Every cohort of high schoolers, presumably, craves some lasting claim to fame as being unique and special, even as they reenact the time-honored rituals of the commencement exercises: marching down the aisle to the stately strains of Edward Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance,” switching their tassels from the right side of their mortarboards to the left after being handed their diplomas, tossing those square caps in the air once their new graduate status is officially certified. But being able to participate in such traditions as a group – live, in person and wearing no protective gear – must feel especially gratifying to the Class of 2023.
When the 159 graduating seniors of New Paltz High School and their loved ones gathered last Friday for their commencement ceremony in the Athletic and Wellness Center on the SUNY campus, instead of the high school athletic field, it was for reasons related to weather, not any sort of health emergency. The acronym “COVID” was uttered so infrequently during the proceedings that it almost felt as if everyone there was tired of hearing about the pandemic that had made their secondary education experience so different (and not in a good way) from any other graduating class that had come before, at least in living memory.
These were the crop of kids who, if they didn’t already know each other from elementary or middle school, were practically strangers to one another through most of high school. They had a little more than one semester in their first year to spend time together in shared physical spaces before the COVID shutdown. After that it was a matter of interacting in virtual classrooms for the next several years, seeking social and intellectual connection with other young humans whose faces appeared as thumbnails on screens. When they finally were allowed back into the school, they had to sit six feet apart, wearing masks for public safety. It was not until their senior year that the last of the restrictions were relaxed, and even then, some immunocompromised students had to continue to wear masks in public places.
This was certainly not the sort of “uniqueness” that any of them would have wanted to distinguish the Class of ’23, and the gathered crowd at the graduation ceremony seemed glad indeed to put it behind them. What was particularly striking was the sense of camaraderie in the atmosphere – that these young people had gone through something profoundly difficult together, even if physically separated. They cheered loudly every time the name of the recipient of one of more than 100 awards was announced. The words that kept recurring in the speeches by salutatorian Lauren Stolfe, valedictorian Sofia Loyer and keynote speaker James Gill were “resilience,” “adaptability,” “compassion,” “empathy.” These are kids who truly learned to appreciate one another, precisely because they couldn’t take one another’s presence for granted.
Gill, a veteran Social Studies teacher at New Paltz High School, advised these young people to “Continue being nice to each other” as they head out into the big world. It wasn’t the usual boilerplate graduation-speech message of pursuing success. “What I knew I could always count on was the character you possess, the care you have for one another,” he said. “Empathy and shared humanity are as important as creativity and skill.”
Referencing political pressures in some US states to restrict teaching the negative aspects of American history in recent years, Gill urged the graduates to keep honing their habits of critical thinking and learning from the mistakes of the past. “Use the reasoning skills that you’ve been armed with. We were not teaching you what to think, but how to think.” Citing a number of activist role models from history, including teenagers such as Malala Yousafzai and Greta Thunberg, he encouraged the grads to make volunteerism part of their lives, to work toward “something bigger than yourself.”
Presiding over the ceremony were Dr. Samuelle Simms, who took over as NPHS principal in August 2021, and Kathleen Schneck-Suma, named assistant principal in October 2021. Deputy superintendent Dr. Linda Oehler-Marx announced the certification of the group’s graduation, standing in for New Paltz Central School District superintendent Stephen Gratto, who was unable to attend due to a conflict with his own son’s commencement ceremony. Board of Education president Johanna Herget was also on hand to help hand out the diplomas.
Musical selections for the ceremony, aside from the aforementioned obligatory Elgar processional, included a performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” by the NPHS Band and Chorus; an interlude of Lennon and McCartney’s “In My Life” by unaccompanied Chorus after the salutatory address; the Band playing Jeremy Bell’s rousing “Einherjar: Warriors of Valhalla” following the valedictory address; and Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “Sine Nomine” for the recessional. An enjoyable bonus was American Sign Language signing of the entire proceedings, including the music, provided by Kate Andres and Carter Beers of the Mid-Hudson Interpreting Service.
Following the ceremony, attendees moved next door to the Elting Gymnasium for cupcakes, cookies, bottled water and plenty of photography of graduates with their friends and families. The vibe was equal parts celebration and relief, and more informal than such events have typically been in the past. Maybe surviving a plague together can teach people to reorder their priorities in life, as well as to bond with their contemporaries.
One audience member, NPHS Drama Club assistant director Karyn Morehouse, described the bittersweet experience she faces each time the latest crop of graduating seniors moves on – 17 of them active in school theatrical productions during the 2022/23 school year. “I am beyond proud of them. They survived one ‘normal’ show in the fall of 2019, their freshman year, followed by everything being turned upside-down due to the pandemic. The pandemic affected everyone, but it had profound effects on theater. These extraordinary humans persevered, handling theater with face masks, social distancing onstage and whatever else was thrown at them. They were finally free of all of those restrictions when we did Footloose in March 2023. They handled the pandemic and came out stronger. I can’t wait to see how they change the world.”
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