By Madison Butkus
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Medfield High School (MHS) celebrated the Class of 2024 on June 1st in front of a packed crowd of beaming family members, friends, faculty members, and more. Despite the rather windy conditions, the sunny and 75 degree weather made for an exquisite day to honor these seniors.
Senior Kiera Stanton opened the ceremony with a stunningly sung “Star Spangled Banner.” Her fellow classmate, Olivia Stanton, who is the President of Class 2024, then followed with a heartfelt speech about all the incredible inventions her and her fellow seniors will go on to create. “Each and every one of us,” Stanton stated, “has invented something beautiful at MHS: our own path. None of our experiences are the same and that is what makes this class special. We have had the courage, the determination, and willingness to try different things, learn from our mistakes, and ultimately shape our own experiences and journey at MHS. And the amazing thing about inventing is that we are going to experience a lifetime full of inventing our own path. What will we invent? Well, that is up to us.” Stanton ended her incredible speech in praise of the MHS seniors, “Class of 2024, we did it! Congratulations!”
Dr. Jeffrey J. Marsden, Medfield’s Superintendent of Schools, gave immense praise to the Class of 2024 for their incredible talents, including sports, academics, performances, and more. He additionally offered this graduating class some advice about being fully present within our world today. Marsden encouraged these seniors to put down their phones and have meaningful, present conversations with those around them.
Following this speech, Nora Herbstzuber, Honor Essayist, compared her love of video games with how this graduating class went through high school. She explained how the last three years of high school felt like racing laps in a Mario Kart track. “You know how in the final lap of a game the music gets faster and more stressful with things being thrown at you,” Herbstzuber stated, “well senior year has felt like that. With fewer banana peels and turtle shells of course. It has been easy to get caught up in the race. But today, we can slow down and appreciate how far we have come.”
Fellow Honor Essayist, Mia Remington, encouraged her fellow classmates to follow their dreams as they are “a seed that is planted and only the beginning.” She explained how it takes passion to start their goals “and the commitment to action to bring them to fruition,” since they are all capable of doing amazing things with their dreams in the future. At the end of her speech, she exclaimed, “Let’s make our dreams our new reality.”
Timothy Knight, Medfield School Committee member, commended the Class of 2024 for their respectfulness, kindness, and maturity both inside and outside MHS. “Seniors,” Knight declared, “you have made this a better school for your teachers, for your fellow students, and for the entire community of Medfield. For this, we want to thank you.”
Curran Coakley, Senior Speaker, took to the podium next explaining his move to Medfield during his sophomore year and how stepping out of one’s comfort zone is such an important aspect within our lives. He expressed to the graduating class that while all of them are beginning a new chapter, he recently just went through a new one when he moved. Although rather scary at first, he believes the benefits of going through something that may be outside their comfort zone can be extremely rewarding, and he encourages all his fellow classmates to embrace the journey ahead.
Finally, Principal Robert Praga reminded these seniors to keep up their perseverance through challenges in the future, just as they had done within their years at MHS. “Now I am sure there were times,” Praga suggested, “where the path that led to your great work seemed unclear. When the weight of expectations, either yours or others, felt heavy. But you persevered. You faced those challenges head on, learned from the setbacks, and emerged even stronger. Perseverance is more than just a word, it is the invisible thread that is woven throughout your highschool journey. … Perseverance got us all through the global pandemic that impacted your 8th and 9th grade years. As you leave MHS, hold on to the spirit of perseverance, embrace the challenges and don’t be afraid to fall. I hope you now realize that with each fall comes the valuable lesson of how to rise again stronger and wiser.” Praga finished his heartwarming speech by thanking and congratulating the Class of 2024 for their hard work and contributions while at MHS.
Upon conclusions of these speeches, each senior’s name was announced as they walked across the stage to shake hands with school officials. Loud cheers from the crowd could be heard throughout the names being called, with everyone truly ecstatic for these graduates.
Once they were officially declared graduates, seniors threw their caps high into the air in an excited celebration of all they had achieved and everything that was to come. On behalf of Hometown Weekly Newspaper, congratulations to the MHS Class of 2024!
