By Audrey Anderson
Hometown Weekly Reporter
On June 1, Westwood High School’s Class of 2025 marched along a graduation walk lined with large posters featuring each graduate and then onto Flahive field. Accompanying the march was the traditional and stirring “Pomp and Circumstance” by Edward Elgar. After the members of the class were assembled on the field, Principal Amy Dawson invited the class to recite the pledge of allegiance, and then their classmates sang a beautiful, harmonious rendition of the national anthem. The tone was set for a memorable graduation ceremony.
The President of the Class of 2025 Dawson Rose then delivered an inspiring welcome address to the assembled crowd of soon-to-be graduates and their teachers, family, relatives, and friends. Rose recalled going on a grueling hike in his sophomore year J term. He came upon a clearing where he could suddenly “see how far he had come.” Rose compared this moment to the current graduation ceremony, saying, “At this moment we can finally see the meaning in all the steps we took to get here. School taught us discipline [and helped us develop] a set of habits and skills that will launch a person to his goals.” He added, “This is not the peak of the mountain, only base camp,” telling the class to “take a moment in the clearing and look back at how far you’ve come.”
Next, Principal Amy Davenport addressed the class. She quoted author Dan Martel, saying “Everything you want sits on the other side of helping other people get it.” Davenport said that this statement is contrary to what we’ve been told throughout our lives. People have encouraged us to be the best, fastest, brightest, but we “shouldn’t hoard our successes” We should “share them.” This is the “reason you will thrive beyond here.”
The Senior Singers then offered a meaningful rendition of Miley Cyrus’ “I’ll Always Remember You” accompanied by other seniors playing cello, guitar, and bass. The musical interlude was reflective and calming, and some tears were shed at the thought of leaving familiar people and high school to go on to new adventures and places in the future.
In his Honor Address, Issac Chan spoke about viewing math teacher Michael Mao’s photo archive from the past 25 years at Westwood High School, which made his ask “What makes the Class of 2025 special?” Chan offered three reasons in his remarks.
The first reason was that “Judgement is the exception, not the rule” at Westwood High School. He said that as he entered high school, he was hesitant to try new things, fearful that others would mock him. Instead, he found “cheers, claps, and words of encouragement.”
The second reason was that the “best leaders strived to help others toward their goals.” Those in student government weren’t there just for the prestige, they enjoyed organizing events for their classmates to enjoy and remember. The soccer captain didn’t focus on glory for himself, but found leadership to mean “exemplifying dedication, resilience, and dedication.”
The third reason was the community’s recognition of others’ belonging--letting others know that “I see you and you matter.” As examples, Chan spoke of bus drivers waving to each other as they drove past and wishing students a good day and current or former teachers noticing students as they walked the halls.
After Chan’s speech, Superintendent Timothy Piwowar certified the Class of 2025 as having met the requirements for graduation, and the class filed across the stage to receive their diplomas from Westwood School Committee member Anthony Mullin, as Class of 2025 President Dawson Rose read each of their names. After Principal Davenport declared the class official graduates, they flung their green mortarboard hats into the air and hugged each other, while their teachers, parents, relatives, and friends cheered heartily.
