That's a wrap! Yesterday, a beautiful Friday afternoon that happened to be the summer solstice, the Ridgefield High School Class of 2019 graduated at the William A. O’Neill Center at Western Connecticut State University.
The school's one hundred third commencement ceremony will begin with a Bag Pipe Processional, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance, read by class president Alex Holder, and the National Anthem, sung by the RHS Graduation Choir.
Class leaders and school administration addressed the Class of 2019, giving the following speeches:
Alexander Holder - Class President
On behalf of the class of 2019, I would like to welcome all family, friends, faculty, and alumni to the 103rd commencement ceremony of Ridgefield High School. We did it. We slowly moved our way toward the glass wall in the student center. But seriously, today is a day that we’ve all been looking forward to for the last four years. Think of how many times over the last few years we complained about how much we wanted high school to be over with so we could go do other things with our lives. And with every year that passed, we were slowly moving toward that glass wall. However, as today has grown closer, I think most of us wish we just had a little more time in high school. Think about how far each of us has come individually and as a class. Four years ago we walked through the doors of RHS for the first time. We all nervously stumbled around in the auditorium looking for a seat. We all wore our new name tags and the teachers stared down at us from the stage all while we were instantly bombarded with advice from the older class presidents.
After that, we were left on our own to aimlessly wander the halls looking for our classes. Yeah, no one knew where the classroom they were looking for was, but that's just part of being a freshman I guess. Now, four years later, we’re all able to figure out where we're going, well most of us. Our Sophomore year came with memories I’m sure none of us will ever forget. Like when we played Wilton for the basketball FCIAC title and won that game 68 to 64. But that was just a small part of our athletic success in the past 4 years. During our time here at Ridgefield High School, we brought home 11 FCIAC championships and 8 State Championships. Over the course of the last 4 years our Girls Soccer team has collected 3 FCIAC titles and 2 States titles. This year, we brought home 2 undefeated seasons in both Boys Swim and Boys Ski. And most recently, our boy's track team brought home their first fciac championship in 42 years. However, we have clearly accomplished more than athletic excellence during our time in high school. Not only are we graduating from one of the top Public Schools in Connecticut, but we furthered the reason we are one of the best.
During Junior year, members of our class helped to organize the National School Walkout, which sparked a movement that motivated half a million students across the country. Beyond political activism, our theater and music departments have produced amazing shows including Cinderella and the Addams Family. This year our theatre department was nominated for 20 HALO awards. The plays that are put on are an important part of what makes Ridgefield, Ridgefield. While our grade was sparking a movement, and our theatre department and athletic teams were making school history, time was ticking away and we were slowly moving toward the glass wall. So, Class of 2019, today marks the day we are on the other side of the glass wall looking into our future. We no longer have the safety net of high school to fall back into. What we do have is the ability to look back with fondness and appreciation for all that RHS provided us. None of us would be receiving our diplomas if it wasn’t for the support of the people who are here today. Why don't we take a moment to thank the people who helped us get here * Start Clapping * As we part ways today, I couldn’t help but think of a quote by Pat Tillman. Tillman said, “Somewhere inside, we hear a voice. It leads us in the direction of the person we wish to become. But it is up to us whether or not to follow.” I encourage you, the class of 2019, to follow your passions and your callings to become the person you wish to become.
Aras Dapkus Co-Valedictorian
Thank you, Alex. Today we are blessed with the opportunity to celebrate our success, and I’d like to begin by thanking those responsible for mine. Mom, Dad, thank you for providing a foundation of unconditional love and support in my life. You’ve worked so hard to foster my well-being and success. I am grateful for your many sacrifices and I love you. Lukas and Elena, you are the rowdiest siblings I could have asked for. You make me laugh, you make me smile, you make me want to move halfway across the country so I can finally get a break. But most importantly you inspire me. I look up to you both more than you will ever know.
To the teachers, thank you for your commitment to inspiring a new generation of future leaders and lifelong learners. Through your tireless efforts, you have instilled in us the values of leadership, resilience, and hard work. And to the Class of 2019, thank you for making these last four years a blast. It is an honor to stand here today and represent you. So here we are, Graduation Day! We finally made it! I don’t know about you, but I have been looking forward to this day for a long time. In fact, I spent most of my senior year looking forward to...well, finishing my senior year. That’s generally how things go. We spend most of our lives looking forward to the next thing. This should not come as a surprise.
