MARBLEHEAD — As the sun met the sea on Friday night, 183 students at Marblehead High crossed the stage and received their diplomas, and like the many sailors who have called this town home for hundreds of years, set sail on their next journey — their final destination unknown.
Although many leave Marblehead bound for wherever their post-secondary plans take them, they leave High School with memories and friendships that will serve as a testament to the community they’ve spent the first part of their journey in.
A part of this journey is about moving “from being cared for by a community to helping sustain one,” Class president William Cruikshank said to Marblehead High graduates, urging them to become informed, engaged participants in the town that invested in their education.
“Community is not just the buildings you pass every day, but the people, traditions, and relationships that give those places meaning,” he said, while reflecting on his athletic experiences while running throughout town.
He said, “On those long runs, you see things differently, you start to notice the people who keep the town moving — the fishermen heading out to sea, the crossing guards out early, shop owners opening up for the day, and countless others doing the quiet work that keeps the town running.”
Cruikshank encouraged his classmates, who are soon to be first-time voters, “to remember that communities stay strong because people choose to participate in them — that means showing up, staying informed, listening to one another, and understanding that the future of a town, a school, or any community is shaped by the people willing to invest in it.”
Where Cruikshank emphasized duty to the community, fellow speaker Joy Meshulam, this year’s valedictorian, took up a different challenge, urging classmates to embrace risk — and the temporary sting of failure — rather than live with lifelong “what ifs.”
Meshulam said there are two types of regret. “There’s the regret of doing something and wishing it had gone differently, and then there’s the regret of never doing it at all. One becomes a story, the other becomes a lifelong ‘what if.’”
Meshulam encouraged her classmates to embrace rejection as a temporary setback that should not feel discouraging, reflecting on her own experiences as an adolescent.
“Rejection lasts a few minutes, but if I’d never tried at all, I would have spent my life wondering what I missed,” she said. “Everything meaningful starts with a willingness to be vulnerable.”
Concluding her speech, Meshulam charged her classmates to “sit with someone new, start the conversation you’ve been avoiding, ask out your crush, raise your hand, even when you’re not completely sure, apply for what feels out of reach, and show up even when you don’t feel fully ready, because failures fade, but never trying lasts a lifetime.”
Salutatorian Ian Chemel focused on what taking advantage of opportunities — and four years of coursework — have already given them: a broader understanding of the world and their place in it.
“Intelligence is not just classes and tests, it is also a maturity, an experience with the world,” he said.
Chemel said this is the root value of a high school education. “No time else in life will you be forced to rigorously and simultaneously study current events and history, biology and math, art and literature — all these facets of human life and culture.
“On this day of celebration, I hope we can all take a moment to look back on how far we have come, not just in these last four years, but throughout our entire lives,” he said.
High school is also an opportunity to foster connections with others. For Graduate Abdullah Ali Al Janabi, this is where he thrived.
“I like to talk, a lot.” Al Janabi said, opening his speech. “Why do I talk so much? Maybe it’s because awkward silence kills me. Maybe it’s because I was just born this way. Or maybe it’s because, deep down, every human being is wired to connect with one another.”
While living in Marblehead, Al Janabi has met with business and community leaders and “other very successful people,” he said. “I don’t bring that up to boast. I bring it up because those people have the same five fingers as your barber, your trash collector, your plumber, and your grocery store cashier.”
He added, “The job titles never mattered to me. It was always the human being behind the fancy suit or the orange safety vest that I wanted to know.”
Marblehead is called home by many people who are just like what Al Janabi described. They, like the class of 2026, have made lasting memories in town. Memories, the class of 2026, honored with this year’s class gift: a mural of Marblehead painted in the high school cafeteria.
Class Vice President Owen Dulac said, “We chose to have a mural of Marblehead painted on the back wall of the cafe, because this town has been the heart of so many memories that have shaped us over the last four years. No matter what’s in store for us, Marblehead will always be home.”
Marblehead High Principal Dr. Michele Carlson told graduates, “As I reflect on your class, I’m struck not only by what you accomplished, but how you accomplished it. You supported one another, you showed kindness when it mattered, you demonstrated leadership both large and small.”
She added, “You represented Marblehead High School with pride in academics, athletics, the arts, community service, and countless activities that enriched our school community. You have left your mark on our school.”
Superintendent John Robidoux encouraged the graduates to “Be a lifelong learner” and to “Strive to do the right thing.”
Adding, “Use your head, and finally remember who you are.”
