REVERE — With this spring’s coronavirus pandemic putting a halt to a typical senior year and canceling several traditional senior events, the mature response of Revere High School’s Class of 2020 is what stood out the most to Patriots principal Dr. John Perella.
“It has been a very unique year,” Perella said. “One thing that strikes me is how the class shifted from being concerned about some of their senior events being canceled to really becoming active leaders in the community.
“They quickly became student leaders during a very challenging time for the whole community,” Perella said. “Their voices have become very powerful in driving change and we’re so proud of what they have done.”
The list is long for some of the Class of 2020’s career highlights during their time at Revere High. Some major moments include welcoming Perella, a Revere native, back to the school as principal from Medford, excelling in the classroom and moving on to some of the area’s top universities, and finding plenty of athletic success on the newly-christened Harry Della Russo Stadium.
“When I came in before last school year, this class was going into their junior year,” Perella said. “I think a junior class is very unique in that they’re some of the leaders in the school. They’re all excited to be moving forward and looking to senior year. They were all very active, helping and working with me in my first couple years here.”
Some of the Patriots’ top graduates included their valedictorian Nicholas Laws, who will move on to Harvard University. Salutatorian Coby Everton will also attend Harvard University while William Ly (UMass Amherst), Sophia Garcia (Boston University) and Ergi Ismahili (UMass Amherst) also finished right at the top of their class.
This past year the class of 2020 also saw plenty of success athletically, with some of the biggest highlights coming in the fall on their home turf.
The Patriots football team had a season to remember, filled with plenty of big wins and highlights leading to Revere clinching the Northeastern Conference South title.
Revere capped off the year with a memorable playoff run that ended in the Division 4 North finals against Melrose before putting a bow on the program’s first-ever 10-win season with a victory on Thanksgiving Day against rival Winthrop.
The Patriots’ field hockey team also had a season they won’t be forgetting anytime soon. The Lady Patriots meshed all year on the field and added to the school’s history as well by qualifying for the Division 1 North state tournament for the first time in 31 years.
But for Perella, the way the class handled one of their toughest and last moments of their careers at Revere High will always be the most memorable highlight for the group.
“I would say there’s a lot of typical highlights over the years for them but now is really the time to pick out,” Perella said. “The senior class leaders have been so vocal in working with us and helping us figure out how to best handle their graduation. Their voices are really driving. Right now is their defining moment and their demonstrating their maturity.”
On June 10 Revere honored their 2020 graduates with a car parade at the school while plans for a graduation ceremony in August are still underway.
“We’re not going to give up hope for that,” Perella said. “I think we want to keep it open right now. We’re working hard and really close to figuring out details for graduation.”
