight to describe this class, that word is adapt,” she said, noting the changes the Class of 2023 have had to face. “You adapted from elementary school to middle school, and then to the high school, but the biggest issue was what you had to do in high school. … This ability to adapt will be very important in your future endeavors.”
Whether in the workforce, higher education or the military, they will have to adapt to new situations, leaving home, following orders, bosses and more, Stafford said.
“With your past experiences, you will be able to adapt to any changes that you will face in your future,” she said.
It certainly came in handy on graduation day, as uncertainty about thuderstorms forecast for about the time the ceremony would be hitting its stride, motivated school officials to not only pushed the commencement ahead an hour, but handed the diploimas out first.
With rain holding off until well after the commencement, seniors not only enjoyed an uninterupted, if unusual, ceremony, there was more time after it for them and their families and friends to mill about the football field for photos after its conclusion and before darkness decended.
Superintendent of Schools Jeff Szymaniak, who admitted to anxiety when having to speak before large groups, spoke to the class about his expectations, challenges and hopes for them.
“I expect you to be a good citizen, take part in your community – use your voice – remember to vote and to be a good neighbor,” he said. Manners, humility, kindness and passionate about living life to the fullest rounded out his expectations.
“I challenge you to take care of your mind and your body,” he said. “This gets really hard the older you get and the less time you have when life gets in the way.” Grace, stepping out of one’s comfort zones, thinking outside the box and listen to others regardless of viewpoint, with civility. Finally, he hopes for their success, according to each student’s definition of what that is, joy and that they believe in themselves.
Student speakers also touched on these themes [for complete texts of student speeches, see our graduation section].
For Valedictorian Noah Roberts, the journey to graduation came down to being able to answer the question: “Who are you?”
He candidly discussed the challenges and effects of mental illness and addiction on his family [see related story, page one] and the importance of caring for yourself.
“Trust me, I know that there is no such thing as a “normal” family situation, but make sure to give the ones that you see as family, whether by blood or by bond, an extra-long hug today,” Roberts said, thanking his grandmother and younger brother for their love and support.
“Nana, my entire being will be eternally grateful for the numerous sacrifices you have made for us,” he said, eliciting some tears from the woman who raised him when his mother could not. “you have always been there for me, and I genuinely don’t know where I would be without you, I love you nana. As for Cody, thank you for being my rock; through thick and thin you have stuck with me.”
He also thanked teachers and school staff who have helped him through his school years, for everything from extra help with physics to an extra chocolate pudding in the cafeteria.
He also spoke of the stress students like himself also self-impose.
“Even in high school, I felt that I was under so much pressure to be the best, because if I failed to do that, then what good was I?” he said. “I’m not sure if this mindset is true for all high school students, but what I realize now is how that mindset is not only unhealthy but is also dangerous.”
He closed by encouraging his classmates to remember to be themselves in all they do as the best way to answer is initial question: Who Are You?
Salutatarian Leah Cataldo spoke briefly about the need to relish life as it goes by in the blink of any eye, with all the changes it confronts you with, and while reminiscing is enjoyable, “our pasts are nothing compared to our futures,”
ON Hope
Classmate Brian Bouffard, winner of the annual student speech competition, advised a healthy dose of hope, while echoing Stafford’s advice on being adaptable.
“During the pandemic, so many popular activities were forced to close. Restaurants, movie theaters, and family get-togethers grinded to a halt in the face of an omnipresent, insidious disease. But we endured,” he said. “I noticed this same trend in our school, too. … We were able to recognize the necessity of these conditions, and got through it together.”
It’s been a difficult four years, but Bouffard pointed to his recollection of a “Got Hope?” poster in a middle school guidance office that still carries an important message.
“We have all learned what hope looks like: hope is perseverance. Hope is endurance. Hope is togetherness,” he said. “I have hope for all of you, class of 2023. I have hope for your futures, for your dreams. I’ve seen firsthand what all of you can do, and it’s nothing short of awe-inspiring. There’s no challenge we can’t work through. It is for this reason that I have hope. We have to have hope… because where would we be without it?”
In addition to the school’s traditional moment of silence in respect to those who have served their country in uniform, members of the graduating class who will serve and those who have given their lives in uniform, Dr. Jones also asked for a moment of silence in respect for the family of student Ava Patete, who had been killed in an incident involving an MBTA train earlier in the week.