TO PURCHASE HIGH RES PHOTOS OF THE EVENT, CLICK HERE
NORTHAMPTON — Umbrellas in every hue of the rainbow provided a splash of color against an otherwise dreary sky as rain fell steadily at Northampton High School’s graduation Sunday.
That same vibrancy is represented in the school’s graduating class, speakers said during the ceremony inside Smith College’s John M. Greene Hall.
“The world today needs more people who treat each other with kindness, acceptance and respect,” Principal Bryan Lombardi said. “That is the class of 2016.”
He encouraged graduates to face challenges that await them with a strong mind and a strong heart.
Class-selected speaker Allie Vanasse seconded that idea, asking students to be kind because everyone has their struggles.
“We are sitting in our high school graduation, next to people who are fighting their own battles,” she said. “Big or small, just getting started, still ongoing, or just finished.
“But,” she added “we have made it. We have all found a way to rise above.”
Class president Daniel Averill said that no community in the world fully accepts and acknowledges each of its members, but Northampton is closer than many to achieving that goal.
“The fact that you have seen how people should be treated means that you will be able to recognize when they are being treated unfairly,” he said to his peers. “We know that it is possible to develop a community based on acceptance.”
Grace Goodwin-Boyd, also a class president, assured the graduates that they are part of something larger than themselves.
“By membership in our motley crew, you have developed the ability to interact and learn from all types of people,” she said.
The school chorus emphatically sang “everyone deserves a chance to walk with everyone else,” from Family of the Year’s song “Hero.” The Northamptones a cappella group, the chamber choir and the high school band also performed pieces.
Academic excellence awards were presented to graduates Zachary Dietz, Isabella Forman, Erica Dean, Phoebe Gelbard and Miriam Dorthea Gorra.
The Mary Gray Teacher of the Year Award was presented to technology teacher Jeromie Whalen.
“I looked up at the stars and said, ‘What am I going to do with my life?’” Whalen said of a point in his life two years ago, before he was hired at NHS. “On that first day, I met you guys and it drives me every single day,” he said, urging the new graduates to pursue their own passions.
Family, friends and NHS teachers and staff cheered as 226 diplomas were presented by Lombardi, Assistant Principals Celeste Malvezzi and Christopher Brennan, Superintendent John Provost and Mayor David Narkewicz.
Hanna-Li Huan Meyer said that her years spent studying in such an accepting community have been indescribable.
Graduate Jason McGrath agreed, saying that NHS has allowed him to “grow up with an open mind.” He hopes to take that mindset with him to college.
“Dialogues regarding rainbow crosswalks and Black Lives Matter signs have shown you how to make a case for what is right,” said Averill during his speech.
In parting, Vanasse asked her cohort to never judge a book by its cover. “Everybody has their story,” she said.
Sarah Crosby can be reached at scrosby@gazettenet.com.