Each graduating class is unique in its own ways, its members a collective of individuals with their personal goals and their plans, hazy or fixed, to get there. The KHS Class of 2025 is all that, and it’s also unique in its two most academically successful students coming from the same family. Valedictorian Meghan Cooper and salutatorian Luke Cooper are twins.
Meghan Cooper’s speech during the commencement ceremony at Dietz Stadium on Friday, June 27 centered around the theme of kindness.
“We have all worked hard and deserve kindness to ourselves and the world that helped us get this far,” Meghan said. “And while the world isn’t perfect, it is our job to reinstate the ideals of kindness to others to make it better.”
“The kindness that you put into the world is much more important than what you grow up to accomplish,” she argued “We aren’t given many gifts in this life for free, but kindness does not cost anything. Make sure you accept it with gratitude. Kindness is contagious. It takes little effort to spread, but leaves a lasting impact.”
Salutatorian Luke Cooper’s speech included a travelogue through four years at Kingston High. “Our freshman year, we came into this high school, inexperienced, meek, yet ambitious at the same time,” he said. “We all had the goal of graduating and pursuing greater endeavors, and told ourselves that nothing could get in our way. Though we may have been lost as we wandered endless halls and tried to find our footing, our determination and willpower got us through this harrowing year.”
Sophomore year was marked by expanding horizons, Luke said: “We didn’t always know what was going to happen or how our story would end, but we knew that by putting ourselves out there everything would turn out for the best eventually.”
As juniors, “the road ahead became much rockier,” marked by academic challenges, part-time jobs, helping with younger siblings, and other pressures. The stresses allowed growth.
By comparison, senior year was a sprint across the finish line.
“Everyone we knew told us it would go by fast, and they were far too right,” Luke said. “However, instead of despairing as months left turned into weeks and weeks to days, we chose to savor the small moments and make the most of our remaining time here. In the same way as our freshman year, stress was alleviated, and we spent time enjoying the last moments we would have in this community together.”
KHS principal Rachael Scorca also touched on adversity, change, and how the lessons learned in high school could pay dividends down the road. “Success comes in many forms and looks different for each one of you,” she said. Many parts of the future were unknown.
“There will be times in the future when you feel defeated or sad,” said Scorca. “Come back to this moment and realize how strong you are and that you can and will survive adversity. A smooth sea never made a skilled pirate.”
Keynote speaker Alanna LoBianco, a KHS Class of 2015 alum who a decade earlier had dreams of becoming on-camera talent on The Today Show. Her dream has changed more than once.
During college, LoBianco applied for three years for an internship at Madison Square Garden before finally being accepted as a senior. She’s been at MSG ever since, and is currently premium membership executive with the New York Knicks.
In May 2024, at the age of 27 she had a stroke. “In an instant, I lost my ability to walk, talk, and do the simplest of tasks,” she said. “Just over a year ago, I was in a wheelchair learning how to speak again, wondering what my life would look like. If you had told me at my graduation that stroke survivor would be part of my story, I’d tell you that wasn’t part of the ten-year plan.”
LoBianco said she was not alone in facing challenges.
“This past year or throughout the years, your class has gone through things no one could ever imagine,” she said. “Losing classmates, mentors, people who have had an impact on you. It’s all very heavy. And yet, here you are …. Resilience isn’t about bouncing back to who you were before. It’s about honoring what you’ve been through, holding on to each other, and choosing to keep going. And that strength you will carry with you forever.”
Assistant principal Rolando Briceño delivered his farewell speech in both English and Spanish. “You represent the dream and the work of your ancestors.”
Briceño said the Class of 2025 was a chapter in a long history for Kingston, and gave them the task of making their own marks. “You have the responsibility to represent Kingston well in your next stop. Share the pride that you have about this place. Maybe you will make your own impact on this city’s long history.”
Briceño continued with a broader message about the Kingston melting pot. Families with roots in public service and activism demand civil rights for all, he said.
Families with a tradition of military service defend democracy across the world, he said. Families new to the country bring with them a proud heritage, rich culture, and the energy to strengthen the country. A hundred years from now, he predicted, “high-school students will be reading about you, about your immigration experience, and how you made this nation stronger.”
Briceño closed his speech by quoting The Beatles. ‘The word is love,’” he said. “I will remember you. I will remember this class for the rest of my life, for all of your laughter, all of our chats, all of our battles, all of our tears, and all of our achievements.”
Join the family! 
