By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
MONTGOMERY — Tuesday was the longest day of the year and it was in some ways fitting for Montgomery High School’s graduation ceremony, because it took 12 long years for the nearly 450 seniors to reach that milestone.
On a warm summer night, the Montgomery High School Class of 2016 was led into Cougar Stadium by administrators and faculty, passing underneath an American flag that was suspended from a fire department ladder truck.
Family and friends clapped and cheered as the seniors, clad in green caps and gowns, filed onto the field and into their seats to the traditional “Pomp and Circumstance” played by the Montgomery High School Band.
Senior class president Matthew Heebner welcomed his classmates to their ceremony, playfully reminding them that “this is official license to forget all that you learned here for four years.” But it is one of the best high schools in the country and one where virtually every student is literate in math and English, he said.
There is much more to life after high school, Matthew said. Success, however, is not measured by the college one attends, the amount of money one earns or the job one holds. It is determined by how well one leaves the world — in better condition than he or she found it, he said.
His classmates may become doctors, lawyers, professional athletes or military servicemen and servicewomen, Matthew said, but he doesn’t see them that way. What he sees is not a career, but a group of people who can change the world.
Class Valedictorian Srikar Tallavajhala said his main message to his classmates is simple — don’t forget who you are, where your roots are and who helped you to grow into the person that you have become.
Montgomery Township is diverse, and it taught him to appreciate and value other cultures, said Srikar, who has lived here since he was in pre-school. He is proud of his hometown and his high school, he said, adding that he was surprised by the number of students who said that “Jersey sucks” and they want to get out of here.
“Don’t be in a hurry to rush out of here. Stay true to who you are and don’t be stretched in a direction that you don’t want to go,” Srikar advised his classmates. “Don’t forget the people who pushed you to be your best. Come back and visit.”
Nicolas Ng, the class salutatorian, echoed Srikar’s sentiments. Nicolas recalled the feeling of awe that he felt on his first day of school as a Montgomery High School freshman. It seemed that he and his classmates would never stop being freshmen.
But college was soon looming in the distance, and the classmates developed a growing sense of urgency to enjoy the waning days of high school, Nicolas said. Looking back, he said he learned how to live life.
“I believe the good old days have just begun,” Nicolas said.
Montgomery High School Principal Paul Popadiuk summed up his advice in just a few words — to be a hero, to take advantage of today and to smile.
A hero is someone who reaches back to help others, Mr. Popadiuk said. It’s the lawyer who does pro bono, or free, work, or the adult who coaches a youth sports team or who volunteers to help the homeless, he said.
Taking advantage of today is also simple, he said. There are two days of the week that you cannot control — yesterday and tomorrow. All the money in the world can’t bring back yesterday, and tomorrow hasn’t happened. So, enjoy today.
And finally, give away your smile, because it costs nothing, Mr. Popadiuk said. It can give so much and enrich the one that receives it.
Then, it was time for the seniors to pick up what they had been waiting for — their diplomas.
As each senior’s name was read, he or she walked across the field and onto the podium to pick up a diploma. The air was occasionally pierced by a Montgomery Township Volunteer Fire Co. No. 2 fire truck’s air horn, as the name of one of eight seniors that volunteer with the fire company was announced.
When the last student crossed the podium, the air was filled with green caps — and the Montgomery High School Class of 2016 was history.
