SPRINGFIELD — South Hadley High School valedictorian Grant Petrosky estimated that his fellow classmates spent a collective 3,125 days in virtual class during the pandemic. Yet he focused his commencement speech on Friday evening on the adaptability of this year’s graduates, and how it will serve them in the future.
“To go through life is to encounter unknown situations,” Petrosky said standing on a stage at Mass Mutual Center, the venue for the high school’s commencement ceremony. Quoting Albert Einstein, he said, “The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.”
The 146 graduates assembled in rows inside the arena before receiving their diplomas. Whistles and cheers rang around the stands as the graduates arrived dressed in their gowns and caps. Speakers during the ceremony emphasized the legacy that the class of 2021 will leave behind after a tumultuous year.
Petrosky called the pandemic a “force of unimaginable and unthinkable dimensions” right as his classmates were “on the brink of adulthood.” Only moments away from receiving their diploma, Petrosky said his classmates rose up to the challenges of the past year.
“You took on more responsibilities by watching over your younger siblings, you entered the workforce to help earn money for your family, you utilized technology to attend school,” Petrosky said. “So when you find yourself fighting a new challenge in the future, remember that you have — and you will — adapt.”
Principal Elizabeth Wood told the graduating class that they have left a lasting impact on the school and community by the example they set throughout the year.
“You have endured some of the most challenging years in our educational system yet found the courage to persevere,” Wood said. “Your resiliency has shown through, lending us some of the most positive, passionate, kind and extraordinarily hard-working young adults to grace South Hadley High School.”
A common theme throughout the ceremony was how students had to learn to support each other in order to cross the academic finish line.
“I am just glad we were able to get to this point and have our graduation,” senior Kelsey Stewart, 19, said. “It’s been difficult, but with the right people supporting you, you can get through it.” Stewart is attending Western New England University in the fall to study occupational therapy.
Thenis Tsilibocos, 17, and Ryan Tucker, 18, both ice hockey players at the high school, said that their winter seasons will be among their fondest memories of the past four years.
“It’s nice getting (the diploma) in person,” Tucker said, who will be attending Massachusetts Maritime Academy in the fall.
“It took a long time, but it finally paid off,” said Tsilibocos, who will be attending Holyoke Community College. “Coming to school for the last two weeks was pretty fun.”
“We learned to lean on those close to us when we needed it, and we learned to be there for each other when our friends needed someone to lean on,” class president, Siobhan Mcallister said during her speech. “But most importantly, we learned so much about our own strength and resilience. After this we can accomplish anything.”
Luis Fieldman can be reached at lfieldman@gazettenet.com.
A special section with more graduation news about the South Hadley High School class of 2021 will be published in the Gazette July 3.