By: Michael Arges
"It was the formal end of 13 years with people," said
Becky Kramer of the June 22nd ceremony marking her graduation from
Hightstown High School with 264 classmates. The commencement ceremony at
The College of New Jersey marked the first graduation under new HHS
Principal Michael Matyas.
Ms. Kramer, who has served as the student representative
on the East Windsor Regional school board, noted the mixed feelings many
graduates have – sad looking back and excited looking forward.
"It’s the end of a lot of things and the beginning of a
whole new part of your life," she said. "I’m excited about going to
college, but I’m also sad that I’m leaving all my friends from high school.
I thought that I would cry a lot more."
Addresses by the class valedictorian and salutatorian
followed the tradition in which the valedictorian looks forward and the
salutatorian looks back. Salutatorian Bharathi Sundaram talked about the
bittersweet experience of longingly looking forward to graduation, then
suddenly realizing that "I will never see my friends like this again."
Ms. Kramer was especially impressed by the message given
by class valedictorian Heather Kulik, who spoke about the different ways of
defining how to be successful. Up until now, students could rely on friends
and teachers to define success for them in terms of grades and popularity.
As they graduate, it is now up to individuals to decide for themselves what
true success is. Ms. Kramer noted that this was a topic that she and Ms.
Kulik had been talking a lot about together in one of their classes this
year.
Class President Aubrey Peck said she likes the theme of
the class banner, which reads, "Now We Set Our Sails to Find Our Dream."
The banner will hang in the high school commons with other class banners
and with the flags of the many nations represented by students in the
school district. She noted that the class made it of durable material, "so
it should last for a really long time." Along with the banner Ms. Peck
presented the class gift, which will be a marquee sign at the horseshoe
entrance to the school. The sign will have movable letters so school events
and schedules can be displayed there.
At the ceremony, Principal Matyas congratulated the 265
members of the Class of 2000 for outstanding accomplishments in the
classroom, in extracurricular activities and in service to the community.
So far they have won more than half million dollars in grants and
scholarships. An estimated 83 percent of the class will further their
education at colleges or universities, 10 percent will directly enter the
world of work, 4 percent will begin their careers in the armed forces, 2
percent will attend technical schools and about 1 percent are undecided
what their next step will be.
In an interview this week, Mr. Matyas praised the class
for being adaptable and achieving well in spite of changes in
administrative leadership in the principal’s office and one of the vice
principal positions. As an example of the difficult transitions they
endured, he noted that because of a new interim principal at the beginning
of the school year, the seniors did not receive their traditional parking
privileges. Instead parking at the school became a first-come-first-served
situation.
