On June 21, 265 graduating Cornwall High School seniors walked across the temporary stage to receive their diploma and start a new chapter in their lives.
The evening was perfect for an outdoor ceremony. Unlike the past two years, the sun was shining and the temperature moderate for the first day of summer. As the graduates made their way through the processional in a sea of green and white, parents cheered as they saw their child walk by.
“Those are my people,” one graduate said to his processional partner as he walked by a crowd of rowdy family members.
As the soon-to-be graduates sat through the commencement ceremony, which included musical numbers, recognition of those who will be entering the military, and the awarding of scholarships, valedictorian Nicholas Branch described his classmates as being in a state of transition because one cycle of their lives was concluding while another dawning. He even went on to compare his peers to a currently popular insect.
“The past 17 years have been spent growing and preparing, questioning and learning, watching and experiencing, all in preparation for what comes next, much like a particular small, unique, creature that has blessed us with its presence during this time of transition,” he said. “Around the time we became aware of our surroundings, one generation of cicadas was completing thier lives, while paving the way for a new generation that would spend the next 17 years developing underground. While we haven’t spent the last 17 years underground, this generation has likewise spent those years developing and growing.”
That’s where the similarities between the graduates and their insect brethren ends. For unlike the cicadas, the class of 2013 has “excelled in all elements…from academics, to the arts, and to the athletics,” said salutatorian Fouad Chouairi. “Among our ranks there are scientists destined to shape the world, possibly the next Van Gogh, maybe even a future NFL star. Each of thse people has his/her unique talents, that have developed over these past four years. The future is bright.”
As the graduates prepare for their future as young adults, interim principal Nancy Noonan reminded them not to forget their past.
She said, “As the years pass, the chatter among your college and career friends will likely include the question, ‘Where did you go to high school?’ Believe me when I tell you, you will be very proud to say you’re an alumnus of this great school district. You will retell stories of antics, proms, sporting events and pep rallies, classes, teachers and friendships.”
Noonan urged the graduates to remember the questions that were asked of them and the demands that were made as they extended their learning because the true gift of education is not the answers, but the questions.
“I urge you to ask the important questions and try to find the answers for yourself,” she said. “Remember to take risks since no one, to my knowledge, was ever irreparably harmed by stumbling. You need to reach out, to experiment, to seek assistance and to figure out life’s puzzles.”
As faculty and staff said good-bye to another graduating class, and the graduates said good-bye to each other, it was also a farewell for Noonan, who came to the district last year as an interim principal at the middle school, and then stayed on as a temporary assistant principal at the school. When former high school principal Dr. Frank Sheboy left Cornwall for the red and blue in Goshen, Noonan was again asked to return to the district. Superintendent Timothy Rehm also addressed his last graduating class. He’ll be in the district for another month before he retires.
With all the presentations behind them, it was finally time for the graduates to receive what they worked so hard for over the last 12 years. Members of the Board of Education took turns handing out the diplomas and congratulating each senior. As they walked on stage, each was met differently by friends and family in the audience. Many received loud cheers and hollas. Some spectators released balloons and threw confetti into the air. Volunteers with Storm King Engine Company were received with the honk of a fire truck horn. One family member yelled out, “I love you,” and the graduate responded the same.
As the last in a long list of names was called, Julian Arroyo raised his arms, encouraging his classmates to cheer and clap. The end was in sight and a new beginning yet to be seen.
