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By Amelia Tarallo
Hometown Weekly Correspondent
The Medfield High School class of 2016 collectively met for the last time on Sunday for their graduation ceremony. Vocalized in the speeches of Class President Theodore Duffy, Honor Essayists Daniel Blessing and Olivia Taylor, and Senior Speaker Bryan Carrabis, there were collective feelings of bitter-sweetness, pride, and nostalgia amongst both the graduates and their loved ones. Students gripped their graduation caps in place as they were reminded of the impact time in Medfield will have on the rest of their lives by the speeches delivered by their classmates and local school officials.
Following the end of the ceremony, the new graduates paraded towards the parking lot, where the sea of graduates in Carolina blue caps and gowns merged with the crowd of family and friends waiting to congratulate them. Within seconds, the smell of smoke from celebratory cigars drifted through the air. A few parents snapped photos as graduates jumped together in excitement, forever capturing the joy on their faces. Other graduates hugged their friends as they use their smartphones to capture the momentous occasion. Some students were met by tearful loved ones with arms wide open in preparation to receive a hug.
The scene in the parking lot was bitter-sweet for the classmates. "I'm going to miss walking down the halls and knowing the same 230 students," said Olivia Tom, a member of the graduating class. A majority of the students in the 2016 class have been together since they started kindergarten at Memorial School. In the fall, Tom will begin her collegiate education at the University of Pittsburgh. She knows that it will be "A fresh start, a new page," but she expects she will still miss her fellow graduates.
As their children realized that this would be the last time their class would be together, many parents realized that their sons and daughters would be venturing out into the world on their own. "I know he'll do well," said one mother, "but I can't help but worry." Another mother expressed that she shared similar worries but she would not let them bother her on her daughter's graduation day. Graduation is not a day to worry about what problems may arise, but to celebrate the success of these hardworking and talented students. “I’m going to combust because of how proud I am,” she said.
Just as potent as the bitter-sweetness, pride, and nostalgia is the feeling of excitement for the future. The sibling of one graduate says that they will miss their sister when she moves to college in the fall, but is "excited for what the future has in store for her." In his Message to the Class of 2016, Christopher Morrison, Chairman of the Medfield School Committee spoke about how the class of 2016 about how they had the power to change the world. He cited the tragedy in Orlando from earlier in the day, which has been labeled the worst mass shooting in U.S. History. In his speech, Morrison said that, as they go out into the world, these students will be the ones to decide if the Orlando tragedy will be "the worst ever or the worst so far." The class of 2016 has a choice of what they will do with their future and how they reach success outside Medfield. One thing is for sure: they will always be welcome home by their parents, siblings, teachers, and classmates.
