SHS Graduates 401 Seniors on June 26th

The Scarsdale High School Class of 2016 tossed their caps under sunny skies on Friday June 26th. The weather was expected to be dreary, but like the senior class, Mother Nature defied expectations and decided to bring out the sunshine instead. The 401 grads assembled in the gym together for one last time where they posed for a class photo and classmates Morgan Lawless and Jordan Green were given the "Henry David Thoreau award" for marching to a different drummer and assisting the class. They lined up in alphabetical order, marched through the school and streamed onto Dean Field to the sound of Pomp and Circumstance played by the Symphonic Band. These Raiders certainly deserved lots of "pomp" after four years of hard work.

Board of Education President Mary Beth Gose was the first to address the class. She reminded them that life is too short to preoccupy themselves with regrets. Students will have to adapt to new environments where there will be less structure and more choices. She also noted that teenagers possess the gift of time; youthful exuberance opens doors and leaves room for mistakes and do-overs. Teens tend to forget that one blunder, a B on a report card or a shameful loss in a football game, will not doom their careers. She advised the grads to "use this time to learn about the world, to think of others, serve, lead, take risks and retain their sense of curiosity. She thought it was fitting that the senior class advisors were health teacher Ms. Jessica Levenberg and psychologist Dr. Ernie Collabolletta. When Ms. Levenberg addressed the Class of 2016, she described her role as advisor as a blend of mother, older sister, and cheerleader. Dr. Collabolletta then told the crowd that as a school psychologist, his role is to teach people how to be happy. He explained that one way to be happy is to be involved with other happy people. For many SHS seniors, it had been easy to stay connected to happy people in a school where many students have known each other since kindergarten and best friends sit together in class. In a few months, however, they will find themselves in classrooms across the country, perhaps knowing no one else. Some will attend institutions up to twelve times as large as SHS. Nevertheless, parents can rest assured that their energetic seniors will be well prepared to seek out happiness at their new schools. Dr. Collabolletta made a distinction between happiness and pleasure, which is often derived from material "things." Pleasure is an ephemeral gratification. Friendship and love, he reminded them, continue to satisfy eternally.

Senior Class President Angela Coco began her speech by reminiscing about elementary and middle schools. Coco said, "We are certainly not the people we started out as- eating glue, spilling juice on ourselves, or accidentally calling our teachers "mom". We've changed."

Many find comfort in being surrounded by familiar faces in the classroom each day. Next year, however, mundane high school routines will be replaced by a less predictable lifestyle. Ms. Coco brought to the forefront a fact that is well-known but perhaps takes time to sink in: in two months, the graduates will be scattered across the U.S. and the globe. She kindly reminded her classmates that their rooms will likely be turned into exercise rooms that "empty nest" parents will rarely use. Though humorous, the observation is painfully real. It is scary to let go, both for kids and parents. Ms. Coco told her classmates, "When we look back to this time in our lives, when we remember, we should be happy. Because what's 120 million seconds, a handshake and a diploma worth if we can't remember what made us happy while we were working so hard to get here."

She reminded them that it was not easy to get to where they are now, and that everyone ought to be proud of their success.

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Come the fall, laundry will not magically journey from the bathroom floor to a neat folded pile in the bedroom. For these students, the reassuring comfort of their own beds may be a continent away. As the seniors prepare to abandon the familiar and venture into the uncertain territory of the college campus, Principal Kenneth Bonamo reminded them to make sense of the world in their own terms as their safety net becomes remote. He urged the graduates to set realistic goals that inspire, but do not debilitate. Coming from a competitive high school where the pressure is high, it will be a challenge for many rising college freshmen to learn to give themselves breathing room and create a balance between hard work and fun. Mr. Bonamo left the seniors with a reminder of the school motto, "Non Sibi," which means "not for oneself." He told them their good fortune requires them to make the world better for others. For many teenagers, Scarsdale is a bubble that provides shelter from certain harsh realities of the outside world. To make sense of these realities requires stepping out of comfort zones. The graduates are bound for colleges in starkly diverse settings across the nation, and beyond. Inevitably, they will be shocked by the diversity they encounter, but also pleasantly surprised by their abilities to forge relationships with people who appear to be their polar opposites. Ambitious and excited to meet the real world, Scarsdale graduates are each armed with a pin to pop the bubble and become active citizens in new communities.