SALEM — Families and friends of high school seniors gathered on the city common Friday night to celebrate the graduation of 236 students.
Valantis Christoforos, president of the Class of 2021, started off the graduation ceremony by recognizing the strength that his classmates had shown over the years in advocating for causes they cared about. He said that when he started high school, he felt shy and awkward, but that soon changed because of the environment of his class.
“I felt so invisible and felt I had no voice,” Christoforos said. “I realized, not only do I have a voice, I have the ability to be a voice and a light for others.”
He praised the graduates for their resilience in the face of a pandemic and dedication to helping one another.
“This is what it truly means to be human and a student,” he said. “To help each other.”
The pandemic was a common thread for many of the speakers at the ceremony, with Superintendent of Schools Dr. Stephen Zrike commending the students on making it through a year of virtual learning.
“The flexibility, humility, fortitude and character you demonstrated will serve you well for the rest of your lives,” Zrike said. “Whenever you doubt or question yourself moving forward, remember what you did here.”
Dr. Samantha Meier, the high school’s principal, echoed these sentiments, saying that of all the words she could use to describe education during the pandemic, she would choose “growth.”
“Fifteen months of this pandemic has forced all of us to grow in ways we never imagined,” Meier said. “We have all grown in our ability to give each other grace, patience and empathy.”
Salutatorian Deya Arnold told her classmates that she was impressed by the curiosity and progress she had seen from them over the years they had been in school together. She encouraged them to keep learning and exploring as they moved through their lives after high school.
“I have found that the greatest mistake is to not make mistakes,” Arnold said. “It is through our mistakes that we live.”
Valedictorian Christin Napierkowski said that she was excited to see what the future held for her fellow graduates, and that the world would be better with them entering it.
“There’s a good chance you’ve already had an impact on someone’s life, even if you don’t know it,” she said. “If you have the opportunity to make an impact, do it, and if there is no opportunity, make one for yourself.”
