THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 2021 Page 19 GRADUATION | FROM PAGE 9 been through so much. We left school on March 13, 2020, and had no idea that we would eventually miss almost our entire senior year. Sports were cancelled; we had to run every time someone coughed; and oh yeah… our school got torn down. We didn’t get to say goodbye to the leaky ceilings, smoking heaters, and asbestos-filled auditorium. Now don’t get me wrong, the new school is amazing, but I’ve come to realize that the building is just a building. The people of Saugus are what make it a home. So… why don’t we hear from some of these people? I randomly asked a few of my fellow classmates to tell me their favorite memory from the past four years, and here’s what they said… Andrew Cipriano – “Hi I’m Andrew Cipriano and my favorite memory from Saugus High School is running around the school on the last day and taking pictures with all the teachers.” Victoria Pagliarulo – “Hi I’m Victoria Pagliarulo and my favorite memory from Saugus High School is when I would stay after school until dark every night making posters for color day with my best friends and other classmates that ultimately grew into my friends as a result.” Kyle Bernard – “Hi my name is Kyle Bernard and my favorite Saugus High School memory is definitely when our drama club took a show all the way to State Finals in a theatre competition.” As for me, my favorite memory will be this moment right now because it is the final sentence to the final page to the final chapter of our Saugus education. We endured. We achieved. Sometimes we failed. But we overcame obstacles. We changed. We grew. We formed connections that no other class will ever match. We’ve come to understand Abraham Lincoln’s quote, “It’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” We had time taken away from us, but we always made the best of the time we were given. None of this would’ve been possible without the support of our families and friends. I’d like to ask at this time that all graduates stand. Turn to face the audience. And applaud your biggest supporters. Thank you. You may be seated. I need to specifically thank my grandparents, my father, my sisters (Vanessa and Tayla), and especially my mother. You are the strongest woman I’ve ever known, and I wouldn’t be on this stage today without your support. I love you, and I thank you. I’d also like to thank the entire Saugus Public School Department that helped make this day possible. I want to especially thank our class advisors, Mrs. Hashem and Ms. Usseglio. We thank you for all that you’ve done for us. I want to thank my friends (shout out Chel boys) and fellow classmates that went through all of the ups and downs of high school with me. To the Salutatorian, CJ Denovellis, it was an honor competing with you. Awesome. Now that I got the boring thank yous out of the way, I can really get to the crux of my speech. I just want to say how honored I am to be a part of this class. Saugus always gets a bad rap, but that’s because people simply don’t know what it means to be a Sachem. People think that it’s impossible to do well going to a public school. But hey, who cares what they say. Just tell them that Michael Kenny will be parking his car in Hahrvard yard in the fall. But honestly… when I look at this class I know there is nothing we cannot achieve. I came up with this quote (mainly because I wanted to sound smart), but it goes, GRADUATION | SEE PAGE 20
20 Publizr Home