PEABODY — In any other year except this year of the pandemic, the first Friday of June for Peabody High seniors would normally mean graduation, a time to gather together one final time as a class to listen to words of wisdom from fellow classmates and move on to the future.
While graduation is not happening as planned Friday night, the senior class officers are continuing to work together as a single unit to fulfill their duties and close out the school year on a high note.
“With Colleen (Crotty) and I as co-presidents and the other officers, it felt like we were really
open,” said 2020 co-president Jean-Edwards Moise. “We all had different official titles but it didn’t mean much. It always felt like a good team effort from everyone. We always worked together to find ways to fundraise or anything else we had to do.”
That’s a sentiment shared by all four class officers, including Moise, Crotty, Treasurer Julia Pellizaro and Secretary Lily Avila.
“I think that it was really cool working with that group,” Avila said. “We’re all very different and do very different things around the school so it was cool to work together for something bigger.”
“It meant a lot to be a part of,” Crotty said. “I became really close with three that I wouldn’t have necessarily been close with otherwise.”
“It was the best experience for me in high school,” Pellizaro said. “We worked really well together and I’m just glad to have met all of them.”
Unfortunately, that time together was cut short after COVID-19 caused the cancellation of the school year and events the group had worked hard to plan for, like the prom.
The officers were quick to thank their class advisors, Emily Clark and Kristin Mercier, and Peabody’s administration for making the tough times go as smoothly as they did.
“It was devastating for everyone,” Avila said. “Our first thought was how to make things memorable for the class now. We couldn’t have gotten through it without our class advisors. The administration and the city were great supporters.”
“I was actually holding out hope that it wouldn’t get canceled and maybe we’d finish off the year in the final two weeks or something,” Moise said. “(But) I am excited about possible new traditions, like donating some of that money to students who are affected the most or a big 2020 class gift in the future.”
When it does come to the future, the officers are shifting their focus to the fall.
Crotty, who sadly missed out on her final season of lacrosse, will continue playing and studying nursing at Western Connecticut State University. Moise found the right fit at his first choice, Gordon College in Wenham. Pellizaro will be in Boston, continuing her love for community service at Emmanuel College, while Avila will study exercise science at Springfield College.
The Class of 2020 is still hopeful there will be a graduation in August, but it’s uncertain if both co-presidents will get the chance to address their peers one more time. Nonetheless, both officers have messages to share.
“I would just want to tell everyone to stay positive, healthy and keep following the rules so that we can be together to celebrate as soon as possible,” Crotty said. “All the hard work, the endless nights of studying, the late night practices before a big game, any and all the talent we absorbed with our peers has paid off. Graduation is not the end for us, but it is only the beginning. The way our high school career was ended was not what anyone imagined, but I strongly believe in the saying ‘everything happens for a reason.’ So take life by the horns and never forget how you were raised, as a Peabody Tanner.”
“I wanted to talk about all the things we’ve been through including, deaths of teachers and faculty while we were here,” Moise said. “(We were) the first class to have Chromebooks and the last class in the old Higgins Middle School. I also wanted to touch on things going on in the country with police brutality and the recent death of George Floyd. I’m sure some people are aware but I really want to spread that message to people who aren’t aware of the situation.”
