From thriving in the face of a global pandemic, to building a welcoming and inclusive classroom environment, to bringing their principal enough nonperishable food items to stock the entire school district’s Little Free Food Pantries at least all summer long, East Hampton High School’s class of 2024 “understood the assignment.”
So said Sara Smith, the principal, who, in celebrating their achievements during Friday’s graduation ceremonies, recalled the class arriving as freshmen as Covid approached its first disruptive winter in September 2020.
“You brought our school back full circle to be better than it has ever been,” she told the 280 graduates who were about to walk across the stage and accept their diplomas.
“Although most graduation speeches are about wishing you joy and comfort and happiness, that is not this speech,” Ms. Smith continued, “because you have proven that you are built for more. You are built for struggle, conflict, problem-solving, contests, and trials, and you have the resilience to come out better people because of it.”
Ryleigh O’Donnell, senior class president, honors student, and standout athlete, also cited the importance of perseverance — “the simple but profound mantra of ‘never give up,’ “ she said in her remarks.
“At first glance, ‘never give up’ may seem like a cliche, something we’ve heard countless times,” she said. “However, its true power is revealed when we take the time to embrace it in our daily lives. As we move forward from high school, let us carry this lesson with us. Perseverance can turn dreams into reality. . . . Each step forward, no matter how small, brings us closer to our goals when we face new challenges and uncertainties. Let us hold onto the belief that we have the power to overcome them.”
Under the direction of Melanie Freyre, choral teacher, the senior choir members sang a moving arrangement of “Seasons of Love” from the musical “Rent,” which perfectly summed up the speakers’ sentiments.
Many of the graduates are bound for higher education, accepting thousands of dollars’ worth of scholarships from community organizations and earning academic awards to colleges such as Dartmouth, Georgetown, Cornell, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Rochester Institute of Technology, Boston College, Stony Brook University, and many others.
In her remarks, Leah Fromm, the class salutatorian and a whiz at science and music, acknowledged that “it is easy to give up and settle for what is easy, but this class has a way of pushing each other to strive to be the best each of us can be.”
She urged her peers to “always be open to a change in perspective, because you never know when a trait that once held you back may be the reason you succeed.”
Nick Cooper, the class valedictorian, a talented athlete and another standout in music and science, addressed something that he said “many of us avoid thinking about” — failure.
“Truly, there is no worse feeling than putting your time and effort into a task when your best will never be enough,” he said. “So, what happens now? . . . Contrary to popular belief, trying your hardest won’t get you past every hurdle. Rather, through high school we have developed important coping strategies to turn failures into future successes. For every test you fail or every job you lose, there are 100 more available for you to take advantage of. Don’t be afraid to move on to something new when the old isn’t working anymore.”
There were plenty of words of thanks to go around. Nick thanked all the faculty members and staff who have dedicated so much time and energy to the students’ success since their first days at the John M. Marshall Elementary School and the neighboring elementary and middle schools. He also acknowledged Ms. Smith individually.
“On the last day of school, I told her there was never a class, club, or activity I wanted to do that I couldn’t find here,” Nick said, “so I would like to thank her for motivating each of us to take advantage of every opportunity in our extremely special East Hampton community.”
Ms. Smith herself celebrated another graduation of sorts in highlighting the contributions of Ralph Naglieri, an assistant principal and longtime school psychologist, who is retiring after 32 years with East Hampton. He, too, understood the assignment, she said.
“To any aspiring or new educators or new coaches or aspiring fathers or new psychologists or friends or administrators in the audience, this is how it’s done,” the principal said, prompting a standing ovation.
Kieran Conlon, vice president of the student association, offered the class statistics with a bit of comedy and lessons from his journey into the world of acting. Eighty percent of the graduates are headed to college, five to tech schools, five into special programs and gap years, 10 percent to the work force, and four heading into the military.
“Four years is far, far too short a time to spend it with such wonderful, individualistic individuals,” Kieran said. “I firmly believe this is a group of a caliber that deserves to be known, because you all are spectacular. . . . It’s hard to put into words the experience that we all shared.”
There were cheers, hugs, and handshakes as students received their diplomas and the larger-than-usual graduating class stepped off under a stunning sunset into their futures.