SOUTH DEERFIELD — Navy blue caps and gowns contrasted with gold stoles and bright green grass as more than 100 students marched in front of family and friends to “Pomp and Circumstance,” and received their high school diplomas Friday night during Frontier Regional High School’s 59th annual commencement.
“Here we stand at the summit,” said class president Liam Koski. “Our spirit holds us together.”
Hundreds of parents, friends and educators gathered on the football field, under the setting sun, to take part in the ceremony, and watch as graduates received 178 awards and scholarships, worth more than $100,000.
The commencement speaker was Martha Barrett, Frontier Regional School superintendent, who will retire after this school year. She told the graduates, “For your parents, it’s a culmination of blood, sweat and tears. They are also entering a new phase of life.”
Barrett was the first person to walk across the stage. She received an honorary diploma given by the graduating class, in recognition to her many years of service to the community.
Graduating senior Emily Wood asked Barrett to “be the first to cross the finish line.”
Fireworks crackled into the night, echoing across South Deerfield, as the members of the Frontier class of 2016 celebrated their achievement.
Barrett said, “We hope that you have the confidence to try new adventures, and that we have instilled (in you) joy and humor.”
Cheers rang as caps flew into the air.
“We did it,” Koski said. “Congratulations to the class of 2016!”