LYNNFIELD — While Lynnfield High School’s Class of 2021 showed its resilience this past year, graduating despite a pandemic is not what defines them.
Valedictorian Anthony Zhang made that clear as he described the uniqueness of his fellow graduates before all 171 of them crossed the stage on the Lynnfield High football field to receive their diplomas Friday night.
“All of our journeys have been unique, but the symbol of our accomplishments is the same,” Zhang said. “That’s the beauty of this. Today is a celebration of both community and uniqueness. Whether your passions are in the classroom or on the stage or on this very field, you’re all here in one place. You’re all Pioneers.”
It’s because of what the Class of 2021 has gone through that Zhang spent the time during his speech, not giving his classmates advice, but congratulating them on what they’ve done to make it there.
“That’s why I have no advice to give, you’ve already done it yourself,” Zhang said. “You’ve each survived your own obstacles and despite it all, have forged your own path. I have no advice because everything you’ve achieved is because of the decisions that you have made. These decisions have changed us and led us to who we are today.”
And as they graduate, the Class of 2021 has accomplished plenty. It wasn’t always easy for them, with the school’s switch from remote to hybrid learning several times throughout their senior year before finally finishing with in-person learning.
“You couldn’t have created a more difficult scenario,” Principal Robert Cleary said. “But through it all, this class has taken it in stride. They stayed focused on what they needed to get done and they did it. They worked hard, they persevered and they were resilient. These are the life lessons that matter far more than anything you see in a textbook. These are the skills that will separate them from those who graduated before them.”
Student Council President Ava O’Brien expanded on some of those accomplishments, which she hopes will just be a starting point for the rest of their lives.
“Senior year, we applied to colleges all while attending class over Zoom, something we never thought would happen,” O’Brien said. “Despite that, our senior class managed to get into amazing universities and programs all over the country. We truly overcame all that we were faced with in high school through persistence and determination. That is how I know the Class of 2021 will succeed tremendously in life.”
As the Class of 2021 goes on to accomplish more in their lives, they’ll always be linked by the bonds they made throughout their time in the Lynnfield Public Schools, said Class President Kiera Burns.
“This is a huge step that we won’t take alone,” Burns said. “Today we are surrounded by not only our families and teachers but the other 171 people in our class who we have spent the majority of our lives with up until this point.
“We may not be together like this from now on, but we will never be alone. We are a part of something bigger. We are the Class of 2021 — the class who graduated and made post-grad plans despite a pandemic, the class that was resilient.”
