Only one day after completing final exams, the 316 graduates of Montville Townships High School marched onto the Mustang football field for their final official gathering as classmates.
The ceremony took place on June 23, under a clear blue sky and a scorching heat.
The board of education president, Dr. Karen Cortellino, praised the class for their excellence, pointing to the group's combined academic achievements.
"They represent 65 President of the United States Academic Excellence Award Winners, 26 Edward J. Bloustein Distinguished Scholars, 16 National Merit Scholarship Commended Students, and 3 National Merit Scholarship Finalists," she said.
Interim Principal Dr. Frank Calabria said graduation is the highpoint in every student's academic career, but the experiences in the years leading to graduation are what will define the future.
"You will little recall the advice and wisdom you have been given, or
who gave it to you, but the wisdom you have been given will shape your life," he said. "Graduates are our only hope."
He presented the class with one last assignment: "Where you see sadness, think of today and bring joy."
Student Activities Council president Liza Rabkin spoke about her class's resilience.
"We have survived many things," she said. "We survived the transition from middle school to high school, Swine Flu, record snow fall, several principals and the Twilight saga."
She then paid tribute to the memory of biology teacher Ilana Jonsson, who died in a car accident in January, recalling how the class shared their feelings of loss by wearing Jonsson's favorite color, purple, to school all on the same day.
Class president Remy Zaccaria also expressed feelings of togetherness.
"We have grown in many ways, but most importantly we have grown together," she said. "Thank you moms and dads for making the decision to have our education be here in Montville."
Class salutatorian Rachael Lee lightened the mood with a humorous speech centered around the popular search engine Google, noting that a search for "what to say at graduation" yielded 927,000 hits in .27 seconds.
Lee went on to acknowledge that Google is not the authority of their collective memories. She mused over the long lunch line for Nacho platters, the bizarre
Halloween costume winner in a plain brown cardboard box, and how the parking lot reinforces aggressive driving.
"Google cannot know the pain of losing a teacher to a tragic accident," she said. "She will live forever in our lives. We are not only the authority of our pasts, but the masters of our futures."
Class valedictorian Ann John reminded classmates not to listen to others, noting that she was told in middle school that she would never be able to handle high school honors.
"Yet, here I stand before you today," she said. "There is so much talent in this class. We are a class that makes things happen. The true key to success is how much we impact others."
Before the procession for diplomas, Dr. Rita Seipp, Montville Interim Superintendent of Schools, offered a simple summary.
"Be proud," she said. "Even when no one is watching you."
Diplomas were distributed by Dr. Cortellino, Dr. Seipp, and Dr. Calabria. Once every graduate had crossed the stage, diplomas in hand, the ceremonies concluded with the traditional tossing of the mortarboards.
