After navigating through countless hours of homework, late night study sessions and daily sports practice, Wilton-Lyndeborough Cooperative School seniors had one last thing to say at the end of their high school career: “We all did it!”
On Friday, June 9, 46 WLC students walked across the stage with big grins on their faces to receive their high school diplomas.
The school gym was packed with several hundred people eager to see their sons, daughters, and friends take the first step toward a new life outside the walls of their school.
To kick things off, Austin Kimball, valedictorian and Class of 2023 president, said the WLC community has felt like a second family to him these last four years.
“Being in a small school district has united us. At the end of the day, we still care about each other,” said Kimball.
School Board Chair Dennis Golding said he was proud to have gotten to know the resilient class during his first year on the board.
“I’m so very proud of the young adults you’ve become. Your achievements have not been unnoticed. As you embark on this new chapter, remind yourself you are never alone because you are connected to this community,” he said.
In between speeches, graduating seniors began preparing for one of the most emotional parts of the night: the annual rose ceremony. As the song “Never Grow Up” by Taylor Swift played through the loudspeakers, graduates stepped offstage and embraced their loved ones.
As a final thought, former WLC social studies teacher Ken Garnham said character development is not solely determined by the event at hand, but rather by one’s response to it.
“Life’s going to throw you curveballs, and there’s going to be plenty of chances in life to do the wrong thing, but do the right thing,” he said.
When almost everything was said and done, the graduates had one more thing left to do.
Kimball led his class into the turning of the tassel, signifying the official completion of high school.
In traditional fashion, graduates threw their caps in the air and rejoiced at the end of their four years at WLC.
Following the ceremony, the graduates ran to embrace their loved ones, pose for pictures and say final words to their fellow classmates.
Graduate Brianna Fish said the moment was hard to put into words.
“I’m excited, there’s a lot of emotions,” she said.
Some graduates will go on to earn college degrees, and others will join the military. Some will join the workforce, and others may take a gap year.
But in that moment they were together, shouting in unison, “We all did it!”