Page 10 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, JUnE 13, 2025 The Sounds of Saugus By Mark E. Vogler Good morning, Saugus I’m happy to report that the weather cooperated last Friday night so that the members of the Saugus High School Class of 2025, their families and friends were able to enjoy a graduation ceremony outside in the Christie Serino Jr. Memorial Stadium. I showed up to the stadium early, with a raincoat and umbrella readily available, if needed. But fortunately, the rain held off and the 176 graduates were able to enjoy their final hours together outdoors instead of indoors. Saugus Middle High School Principal Carla Scuzzarella, a 1976 Saugus High graduate, presided over her first Commencement Exercises at the school. She made a few logistical changes, which made for a more orderly and accommodating ceremony. She put some handwritten signs reserving some front row seats for the families of the Class President, the Salutatorian and the Valedictorian so they could feel as honored guests while getting a good glimpse of their graduating children when they gave their respective speeches. In another change, done for efficiency’s sake, the principal had the graduates assemble in the High COMING NEXT WEEKEND: The Strawberry Festival on June 21. (Courtesy artwork of Joanie Allbee) School gymnasium and remain there until it was time to begin their procession toward the stadium. The procession moved through the back of the bleachers and broke into two columns before entering the stadium. In previous graduations, the seniors would congregate near the Route 1 side end zone until it was time for “Pomp and Circumstance.” I actually liked that setup because I was able to hang out with the graduates, get some interesting photos of some of their mortarboard artwork and ferret out some colorful stories from seniors who had time to talk to me. But it was easy to see that the switch to the bleachers entrance was more orderly with fewer distractions. Another nice touch to the ceremony was having the 2025 class officers take turns reading the names of graduates receiving their diplomas in what was called the Affirmation of Graduation. From what I observed, it was a well-run event. This week’s “SHOUT Law Offices of JOSEPH D. CATALDO, P.C. “ATTORNEYS AND COUNSELORS AT LAW” • ESTATE/MEDICAID PLANNING • WILLS/TRUSTS/ESTATES • INCOME TAX PREPARATION • WEALTH MANAGEMENT • RETIREMENT PLANNING • ELDER LAW 369 Broadway Everett, MA 02149 (617)381-9600 JOSEPH D. CATALDO, CPA, CFP, MST, ESQUIRE. AICPA Personal Financial Specialist Designee OUTs” We received a few nominations this week from readers who wanted to publicly commend fellow Saugonians who contribute to the betterment of their community. Here they are: From Precinct 1 Town Meeting Member Stacey Herman-Dorant: “I’d like to give a big Shout Out to Steve Doherty who served as the Town Meeting Moderator. Steve’s leadership kept the meetings on-point, organized, and he was always respectful of his fellow Town Meeting members. Our town is better because of dedicated volunteers like you!” From Fae Saulenas: “Please consider my 1st Saugonian shout-out for the two ladies in the pdf. attached above. They are my heroes!” Fae was referring to Maria Carriglio and Crystal Depopoulas, two Saugus School District employees who spoke at the recent Annual Town Meeting. As part of her shout out, Fae provided transcripts of comments the two women made in addressing the Saugus Public Schools Department budget. Here are some excerpts from those comments: From Maria Carriglio, a paraprofessional at the Veterans Early Learning Center: “I would like to say how disappointed I am in this vote. I would think that we would try to put the children first before the money, I was told that the money is there. “Me personally, I have 14 autistic children that I support every day. “There’s four paras. We can’t get any help because when you pay peanuts, you’re gonna get monkeys, basically. And you’re not paying enough for the, you know, the teachers to come or the paraprofessionals to come and support these children that need the help. “If you look at how much paras make, you can’t live off of that. It’s not, it’s not realistic. All these paras have two, three jobs to support everyday life.” From Crystal Depopoulas, another para, who subs for Special Needs students: “Our schools are understaffed and we’re overcrowded. “Air conditioners are broken, heat’s broken. We’re breaking the law with a lot of our IEPs. .. those are law abiding documents, and they’re not being fulfilled because we don’t have enough staff.” Want to “Shout Out” a fellow Saugonian? This is an opportunity for our paper’s readers to single out – in a brief mention – remarkable acts or achievements by Saugus residents or an act of kindness or a nice gesture. Just send an email (mvoge@comcast.net) with a mention in the subject line of “An Extra Shout Out.” No more than a paragraph; anything longer might lend itself to a story and/or a photo. Saugus United Parish Food Pantry The Saugus United Parish Food Pantry welcomes all neighbors facing food insecurity on Fridays from 9:3011 a.m. at 50 Essex St. in the basement of Cliftondale Congregational Church. THE SOUNDS | SEE PAGE 11
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