Nearly all 67 graduates took the opportunity to mark the occasion with extravagantly artful caps they created.
NORTHAMPTON – In a bow to the showmanship they have honed and cultivated, the 67 graduates of the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School took center stage in a high-energy theatrical extravaganza of music and drama during their commencement at the Calvin Theater Thursday evening.
In the 12th graduation ceremony since the charter public school opened its doors 15 years ago to a class of ninth-graders, academic excellence and boundless talent in the arts were celebrated in a raucous spectacle that resembled anything but a traditional and staid rite of passage.
From the brass-driven beat of the pit band that greeted the graduates as they clapped and danced their way down the aisles to their seats, and the movingly heartfelt performance of “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by graduate Kimaya Diggs, whose crystal-clear voice rivaled that of any “American Idol” finalist, to the dramatic, amusing and emotionally inspiring poetic presentation by student speaker Amelia Cain, the event was one that celebrated the uniqueness of each student.
Nearly all 67 graduates took the opportunity to mark the occasion with extravagantly artful caps they created and donned to top off their commencement regalia. A parrot, an intricate flower garden, a mythical unicorn, a creation of vinyl record albums and even an alligator heralded their arrival into the theater to the cheers of the audience that erupted into deafening applause.
Following the witty remarks by PVPA Board of Trustees President Paul Weinberg, who called the graduates “an unusually exuberant group of young people,” and self-described “spontaneous hugger” Robert Brainin, PVPA financial officer, who noted that quantified in financial terms the group equaled $575,000 in tuition revenue, student speaker Amelia Cain took to the podium and delivered a memorable address.
Their 2,217 days together, Cain said, began each day “at two aluminum doors” where the magic began.
“Like a trinket pilfered by a toddler, we held onto each other,” she said. “We have learned to speak for ourselves and shape our own utopia. Don’t let the smoke from our disasters define us.”
As for family, Cain compared succeeding as a student without that backbone of support to a “mouse without a sense of smell.”
“Without you, we wouldn’t have found the cheese.”
In the end, she added, getting out of bed was worth it, and detaching from her peers at the graduation ceremony was “the best break-up I’ve ever had,” a statement that was met with thundering applause from her classmates.
“Don’t think of this as an end,” Cain said. “It is simply a milestone. Smile ... people will know you’re up to something.”