By Audrey Anderson
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Medfield celebrated the Class of 2023 on June 3rd with music, cheers, speeches, applause, light blue caps and gowns, and lots of smiling faces. It was a blustery and chilly day, but the warm words of school officials and fellow students set the graduating seniors on the path to confident, exciting futures.
Senior Neva “Jasper” Fuller opened the ceremony with a beautifully sung “Star Spangled Banner.”
Marilyn Tyler, President of the Class of 2023, then followed with a clever speech about how each of the areas of study taught them about life. Through learning history, students saw that there was “pain and suffering . . . but there are good people in this world.” Marilyn encouraged the seniors to “have empathy . . . love others . . . and be good to those around us.” Through math, students learned that “every problem is approachable. Sometimes it doesn’t work out as you thought, or it looks like the answers make no sense, but miracles do happen, and they happen every day.” Through science, students learned that they are “capable.” They shouldn’t let their “preconceptions get in their way.” Finally, through English, students learned that “happy outcomes are rarely achieved alone.” They come about because of all the help from the people around them.
Dr. Jeffrey J. Marsden, Medfield’s Superintendent of Schools, pointed out that that class of 2023 was tested in unique ways. They had to have the “resilience and adaptability to deal with COVID-19, remote learning, hybrid learning, mask wearing, social distancing, and the cancellation or modification of school traditions.”
Audrey Callahan, Honor Essayist, encouraged her class to “never give up, no matter the odds . . . take risks, do what you like to do . . . and don’t try to match other successes that you see on social media.” Her fellow Honor Essayist, John O’Sullivan, reminisced about the class’s elementary and middle school adventures. Then he proclaimed that students don’t have to talk about what their future paths will be like. The seniors were “already on the path to becoming what they want to be” through skills developed and experiences lived through in high school.
Timothy Knight, Medfield School Committee member, told the seniors that they should be “thrilled with your achievements thus far, even while dealing with constant change due to the pandemic.” The “same community that helped them through high school will still be there for you . . . Come visit . . . share your experiences” good or bad.
Megan Colleran, Senior Speaker, used an analogy of planting seeds to make the world beautiful. She talked about various projects started by classmates to make the world a better place, and she reminded seniors that “everyone’s impact is different and equally important.”
Finally, Principal Robert Praga reminded the seniors that “graduation is a milestone that represents your achievements and desire to do your best.” In the future, “be involved and engaged . . . always look for good and . . . use your empathy, compassion, and understanding” when dealing with others.
After the speeches were concluded, each senior’s name was announced as they walked across the stage to shake hands with school officials. (Because of the weather predictions and stormy skies, diplomas were given to graduates after the ceremony, inside the school building.)
Once they were declared to be graduates, the senior threw their caps into the air in an excited celebration of all they had achieved and everything that was to come. Congratulations to the Medfield Class of 2023 from the Hometown Weekly!
