Class leaders pursue
medical studies, arts
By vincent todaro
Staff Writer
SPOTSWOOD — A class of 150 seniors said goodbye to one another and to Spotswood High School during commencement exercises for 2003 Tuesday evening.
About 150 classmates graduated during the ceremony at the Summerhill Road campus.
The ceremony included speeches from class valedictorian Elizabeth Bartel and salutatorian Erin Mooney.
Bartel spoke about the importance of friendship and following dreams. Friendship, she said, "is something everyone can relate to. You need someone to confide in and learn with you."
Bartel, who has lived in Spotswood her entire life, will attend Ramapo College, Mahwah, this fall and major in fine arts.
As for career plans, she said she’s hoping to do set design for theater.
"Anything in the arts," she said.
Bartel kept herself busy in high school, as she took part in the drama club and was a saxophonist and clarinetist in the prep band and concert band, respectively. She also participated in the National Honor Society, played on the girls’ varsity tennis team for three years, and was involved with both the Peer Mentor Club and SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions).
In addition, she drew cartoons for the school newspaper, The Scribbler, and was in the math league and student cabinet.
And she still found time to design the set for the school plays.
In fact, Bartel recalls that work as the best moments of her high school career.
"I had so many friends help me with that, and I was doing something I loved, with people I loved," she said. "It will be the one thing I remember."
Bartel noted that her high school years came at a time when school districts, including Spotswood, faced funding shortages and overcrowding. She said she was personally affected by scheduling problems and could not take all the classes she wanted. She also noted a high rate of teacher turnover and many outdated textbooks.
"But it can be a great school if you make the best of it, which I have," she said.
Mooney, the salutatorian, said she will attend Rutgers University, New Brunswick, this fall and will major in biology. She plans to be a doctor.
Mooney was involved in a number of extracurricular activities at Spotswood including playing soccer and basketball, being a member of the National Honor Society and participating in the Trailblazer program, which is part of the Adventure Club.
Her speech touched on how the class was joined together because of graduation, but now its members will go their separate ways.
As for the defining moment of her high school career, she said it just occurred.
"Graduation pretty much summed everything up," she said. "It was a great end to the last four years. It was bittersweet because I’m happy and sad that [high school] is over."