NORTHAMPTON — Two hundred and twenty-seven graduation caps flew through the air at Smith College’s John M. Greene Hall after the Northampton High School Class of 2026 walked across the stage to receive their diplomas and close a chapter in their lives.
Following a performance of “The Star Spangled Banner” by the Northamptones Principal Benjamin Taglieri addressed the crowd and read remarks from the graduates’ former middle and elementary school teachers reflecting on the graduates’ pivot to online learning During the COVID-19 pandemic when they were in Middle School.
Going on to recall seeing the class interact with one another at prom and in the hallways, Taglieri described the uniqueness and importance of community and interaction. He went on to address concerns that technological advancements might isolate the younger generation, before noting that the Class of 2026 made him hopeful for the next generation’s social skills.
“Technology presents us with both opportunities and challenges — technology can connect us, but it can also isolate us. It can expand our world, or it can shrink it. It can introduce us to new ideas, or it can surround us with only our own AI,” Taglieri said. “When I think about those concerns, I come back to the students sitting in front of us today. This class has grown up in a world that is already deeply shaped by technology. What I have observed is not a group of students retreating from one another, but quite the opposite. I’ve watched you build community, I’ve watched students support one another across different interests and activities and backgrounds, I’ve watched students engage with adults, contribute to their school, participate in the life of this community.”
The idea of community later re-emerged in the commencement ceremony, when Class Speaker Zara Usman discussed the power and importance of building a strong community. She reflected on her cousin’s death in a motorcycle crash during her sophomore year in high school and discussed how she leaned on her teachers and her school community during a time of grief.
“I found it hard to tell my close friends about how I was feeling, because most teens haven’t felt traumatic grief, it’s a stage that usually should come later in this period of my life. I heavily relied on my teachers — they took their time to talk to me during their prep periods and check on me in class,” Usman said. “It isn’t just the teachers, it’s the custodians, school nurses, counselors, office administration, and several others … the fact that they show up for any and every student is what makes our public schools so special. When we picture school, we think of it as an academic experience, but it’s more than that — we are preparing for the complexities of the future.”
Usman went on to discuss what she believed to be a false belief that one needs to leave his or her community in order to be successful — a narrative that she said she has not found to be necessarily true. She said that although she was travelling 3,000 miles away for college, she hoped to build a new community away from home.
She also spoke to her upbringing in an immigrant family, which she described as a factor that fortified her belief in honoring, and showing up for, her community.
“Despite leaving Pakistan at 18 to reach the U.S. for college, my dad makes an effort to give back to his community on the other side of the world, whether that means being the helping hand of our family or staying up until 3 a.m. to work with a nonprofit at home, my dad has always put in the work,” she said. “He showed me the importance of helping other people, and I hope that as a class, we will choose to help each other when we can, even if it’s hard, even if it’s inconvenient, because that is what having a community means, choosing to show up.”
In-between performances of Gulstav Holst’s “Jupiter” by the Northampton High School Wind Ensemble and “Seasons of Love,” sung by the Northampton High School Chamber Choir, graduates Alexa and Jordyn Rodrigue and Sadie Bertrand presented a performance of the Mary Gray Teacher of the Year Award to math teacher Jennifer Warren.
The graduates, poking fun at Warren’s short stature, presented her a stepping stool as a gift before stating that she was “one of the main reasons” why they will miss Northampton High School.
Warren, standing especially tall atop her new platform, explained that she shared a first year with the Class of 2026 and was the first class she saw progress through all four years of high school. She congratulated the class and encouraged them to remain curious, compassionate individuals.
“You helped the school feel like home through your kindness, humor, passion and curiosity. You’ve inspired me as much as I hope I’ve inspired you; you ask thoughtful questions, challenge yourselves, support one another and continuously remind me why I love being a teacher,” Warren said. “Stay passionate — passionate about the things you care about. Stay curious, pull from your sense of wonder and legacy. The world will often encourage you to be practical, but don’t lose the things that make you excited to learn, create, and explore. No matter what path you’re taking after high school, stay true to yourself, and don’t be afraid to stay strange.”
