Lawrence High School’s Class of 2001 entered the real world last week on a warm evening under blue skies dotted with fluffy white clouds, its spirits as high as the occasional stray balloon that floated over the high school football field.
By: Lea Kahn
The more than 200 students that made up the 34th graduating class at Lawrence High School received their diplomas and prepared to take the next step in their young lives at the graduation ceremony Friday night.
Superintendent of Schools Max Riley and Lawrence High School Principal Donald Proffit led the procession of dignitaries, staff and graduating seniors, accompanied by piper Ian Parker, who played traditional Scottish marching tunes.
Family and friends called out to their soon-to-be graduates as the line snaked its way from the high school building and onto the football field. Family members snapped photos. Then the class marched onto the field, two by two, and was seated.
Senior Class President Justin Reed welcomed his classmates’ families, friends and guests. He acknowledged the graduates’ extended family aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins and neighbors and offered the class’s thanks for "everything you have done for us."
"Now it is our turn to demonstrate that, thanks to your efforts, we have persevered and we are prepared, willing and anxious to move to the next level," Justin said. "I challenge the Class of 2001 to always be prepared, motivated, dedicated and committed to make the right decisions in terms of our families, communities and our nation."
Mr. Proffit, the high school principal, introduced Mayor Pam Mount. The mayor presented resolutions to class valedictorian Julie Figuiera and class salutatorian Jennifer Catena on behalf of Township Council.
Addressing her classmates and their families, Julie assured the listeners that her speech would not be too long. The one piece of advice that she received when she was writing her speech was "don’t blabber on for an eternity."
"Which made me start to think about the word ‘eternity,’" she said. "I think it is one people don’t really understand. I had this word explained to me once after a long mock trial team practice," said Julie.
Julie said she was told to imagine a bird taking every grain of sand from a beach and carrying each one across the ocean to another beach. She said was told to imagine how long it would take, and then double it and that would still be nowhere nearly as long as eternity.
"I was only a sophomore then, who thought high school would last forever," Julie said. "But it has not, and that fact is a great sorrow for all of us who enjoyed our four years at Lawrence High School."
Julie acknowledged that some of her classmates did not enjoy high school. Those students often get lost among the cries of "This is the best time of your life," she said. Although high school may not have been the best time of their lives, hopefully they can choose their own best time, she said.
"I say hopefully because, even though life is filled with many choices that must be made, there are some things beyond our control," Julie said.
Everyone is given certain advantages and disadvantages in life, and it is up to each person to find some way to make an advantage out of a disadvantage or to bear those crosses with dignity, she said.
"We can’t all be the best student, the best athlete or the most popular," Julie said. "We can’t all change the world or win a mock trial championship. But we all have a contribution to make. … We all have a place in the world, none better than another.
"If we fulfill our roles, then we all will have the awesome power of legacy the ability to make a mark on this world that will last forever," she said. "In thinking of this indelible mark, I feel as though I can come up with a better definition of eternity than a metaphor about a bird with a beak full of sand. Through the everlasting life of our accomplishments, we are all eternal."
A very wise teacher said that there are often two ways to achieve things in life one is to gain them by passing a test, and the other is to earn them through experience, Jennifer told her classmates. The Class of 2001 has earned the right to graduate because it has accomplished both.
While her classmates have taken many tests, they also have learned many things through experience the best routes to go to class to avoid the crowded hallways and the "up-only" staircase and how to make oneself look presentable in the five minutes allowed at the end of pool class, she said.
Jennifer urged the underclassmen to study hard and pass the tests. Although the tests are important, students should not shortchange themselves on experience, she said. Take the time to get to know the teachers and the other students. The teachers may seem austere in class, but many of them have led interesting lives.
"Take the time to really get to know your classmates as well," she said. "You may find out that the people (who) you were sure hated you (have turned out) to be your best friends, and the ones you never thought twice about will be the very people that make the experience worthwhile."
The Class of 2001 has been told that it is an extraordinary class with amazing gifts, Jennifer said. Take those gifts and make the most of them, she said, adding that her classmates should chase their dreams and accomplish as many of them as possible.
"Work hard and pass the tests, but revel in the experience," she said. "Remember the people who helped you get this far and consider that everyone may be of equal value. Keep your eyes open to the lessons strangers have to teach, and learn from all of them.
"In the end, what matters is how we’ve changed and the people who helped us do that, and what we learned along the way," Jennifer said. "Remember the people that touched our lives through high school, and try to be one of those people for someone else."
Recommending the Class of 2001 for graduation, Mr. Proffit said that while the seniors may think that direction from their parents, families and teachers is about to end at graduation "I am here to tell you that it does not."
For some seniors, the kind of education they receive will define them, the principal said. For others, it will be a job, a career path or one’s boss that tells them who they are. Money or greed may define some seniors the kind of car they drive or clothes they wear or the place where they live, he said.
"But somewhere buried deep inside each of you, all these voices begin to fade and the one true voice that tells you who you are begins to be heard," Mr. Proffit said. "It is waiting for you right now. This voice requires your attention. You need to find it.
"My hope for each of you is that this voice be one of kindness, one of honesty and fairness, one of responsibility and respect, one of compassion," he said. "Listen carefully. Listen deeply. You will hear it. Do not ignore it. It will lead you in the right direction. It will tell you who you are."
Graduation is the moment when the whole town offers to the world its most precious gift it has its young people, Dr. Riley said, as he presented the Class of 2001.
Then, each student was called by name and handed a diploma, receiving congratulations from Dr. Riley, Mr. Proffit, Board of Education President Mary DiMartino and senior class advisors Shelly Rowe and Lauren Cell.
