“If you’re brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello.”
So said Mascenic senior class treasurer Ashley Jewell as she spoke to close out Friday night’s Class of 2019 graduation ceremony. After taking moment to thank family, friends and teachers on behalf of the 68 graduating seniors, Jewell reflected on the challenge of letting go, of moving on, of starting a new chapter.
“Perhaps the most important lesson that I have learned in high school is that home is not a place – home is people,” Jewell said. “So here’s to being brave and saying goodbye to all we’ve ever known. It doesn’t matter what I say today at this podium. What matters is the memories we have made, the friendships we have built together.”
Jewell concluded with an appropriate quote from Winnie the Pooh author A.A. Milne.
“How lucky we are to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”
With that, the graduation ceremony concluded, tassels were moved from one mortarboard edge to the other, and the caps were thrown in the air with a burst of confetti and applause.
Earlier in the evening, UMass-Amherst-bound valedictorian Kylie Bane reflected on her time as a Viking. Bane pushed herself, academically and athletically, during her four years, whether or not anyone was watching.
“I’ve learned the value of hard work,” Bane said. “No one else appreciates how much effort you’ve put in, and they likely don’t believe you when you try to express it. But that doesn’t matter – you’ve got your success to show for it.”
Bane echoed the slogan from the back of one of her old Mascenic cross-country t-shirts: “Work in silence, let success make the noise.”
After giving praise to the glory of God for allowing him his academic success, salutatorian Elisha Pyhala said despite the long hours he put in doing homework to keep his grades high, in the end, it was the people who mattered, not the test scores and A grades. Pyhala plans to attend Washington State University, but even far away on the opposite coast, he’ll always be a Viking at heart.
“What I’m going to take away from my time at Mascenic are the memories and friendships that I’ve created with the people I’ve grown to care so much about, and I hope my classmates do the same.”
To see all the photos from the graduation, see the photo gallery here: http://ledgertranscript.mycapture.com/mycapture/folder.asp?event=2238848&CategoryID=48776&ListSubAlbums=0
Below is a list of Class of 2019 graduates and their postgraduate plans.
Shannon Agonis, Roger Williams University
Anthony Andronaco, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Kylie Bane (Valedictorian), University of Massachusetts Amherst
Ethan Bilodeau, Workforce
Olivia Boland, Workforce
Britany Boulerice, Nova Southeastern University
Samantha Brooks, Rivier University
Dawson Brownell, Workfore
Braelyn Case, University of New Haven
Dwayne Case, Workforce
Reuben Chalke, Workforce
Caralynn Charron, New England College
Anthony Corvini, Workforce
Mahala Damery, Keuka College
Matthew Farrell, University of New Hampshire
Brandon Firicano, Plymouth State University
Joshua Gammel, Plymouth State University
Tyra Gibson, Workforce
Olivia Gilbride, University of Massachusetts Boston
Jacob Goodrich, University of New Hampshire
Jessica Hillock, Workforce
Sherrill Hiott IV, Fitchburg State University
Chelsea Holombo, Workforce
Ashley Jewell, Keene State College
Ashley Kandoll, Workforce
Treyton Ketola, Workforce
Owen Krook, Nashua Community College
Madison Labrie, Franklin Pierce University
Julie Lamarre, Becker College
Cole Lambert, United States Navy
Kolby Lampinen, Workforce
Jonathan Larouche, United States Army
Paige Lewis, New Hampshire Technical Institute
Nathan Long, University of New Hampshire
Robert McLain, United States Marine Corps
Patrick Miller, University of Hartford
Olivia Mitchell-Jenna, Rivier University
Joseph Movsessian, Workforce
Mallorie Nantel, Rivier University
Madison Pare, Michael’s School of Hair Design & Esthetics
Elisha Pyhala (Salutatorian), Washington State University
Megan Robichaud, University of New Hampshire
Cierra Rowe, Mount Wachusett Community College
Kyra Salo, Workforce
David Salvatore, Franklin Pierce University
Brianna Santana, Nashua Community College
Havanna Sikkila, Workforce
Lauren Sikkila, Workforce
Justin Smith, Southern New Hampshire University
Heath Somero, Workforce
Lainey Somero, Workforce
Amber Stafford, Mount Wachusett Community College
Kevin Swieca, Nashua Community College
Logan Thibault, University of New Hampshire
Juliana Tucci, Michael’s School of Hair Design & Esthetics
Grace Tucker, Syracuse University
Samuel Tucker, Manchester Community College
Mikayla Turilli, Workforce
Brett Vaillancourt, Nashua Community College
Jeremy Vento, Nashua Community College
Maurice Vivas, Nashua Community College
Grace Walden, Continuing Education
Isabella Walden, University of New Hampshire
Alexander Watkins, Workforce
Kyle Webber, Workforce
Colby Worcester, Workforce
Madison Wright, Workforce
Jacob Zina, Workforce