Throughout our lives, we have been focused on preparing for what’s next. In class, we study to prepare for the next exam. In sports, we practice to prepare for the next game. In band, we practice to prepare for the next concert. In almost every instance of life, we endeavor to do things in the present to prepare ourselves for the future. Now, I’m not saying that all this preparation is unnecessary. Far from it. But, the danger, of course, with always looking ahead toward the next thing, is that we may fail to experience the singular beauty of the present. I believe that there needs to be a balance between an eager anticipation for the future, an openness to experience life as it is happening, and a reasonable consideration for the past.
Gracie Girvalo - Class Speaker
Thank you, Alex. I’d like to take a moment to welcome Assistant Superintendent Creller, Dr. Gross, assistant principals, counselors, teachers, friends, families, and most importantly, my fellow classmates. Today is the day. Graduation Day. We’ve come so far and have learned so much. It seems as though we should know everything by now. But we don’t. We don’t have to know everything in order to step into this next part of our lives. We feel lost now, but remember how it was when we started high school. Freshman year, I went down the Stairway To Nowhere about ten times. But I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one. For anyone unfamiliar with this staircase, it leads you from the second floor A Wing to the outside of the building, not the first floor classrooms. And I’m happy to report that I only accidentally went down those stairs once this year. Sophomore year, we thought we knew what we were doing because we had an entire year of experience behind us. One thing that changed was that we moved just a liiiiittle bit closer to the bottom of the student section at football games. But then we realized that no matter where you’re located in the stands, you will still be pushed. Junior year came with an abundance of new responsibilities. Some, exciting. Others, less so. This was the year we began to face the reality of our impending futures, which included studying for harder classes, cramming for the SAT, organizing national protests, and really thinking about life after high school. At the beginning of senior year, we felt proud that we made it this far and believed we knew everything there is to know. We had been doing this thing called High School for three years. We had perfected the art of waking up just in time to make it to school. However, we never figured out how to sneak coffee into the library without getting caught. But what else was there to learn? Clearly, we knew it all.
Matthew Vivian - Co-Valedictorian
Thank you, Alex I’d like to begin by thanking my family for all their love and support, thanking the administration, faculty, and staff for their dedication to our education, and finally by thanking all of you, the Class of 2019 for being amazing classmates and friends. Congratulations to you all for making it through the last four years. Looking back, I am stunned by how much we as students have grown. We first entered RHS four years younger, a few inches shorter, and with no knowledge on how to use MLA format, how to take a derivative, or how to properly define the role of the mitochondria. Well, who am I kidding, we all still call it the “powerhouse of the cell” Yet here we are. We made it through all the ups and downs, the A’s and F’s, the state championship wins and playoff losses, the college acceptances and rejections. And based on the letters that were plastered to the student center windows, I was not the only one disappointed by a college decision this year. When I applied to Brown University this past fall, I knew how tough it was to get in. But after four years of hard work in and out of the classroom, I got my hopes up just a little bit. However, on March 28th at 7pm, my heart sank as I read that my application had been denied. Going to school the next day was difficult. I not only had fallen short of my own expectations, but I also felt as though I’d fallen short of my classmates expectations too. I thought that as the co-valedictorian of the class, I was expected to attend an Ivy League school. Hearing people’s shock at my rejection that day only made me feel worse.
I started to wonder if there was more I could have done. Should I have retaken the SAT subject tests? Should I have joined another orchestra? Should I have taken APUSH? But I realized that up until that point, I had never questioned my decision to forgo taking APUSH. I was always very secure with that choice. In fact, I have always been happy with the classes I have taken or the extracurriculars I have participated in because they all mean something to me. I took BC Calc because I love math, I took AP English because I love writing, and I took US History Honors because my liking for history probably would not have survived the workload of APUSH.
I joined the Science Olympiad team because I like building and problem solving, I played in the orchestra because I love music, and I spent my summers working at my favorite camp in the world because that community is important to me. It hurt when one of the best universities in the country told me that that wasn’t enough and it has been difficult to regain the feeling of security in my academic choices. But I remind myself to be proud of my accomplishments and take comfort in the fact that my experience in high school was a meaningful one. Some of you may feel the same way, some of you may feel like you pushed yourself too hard for no reason, and some of you may feel like you didn’t push yourself hard enough. Regardless of how high school went for you, I hope that in the next phase of your life, whether you go to college or not, you find activities and classes that challenge you, force you out of your comfort zone, and most importantly are meaningful to you. Thank you.