Westfield Mayor Daniel Knapik told 106 graduates he didn't want the storms to overshadow their special day.
Westfield Vocational Technical High School graduates, from left, Chelsea R. Tomasini, of Westfield, Chinelle M. Pieciak, of Westfield, William J. Barna, of Southwick, Nancy L. Rodriguez, of Westfield, and Mira V. Babinova, of Westfield, enjoy a moment together at their graduation ceremony Thursday at Billy Bullens Field in Westfield.WESTFIELD – Graduating from high school the day after devastating tornadoes ravaged the region and part of their city may have provided graduates with an important lesson in the meaning of helping one’s neighbor, the mayor said.
In his address to the 106 graduates of Westfield Vocational Technical High School, Mayor Daniel M. Knapik said, “This is a very special day, and I don’t want it overshadowed by what happened, but the lesson here is to remember what it means to be a good neighbor.”
Incredibly, he added, “it was business as usual in 95 percent of the city.” But in the areas of the city where residents were left with no electrical service for more than 24 hours as well as significant property damage, it was a time when all came together to aid one another.
“In a world where we don’t take the time to know our neighbors, just remember that you never know when you will need one,” Knapik said. “Yesterday and today, we saw neighbor helping neighbor, cleaning up, picking up debris, checking on one another.”
There were no signs of the havoc wreaked by the tornadoes in the southeastern part of the city at the ceremony in the center of Westfield at Billy Bullens field on a cool, breezy Thursday evening that was accented by a brilliant sun that made appearances from behind billowing clouds.
Thursday evening’s graduation ceremony was special in that it took place during the school’s 100th anniversary. It is a school, Interim Principal Stefan Czaporowski said, that prepares young men and women for their future with academic and practical skills acquired through their studies in 11 shops and programs of study.
All of the school’s 484 students, and the 106 graduates in particular, “serve as a tribute to the thousands of young men and women who chose a vocational education in Westfield as a path leading to life and work beyond high school,” Czaporowski said.
Class President and Valedictorian Amanda Cyr told her classmates and fellow graduates that while she may have earned the honor to stand before them as valedictorian, it was a day for all of them to be recognized as well.
“Today is not only my day to shine,” she said. “Every one of you sitting in front of me deserves just as much recognition, and I would personally like to congratulate all of you for this accomplishment.”