The Kingston High School (KHS) Class of 2024 graduation ceremony will likely be remembered not only for what made it unique to the departing seniors and their friends and families, but also its ceremonial idiosyncrasies. For the first and likely last time, the KCSD was faced with a renovation exile from the friendly cavernous confines of Dietz Stadium, and the challenge was more than met.
A flat field behind Edward R. Crosby Elementary School in the Town of Ulster might at first seen unfitting for the pomp and circumstance of a KHS’s commencement ceremony, routinely an event held at a scale commensurate with the size of the graduating class. Happily, the district found a way to not only make it work, but thrive. It didn’t hurt that celebrants enjoyed with cloudless skies and a temperature that was well shy of punishing; neither of these luxuries can be taken for granted in late June in the Hudson Valley.
As befitting an outdoor event, the ceremony did not go off entirely without a hitch. Class President Chase Fromson’s enthusiastic welcome was delayed by a dead microphone. The live-stream for those not in attendance was glitchy and dropped out altogether during a stirring duet by Gianni Bien-Aime and Jazmin McMillan. There were occasional name pronunciation fumbles as graduates were called to receive their diplomas.
But the triumphs were the story of the day, and the closing of a chapter for the Class of 2024. Channeling his inner-Jimi Hendrix, Rocco McElrath played a scorching rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” on electric guitar, followed by members of the KHS choir nailing a pitch-perfect version of the school’s alma mater. The pairing was what all graduation ceremonies hope to achieve: Classically contemporary.
And of course, there were speeches. KHS Principal Rachael Scorca advised graduates to be present while taking memories of what they’d achieved with them into the future.
“I wish I had taken a moment for it to fully marinate in my mind and understand the depth of what I finished and most importantly, what I was starting,” Scorca said. “You are just beginning on the next phase, building on the foundation you’ve crafted during your time in school. There will be times in the future when you feel defeated or sad. Come back to this moment and realize how strong you are and that you can be and that you can and will survive adversity.”
Scorca had further advice as well.
“Choose loving and supportive people to surround yourself with,” she said. “Find activities that make you feel productive and proud. Use your voice to advocate for issues and people that you feel strongly about. Bring positivity to those that need it. Try your best, keep your word, give your all.”
Student government president Jordan Perry spoke about some of the values she learned at Kingston High School.
“Jealousy is ugly, so be happy for your friends’ accomplishments, all their great loves and be there for their greatest mistakes,” she said. “Cherish every moment with one another because you never know when it could be your last laugh together. Even if it’s just sitting on the couch, reminiscing about the time you shared together the night before, take nothing for granted. We all have those days where the world feels upside down and all we feel like we could do is complain…Even if your Dunkin’ drink isn’t tasting perfect or the person at the drive-through isn’t smiling back, you never know how bad someone just needed to be treated nicely.”
Jordan closed with advice from her mother.
“Always make friends wherever you go,” she said. “Just be a nice human. In a world that can be so cruel, be kind.”
In his salutatory address, Jerry Chen addressed the Class of 2024 having begun their high school journey in the early days of the global Covid-19 pandemic.
“Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve gone from sleeping during online classes to sleeping during AP exams, from catching Covid to catching senioritis, and from scrolling TikTok to, well, still scrolling TikTok,” he said. “But on a real note, we have achieved so much as a class. We’ve had a record number of state-level athletes…We’ve won a record number of state and national awards at many of our academic clubs. And of course, we’ve also triggered a record number of fire alarms…Seriously guys, we need to stop vaping, though.”
Valedictorian Peter Dong opened with the ceremony’s greatest understatement.
“Well, I guess that’s high school,” he said, before leaning into a sense of gratitude.
“I’m grateful that we’re all together, which is more than I can say from my brother’s ten separate graduations four years ago due to Covid,” Dong said. “Now that we’re past that isolating virtual time, we can truly appreciate the incredible opportunities that Kingston High School has afforded us both in and outside of the classroom. In our clubs and sports, we found our communities, our places to call home away from home, filled with people who constantly inspire and uplift us towards our goals, who listen to us and advise us to be the best versions of ourselves we can be.”
Dong said his fondness for speed reading was analogous to wishing to quickly get to what was coming, and in considering that trait he found a way to slow down and soak up the present.
“I realized that something was missing,” he said. “These were likely the very last few years that I’d get to spend with some of the people that I’d been with my entire life. But really, many of my memories were like a blur, snapshots without any true substance, and I was always moving too quickly to truly see. So, fighting my natural tendencies, I set the goal of slowing down. And let me tell you, it really makes a difference…Colors seem brighter, moments feel fuller, and the faces of our friends and family seem much more vibrant. We begin to appreciate the little things, the lack that are shared with friends, the warmth of a hug, or even the beauty of a sunset…Slowing down allows us to savor the moments that truly matter.”
In keeping with a ceremony that was both traditional and unique, there was balance in the emotions shown on the faces of the Class of 2024, and their friends and families: There were tears, smiles, open laughter and wide-eyed wonderment at what was to come. And perhaps some of them heeded Dong’s advice and slowed down, savoring the moments that truly matter.
Join the family! 
