Mayor Richard A. Cohen told the graduates to express gratitude to everyone who helped them reach this milestone.
Agawam High School graduates Andrew S. Walles, left, and Douglas B. Vye, at their commencement held Sunday at Symphony Hall in Springfield.AGAWAM – Valedictorian Nicholas R. Cormier told his classmates to “take matters into your own hands” at Agawam High School’s graduation on Sunday.
At Symphony Hall in Springfield, 293 graduates out of more than 300 in the class of 2011 cheered and reflected as officials and peers told stories of the past four years of their lives together. Cormier laid out the skills necessary to have a productive future.
“Learning to take matters into your own hands, finding a routine that works and being creative; these are the three life skills that we all learned before we even cracked a textbook in first period,” he said. “Get ready for what’s coming because the schedule is yours, the tests are every day.”
Salutatorian Robert E. Carrier took a different tone, quoting heavily from Dr. Seuss’s iconic book “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” and weaving his classmates’ experiences into the story.
“You’ll be on your way up, you’ll be seeing great sights, you’ll join the high fliers who soar the high heights,” he quoted. “And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! Ninety-eight and 3/4 percent guaranteed.”
Cormier and Carrier will be classmates at Worcester’s College of the Holy Cross in the fall.
Principal Steven P. Lemanski stressed the importance of strong friendships while Mayor Richard A. Cohen told the graduates to express gratitude to everyone who helped them reach this milestone.
“They have all remained committed to your education, but more importantly, they have remained committed to you,” said Cohen.
Class president Kelsey Venne asked three of her friends to stand and be recognized while she heaped praise on them. Venne will attend New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in the fall.
This was Superintendent Mary A. Czajkowski’s final graduation. She will depart after nine years in the position to become superintendent in Barnstable.
“Your diploma may gather dust on a shelf in a drawer, but you will always be remembered,” she said. She completed her remarks with the chorus of the Beatles song “Hello Goodbye” played over the facility’s speaker system.
“Dream on, dream on, dream on,” said Lemanski, quoting the Aerosmith song of the same name. “Dream until your dreams come true.”