SWAMPSCOTT — Members of the Class of 2023 were just six months into their high school experience when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, disrupting just about everything they thought high school would be. It’s only fitting then that the class had to contend with one more curveball as they graduated Sunday afternoon: the weather.
With rain delivering some June gloom this weekend, the Class of 2023 pivoted, as they had to do so frequently throughout their four high school years — shifting the ceremony from Blocksidge Field to the high school gym. The change in venue didn’t impact the celebratory spirit of the ceremony, with the sound of an air horn punctuating the moment when graduates tossed their caps sky-high.
Student Council Executive Board President William Van Dam was the first to address the class and instructed his classmates to take a moment to shake their neighbors’ hands and congratulate them on the achievement of graduating high school.
“I’m so incredibly proud of each and every last one of you sitting before me today,” Van Dam said. “We have not only grown up but prospered in the mean streets of Swampscott, Massachusetts. After that what can’t we do?”
He also encouraged his classmates to take hold of their lives, and not wait for fate to decide their paths.
“Chase your dreams and do what makes you happy, explore and try new things,” Van Dam said.
Superintendent of Schools Pamela Angelakis followed Van Dam, basing much of her remarks on a quote from Duke Women’s Basketball Coach Kara Lawson, who once urged her team to “handle hard better.”
That quote, Angelakis said, is reflective of how one should approach life.
“It quickly became apparent to me that this coach was imparting a lesson that went way beyond the confines of her court,” she said.
“Thinking about the graduates we celebrate today, I realize they had the opportunity very early in their Swampscott High career to put coach Lawson’s words into action,” Angelakis continued, citing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. “My advice to you graduates is to take coach Lawson’s words into action in everything you do. Don’t just assume that life will be hard, embrace it and be prepared for it.”
Class of 2023 Secretary Isabela Miranda then introduced the ceremony’s guest speaker, Peter Franklin. Miranda described Franklin, who has taught at Swampscott High School for 16 years, as a “pillar in our community,” and praised him for fostering a positive and resilient mindset in the classroom.
In his remarks, Franklin shared three universal truths with graduates, telling them that their lives are the sum of the choices they make, that kindness is a thing, and that life can be a comedy club.
“Every person, every interaction, every everything is an opportunity to be entertained or to learn,” Franklin said. “While not every moment in your life will be humorous, you can choose every instance into a teachable moment by simply gaining a new perspective.”
“May you be intentional, may you choose kindness, may you grow and be healthy, may you have peace, thank you, congratulations, and don’t forget to breathe,” he concluded.
Franklin introduced Class President Braedan Bozarjian, who recalled being told high school would be the quickest four years of his life, a sentiment he said he quickly shrugged off — thinking, at the time, that four years was “forever.”
Now, four years later, Bozarjian said he’s changed his tune.
“Looking back at it now, I feel like just yesterday we were walking into school,” he said. “Our four years did not go by easily.”
“Throughout these four years we became more than just classmates who merely passed each other in the halls. We became friends, teammates, and I would even say we became one big family that has forged many friendships that will never be broken,” Bozarjian added.
A brief musical interlude followed Bozarjian’s remarks, where the Swampscott High School chorus performed a rendition of “When the Light of Morning Breaks.”
After the performance, Samantha Andrews delivered the valedictory address, in which she urged her classmates to think beyond the impact of the pandemic, and reflect on the ways in which they persevered and changed Swampscott High School for the better.
“I want to encourage every one of you to take that adventurous spirit with you wherever you end up,” she said. “We are each on a journey to figure out what kind of person we want to be, while being bold and stepping out of the box, we must hold onto our creativity and what makes each of us unique.”
Class Treasurer Brooke Walters followed Andrews, and introduced Principal Dennis Kohut. Walters said Kohut has “done the utmost amount of work” and dedicated himself to ensuring students and faculty had the best high school experience possible.
Kohut, who took over as principal ahead of the 2020-21 school year, when the Class of 2023 started high school, said the class will always hold a special place in his heart. During his remarks, he shared final pieces of advice for students from many of the school’s departments — from the custodial staff to performing arts teachers.
“Be a bowler and not a dice roller,” Kohut advised graduates, on behalf of himself and the rest of the school’s administration.
After his speech, Kohut presented scholarships to the graduating class, before ceding the microphone for the presentation of diplomas.
Class Vice President Olivia Foss delivered the closing address, encouraging her classmates to remember the winding road that led them to the gym Sunday afternoon.
“You are all wonderful, amazing and hardworking individuals,” she said. “No matter what, we are all connected in some funny way and I hope we all see each other again some day.”
Foss concluded with “caps off 2023,” a fitting close to a speech where she repeatedly had to pause to adjust the mortar board that seemed eager to be tossed into the air and no longer remain on her head, a wish she fulfilled with those words.
