Conant Middle High School celebrates class of 2026 graduation

The Conant Middle High School Orioles flew the nest on Friday, as the 2026 graduating class walked the stage to accept their diplomas in the Franklin Pierce University field house.

“At graduation time, we often use the word ‘commencement’ instead of graduation. The reason we prefer that word is because this time of transition, the first major one most people face in their lives, should, in the best scenario, be more of a beginning than an end,” said Principal David Dustin in his welcome speech.

Dustin praised both the class and the community, pointing to the class’s accolades, including high participation in Advanced Placement classes, and 23 students, or about a third of the class, earning distinction as New Hampshire Scholars. He also thanked the community for its contributions to the $100,000 in scholarships offered to graduating seniors this year.

Valedictorian Sophia Spingola spoke on the first time she remembers having to think about what she wanted to do with her life — sitting in the pediatrician’s office at the ripe age of 7, she told her doctor she wanted to run a hot dog stand.

She encouraged her fellow graduates to keep dreaming.

“Every single one of us on this stage has a dream. A lawyer, a teacher, a doctor, each one different from the rest. But today, as I stand on this stage, I ask each one of you to dream something new. Dream to be different, dream to create change, dream to dissent, dream to stand in front of your peers and coworkers and say no to injustice, and finally dream to find a goal,” Spingola said.

Salutatorian McKenna Bellofatto spoke of what it would take for her fellow students to reach that goal: perseverance.

“Looking back at the last four years, I think one thing that many of us have learned is that high school rarely turns out exactly like you expected it would,” Bellofatto said. “One of the most important lessons high school has taught us is that success cannot be measured by a single number. Success can only be found through persevering, and every single one of us had to persevere to be here tonight. We had to push through all the challenges we faced, even when it seemed impossible at times.”

Class President Emma Norris spoke to her classmates about the nostalgia of looking back, as they finished their high school careers.

“When I was a kid, I always wished to be like the older kids. Now that I am one of the older kids, I wish to be a kid again,” Norris said. “I wish to be sitting in class doing timed multiplication tests and having fun at the Christmas parties before Christmas break, or participating in field day or going on field trips, back when life was about being a kid.”

She also encouraged her fellow students to continue to apply the lessons they’ve learned in their close-knit community as they go on in their lives, with the main message being, “Keep showing up.”

Morgan Baker, the senior class advisor, spoke to the students, reminding them of the times they had spent together, reminiscing on made-up classroom sports, helping students — and students helping him — with car troubles in the parking lot, students single-handedly keeping class pets alive, going on label-making sprees in his classroom, and becoming champions in Scattergories or pie-eating.

Baker said the class of 2026 “never lacked personality, never lacked energy, and somehow managed to leave an impression on every teacher they encountered.”

“These graduates are a group of young people who made this school a more interesting, more energetic, and more joyful place to be,” Baker said.

As a class gift, Norris and fellow class officers Spingola, Violet Bennett and Caroline Rockhill presented plans to redo the school’s front garden and donate metal benches for outdoor seating.