SHS grads look at their diplomas, while one triumphantly turns to the crowd.
Two hundred seventy-nine young adults commenced on a new phase of life after receiving their diplomas at their Bunnell High School graduation on Thursday evening, June 27.
Two hundred forty-six young individuals graduated from Stratford High School at the very same hour, prepared to move on.
Matthew J. Kealey Jr. gets individual attention at his Stratford High School graduation.
Each one of these individuals who toiled, struggled, matured and flourished during four years of high school earned their moment. It was their name read over the loudspeaker, one at a time. It was their handshake, their photograph, their internal sigh of relief, and their unique ebullient smile as they walked back to their seat.
It was also, then, a total of 525 individuals who received the teaching, guidance, coaching, and other instruction from individual educators of Stratford Public Schools and successfully fulfilled the requirements of their degree.
One of the outstanding aspects of high school graduations is due attention to the individual.
Except for the inherent differences with a collection of unique individuals at Bunnell’s and SHS’s graduations, the two ceremonies were remarkably similar, by design.
That is appropriate, particularly for this class, because the students say they feel bound together in a community that has endured Storms Sandy and Nemo and a national tragedy on Dec. 14.
A Bunnell graduate just after receiving her diploma.
They occurred at the same hour, so they were under the same weather. The graduating students sat with their backs to the large part of the crowd of family and friends. Both ceremonies even experienced faulty public address systems, which generated complaints at both venues of not being able to hear the speakers clearly.
Bunnell High School’s choir sang We Are The World during commencement ceremonies.
At Bunnell there were 58 students, 21% of the class, who graduated with either high or highest honors.
At Stratford High, it was a remarkably similar 57 students, 23% of the class, who earned high or highest praise.
There are a few differences, too, naturally, including the fact that only one school gets the honor of having the mayor in attendance — this year he was at Bunnell — and one school has the honor of having the superintendent present — our interim leader was at SHS.
Bunnell grad Patrick Prince Jr. with his brother Shaun, father Patrick and mother Dawn.
Since much of the ceremonies involves listening to students and educators address the crowd about what matters most at a time like this, what follows here are excerpts from the speeches.
Do good.
“If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives: Be kind anyway! If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you: Be honest anyway! What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight: Build anyway! The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow: Do good anyway!”
Samantha Carroll, Bunnell valedictorian, quoting Mother Teresa
Open to others.
But we must keep in mind that education does not mean focusing solely on one topic but rather opening up your mind and forming opinions. This education does not come just from book work but from talking to others about what interests them and in return sharing your own passions. It is by being open to other’s opinions and forming our own that we can effectively use our education to change the world.
Emily Eckel, SHS salutatorian
Take charge.
Resolve to take charge. Live life fully. Get involved. Change the things you cannot accept. And never stop working for what you want to achieve. It’s true that this is not the most convenient way to live life. Personal responsibility can be exhausting and frustrating….
Refuse to be a victim of circumstance or the actions of others. The road of responsibility is one of successes and failures, joy and heartache, highs and lows. But in the end, you’ll own the result and know that you haven’t wasted time sitting idle and letting others determine what happens to you.
John Harkins, mayor of Stratford