PEABODY — Peabody Veterans Memorial High School (PVMHS) graduated 332 students on Friday.
Parents, family, and friends of the graduates all gathered under the blue skies that came with the late Friday afternoon to celebrate the 332 graduates.
After a brief prelude, which included appearances from PVMHS Choir and Concert Band, as well as the Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFJROTC), the students marched in the processional to greet the proud community that had piled onto the bleachers.
Co-Presidents of the Class of 2025, Leah Buckley and Jasmine Ramirez, then welcomed the audience.
“For most of us, we’ve been in Peabody Public Schools all our lives, while others only for a short while – no matter your situation, you’ve been given the tools to succeed… if your future entails being a doctor, influencer, mom or a dad, the road to these journeys will not be easy – everyone’s road will have their own challenges, if you treat others with love and respect, you will never go wrong in life,” Buckley said.
Buckley continued, “Whatever your future holds, be kind to others; they may need your help. Be proud of yourself, and hopefully our generation will make society a better place.”
Ramirez said, “We join together today to celebrate the accomplishments of the class of 2025. … Rather than give a speech full of cliches, I want to offer three pieces of advice.
“Embrace uncertainty. As we step out into the next chapter of our lives, uncertainty is inevitable — it’s easy to feel like everyone else has a clear path, but trust me, they don’t,” she said. “Failure is a lesson, not a defeat, here’s thing, failure isn’t bad, it’s a lesson to learn, grow and come back stronger.
“The key is to fail forward, the only real failure is not trying again — your journey is your own. … Remember this, your journey is yours, and no one else’s timeline of success shouldn’t dictate yours. As we all take our next steps into the real world, remember this: you are resilient, capable, and will do amazing things. Congratulations class of 2025,” Ramirez said.
Principal Brooke Randall then rose to the podium to speak on behalf of the graduates.
“I’d like to begin by saying welcome to parents, guardians, family and friends of class of 2025. … It’s been a privilege to serve as your principal, cheering you own and celebrating your victories, and walking beside you through the more challenging days. … You’ve shown resilience, determination, and heart. … Sitting here tonight in this moment, know this: you’ve earned every bit of it, and should be immensely proud of all you’ve achieved,” Randall said.
“We’re a city shaped by industry, pottery, milling, farming, and especially leather — that grit lives on in our community, our homes, and you — but it’s greatest strength isn’t it’s history… It’s the people,” Randall said. “You can experience it on a lively Friday night at the Holy Ghost, sing and dance along at the Greek Independence Day, and witness it on the flag raising days at city hall – this culture, our culture, is vibrant, diverse and full of life.
“I’m beyond proud this school is home to such a rich mosaic of students…. You’ve excelled in academics, athletics, art and career-readiness… Congratulations, I’m so incredibly proud of you,” Randall said.
Mayor Ted Bettencourt Jr. then gave his remarks to the graduates and audience, where he commended the class for how far they’ve come.
“I am honored to be here today to celebrate this momentous occasion in your lives — on behalf of your family, friends, teachers, administrators, and everyone who’s supported you in your journey, congratulations. For four years we’ve watched you excel, and we are deeply impressed, not only by your talent and intellect, but by the way you’ve conducted yourselves during the past four years,” Bettencourt Jr. said.
He continued, “Each of you have represented Peabody high with honor, integrity, and distinction. … I ask each graduate to take a moment, and reflect on your own personal journey that brought you here today.
“Follow those dreams, seek out that future that’s in your heart, and I know you can make it happen,” he said. “Now, we’re all rooting for you to make a positive difference. Once again, congratulations and good luck moving forward in all your future endeavors.”
Superintendent of Schools Josh Vadala then introduced the commencement speaker Dr. Mary Margaret Sta Cruz.
“I’m grateful and honored to be here today celebrating our class of 2025, congratulations. … I was on the stage exactly 10 years ago, and I never thought I’d be up here again — I thought, ‘What have I learned from high school? In what ways have I changed and grown?’ I’ve learned a lot, so I guess I’ve changed a lot,” Cruz said.
“In my class essayist speech, I talked about how demanding school was. … I can only imagine how much harder high school is now growing up in a digital world, not to mention all the pressure from others to succeed — despite it all, you did it,” Cruz added. “Whatever your path may be, instead, think about what we want our lives to look like, what is your goal in life? Ask yourself, ‘Does this path bring me closer to that?’”
Cruz continued, “Goals help give us purpose and give life meaning — they can be anything you want, but more importantly, you can always change your goals and path, because you’re the engineers of your future.”
Sam Farhat, the class’s Senior Essayist, then spoke to the audience.
“When I was writing this speech last night, I had no idea where to start. … I needed a timeless piece of advice that I could share with you all, but in reality, that does not exist. If I were to rewrite the speech, I’d have a different message each time,” Farhat said. “Some people might think education comes to an end today, but I don’t believe that — I believe we’re leaving high school only slightly less ignorant than when we walked in — with that being said, the message that I’ve settled on is ‘surrender.’
“I want you to imagine a river with a strong current moving downstream, you’re swimming and caught in the current – you have two options, to fight the current, you might make some progress, but you’ll get tired and end up downstream — if you surrender to its strength, you could have enjoyed the journey downstream. That river represents our lives, and the current represents time.
“Things will change, we’ll move forward in our lives, but no amount of resistance can stop time from passing. … But time doesn’t care who you are, it’s humbled every person who has ever lived or ever will live,” Farhat said. “Time shouldn’t be a scary thing, if we lived forever, time would have no value. Time is what gives our lives value, and in order to live it to the fullest, we must embrace change.”
The Salutatory Address was then delivered by Rei Trebicka.
“A lot of event shave occurred throughout our four years — a lot of unexpected things also happened, maybe you did really well in an exam you expected to fail, or maybe you made friends with a lot of people you didn’t expect to,” Trebicka said.
Trebicka continued, “Throughout our four years, a lot of our ‘expectations’ fell short of what actually happened. … This idea of expectation versus reality is what I want to focus on. Because I’ve seen a lot of people try and predict what will happen in their lives, why do we do this?
“Why do we let those small little hiccups define us? You can’t be prepared for everything live throws at us. … Life is so random that we can’t even agree on a single simile to represent it. Life is like a lot of things, all those can represent life because life is completely random,” Trebicka said.
Class Valedictorian Keira Howland spoke next, delivering her speech.
“We’re celebrating four years of growth, resilience and change… Throughout these challenges, the most valuable thing I’ve learned is to never stop pushing. To stop is to fail. … In the end facing challenges can be so hard, but it’s important to persevere and never give up,” Howland said.
Principal Randal and Mayor Bettencourt then presented diplomas.
When the moment finally came for the graduates to walk up and accept their diplomas, the crowd erupted in applause as the students took the first steps into their next chapters.
