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NORTHAMPTON — Paige Bourdon, 18, of Cummington, delivered this message to her Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School classmates who graduated Thursday night: “This is our last day of childhood. Welcome to the real world. It sucks. You’re gonna love it.”
Bourdon, vice president of the class of 2016, said she realizes the importance of the time she put into her studies in order to earn her diploma. “It isn’t only about achieving, it’s about the obstacles that helped us get these diplomas in our hands,” she added.
She was among the 103 students who graduated from the vocational school during its commencement at John M. Greene Hall on the campus of Smith College.
About 1,000 relatives and friends packed the hot auditorium. The mood was light, informal, and optimistic.
Sporadic cheers and sustained applause accompanied the graduating seniors as they marched, or in some cases strutted, down the center of the auditorium.
Tia Messeck, 17, of Goshen, who studied plumbing, was the first senior on stage, leading the Pledge of Allegiance.
Valedictorian Brandon Wendolowski of Hatfield, who studied in the electricity program, said, “Relationships have been an important part of our time here at Smith. I’m glad I got to spend my time here with you guys.”
The students made connections not only with each other, but their teachers, advisers, and staff. When Michael Cahillane, the chairman of the board of trustees, asked the students to give the teachers a round of applause, they reacted with a roar.
Before the ceremony, Bourdon said she was “excited, scared, nervous,” all at once, about graduating. She plans to study nursing at Fitchburg State University.
Christopher Challet, 18, of Westhampton, reflected on his time in high school. “I’m excited. They said it was gonna go by in a blink of an eye. And here we are. It went by way too fast.”
He is going straight into plumbing and already has a full-time job at a local company.
After the presentation of diplomas, class President Kailey Bak of Williamsburg gave the closing remarks. She gave her heartfelt thanks to the teachers who impacted her the most.
Bak talked to her peers about the importance of reflecting on their time in high school rather than focusing on their newly obtained diplomas.
“I look at the past four years. It’s not a dream. It’s my life,” she said.
Geoff Dempsey can be reached at geoffrey.i.dempsey@gmail.com.