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Canton High
graduates class of "Oh Eight"
By Jay Turner
Citizen Staff
Oh
what?…Oh eight!
It was their
unofficial slogan all year long, so it was only fitting that on
graduation night, the 185 seniors in the Canton High School
class of 2008 gave it one final shout as they prepared to make
that first giant leap into the world of adulthood.
To class
president Kevin Ward, his was a special class — one that “bonded
together in the face of change” to still have a great senior
year. Despite having new administrators and facing, at times,
new rules and procedures, Ward said the reaction they had to all
of the major and minor changes “could not have been better.”
 He
said his classmates were even proactive about change, such as
the time they appeared before the School Committee in an effort
to move graduation to Memorial Field.
“Even though
the outcome was not what we wanted, we showed that we would
stick to the theme of the year and have a part in what was going
on in our school,” Ward said. “No one can take away the fact
that you all fought for something you thought was right.”
Other than
brevity, the theme of this year’s commencement addresses varied
from speaker to speaker, with school Superintendent John D’Auria
and CHS Principal Doug Dias looking to the future, and the
student speakers, including valedictorian Tom Waldman and
salutatorian Kelly Winter, reflecting on past experiences.
To D’Auria,
graduation was a reminder of how much the world needs the energy
and idealism of young people.
“We
desperately need you, our graduating seniors, to begin to
address the messes that we, the adults, have either created or
have not yet solved,” he said.
“We need
you, our latest and caring graduates, to contribute your energy,
your spirit, your creativity, your sense of service — all the
qualities that you have shown in your four years in Canton — to
help humanity.”
Following up
on D’Auria’s message, Dias instructed the graduates to not just
do well, but “do good.” He said he was confident that their
education will lead them to personal success, but that it is
more important that they aspire to help others, and to grow up
to become good parents and good neighbors.
Winter also
had advice for her classmates — to “shine unparalleled.”
“We are at a
point in our lives where we can prove to ourselves, our
families, our friends, and those who said that we couldn’t, that
we can be successful, epitomize greatness, or change the world,”
Winter said.
In looking
back on high school, Winter emphasized the sacrifices and
efforts the graduates had made “in order to be standing here
today.”
“You’ve done
your homework, studied for your tests, stayed after school for
extra help, and asked that question in class that nobody else
wanted to,” she said, adding, “You did it. You’ve accomplished
something great, something that not everyone can say that
they’ve achieved.”
Waldman was
also nostalgic, remembering the state quarter display board he
received as a third grader, and how far off 2008 seemed at the
time.
“I can
remember realizing back then that the last quarter wouldn’t come
out until after I had graduated, which was way off in the future
and it seemed like it would never happen,” he said. “Well, that
was nine years ago, half of our lives so far, and yet here we
are.”
The
commencement also featured greetings from John Connolly,
chairman of the Board of Selectmen, and Reuki Schutt, chairman
of the School Committee.
Connolly
recognized the parents of the graduates for all the “great work”
they did in preparing and supporting their children throughout
the years. To the graduates themselves, he said, “I hope you
enjoy success and happiness — above all, happiness — in whatever
paths you choose.”
Schutt began
her remarks by admitting that she had nervously thought about
what to wear to graduation and how she should do her hair, and
then offered her advice: Don’t worry.
“Don’t worry
so much about the specific choices you are making,” she said.
“Don’t agonize over your decisions.”
More
important than the decision itself, she said, is the effort that
one puts in once the decision has been made. She said she is
confident that they will make good choices when they leave
Canton, and she commended them on the choices they have already
made.
Earlier in
the graduation ceremony, three CHS seniors — Ali Goshgarian,
Alex Garfunkel, and Sue-Ellen Consolati — sang the “Star
Spangled Banner,” and the entire CHS chorus sang “My Wish for
You” by John Carter. Rabbi David Paskin also sang the Natasha
Bedingfield hit, “Unwritten,” as part of the invocation.
In
concluding his valedictory, Waldman, once the shy sixth grader
who vowed not to become valedictorian to avoid giving a speech,
offered up the following promise:
“Although we
may be going off into the world,” he said, “we will be back,
making sure Canton never forgets us — the amazing, adept,
attractive, agile, applaudable, astute, avid, amusing, awesome
(and those are just the A’s) Canton High School’s class of
2008.”
June 19, 2008
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