LAWRENCE: Class of 2012 moves on

By Jennifer Bradley, Packet Media Group
   The Lawrence High School Class of 2012, dressed in red from head to toe, entered the Sun Bank Center in Trenton in pairs as friends cheered, families blew kisses and teachers and administrators looked with pride upon the students awaiting their diplomas on Wednesday, June 20.
   After the Trenton Ancient Order of Hibernians pipe band played for the teachers’ processional and the LHS concert band played “Pomp and Circumstance” for the soon-to-be graduates, senior class president Ethan Whitener kicked off the speeches by saying “I want you to fail.”
   Ethan said those were the words written on the blackboard of his first English class at LHS, and they have stuck with him since. He said to the Class of 2012 that they will fail, but they also have the strength to persevere.
   As the graduates screamed “We love you Mr. Dauber,” LHS Principal Jonathan Dauber grabbed the microphone and walked down from the stage to talk “with” the graduates rather than talk to, or at, them.
   Mr. Dauber said there were three important pieces of advice he wanted to leave with the class of 2012.
   ”The first is that time is a precious thing,” he said. “You will blink your eyes and you will be much older than you are now.”
   ”Be aware that anything worth pursuing is not going to be easy,” was Mr. Dauber’s second piece of advice.
   His final word of advice was to not apologize for individuality.
   ”To some extent the world promotes conformity, but I want you to remember the individuals that you are,” he said.
   Valedictorian Sreya Basuroy said, “Our school, particularly the Class of 2012, does not thrive on cliques,” she said. “We have cut a whole new path on our own with kindness and unity. Together we found the balance between collaboration and leadership.”
   Sreya also offered some of her words of wisdom.
   ”Intelligence and effort are equally distributed among us, but opportunity is not,” she said. “It is your duty to find a path where there is none in the face of the greatest hurdles.”
   She also encouraged the class of 2012 to stay in touch and never forget their time at LHS.”Although we must go our separate ways from now, we are not at the end of our friendships,” Sreya said. “After all I will see your pictures and posts on Facebook daily. Don’t forget to write, email or ‘call me maybe.’”
   salutatorian Abel McDaniels also emphasized the importance of unity.
   ”In a culture that increasingly values me and not we, we are a class that espouses comfort, unity and support,” he said.
   Board of Education member Leon Kaplan said that civility and unity were the most important skills in life.
   Mr. Kaplan said that the word civility shares the same stem as the word civilization, which emphasizes civility’s importance in every interaction.
   He also said that life is a team sport, so cooperation is a vital part of success.
   ”Thank you for giving us the greatest gift of all — a wonderful graduating class,” said Superintendent Crystal Lovell.