Smith said the number of students in Advanced Placement classes had increased dramatically over the past year.
SOUTH HADLEY – South Hadley High School held its commencement ceremony on Sunday afternoon in the amphitheater of Mount Holyoke College.
The class of 2011 marched two miles along Route 116 from the high school to the college.
Featured speaker at the event was Lynn Pasquerella, the popular president of Mount Holyoke, who started life as the daughter of a working-class single mother and has reached the pinnacle of her profession.
Of 156 graduates of South Hadley High School this year, 88 percent will go on to college.
Daniel T. Smith, principal of South Hadley High, said the Class of 2011 was so strong that it produced two valedictorians and two salutatorians instead of the usual one each.
Morgan Provost and Chloe Sabbs were co-valedictorians, and Melanie Demakis and Julia Lamontagne were co-salutatorians.
Awards in such subjects as English and French were given out, as well as character-based awards and athletic awards. Scholarships also were announced.
“This has been a high-achievement group in various ways,” said Smith. “A lot of seniors were involved in the state championship Super Bowl for the football team and the state championship in Division IIIA of the hockey team.
“The sports programs and the music programs were outstanding,” he said.
Smith said the number of students in Advanced Placement classes had increased dramatically over the past year. “Last year we had 57 students in Advanced Placement, and this year we had 130,” he said.