The Class of 2011: WHS Graduation is Set for Friday

The Winthrop High School Class of 2011 will hold its graduation exercises Friday evening at Miller Field. It will be a night for the grads and their families to mark an important milestone in their lives and also to acknowledge the accomplishments of the Class of ‘11 as a group.

These graduates, most of whom spent 12 years (or more) in the Winthrop school system, excelled academically and athletically. WHS Principal Gail Conlon has stated that she is particularly proud of this graduating class, who has brought great credit and honor to their school and community through their participation in extracurricular activities such as Mock Trial, drama, and scholastic competitions, as well as through their outstanding athletic achievements.

We look forward to hearing the speeches from Valedictorian Carmen Tracy, Salutatorian Ariane Seymour, and Class President Junessa Dello Russo, who will all have the honor of addressing their classmates for the final time.

Dr. Joseph Lisi, who has done an admirable and professional job as the interim superintendent of schools, will also speak at the graduation. Hopefully, those in attendance will acknowledge his diligent work and efforts to make the Winthrop educational experience a great one for all students while also preparing to hand the reins of the school department over to incoming superintendent John Macero.

A high school graduation in a small town such as ours always is a cause for joyful celebration. A community can take justifiable pride in having prepared its young people for the next phase of their lives.

For the parents of the grads, it is a bittersweet moment. Though they certainly are delighted to see their children become adults, they cannot help but be thinking of these words from that song in Fiddler on the Roof as they watch their sons and daughters step to the podium to receive their diplomas:

Where is the little girl I carried?

Where is the little boy at play?

I don’t remember getting older

When did they?

And for the grads themselves, Graduation Day is both the most exciting and most ambivalent day of their lives, as they prepare to leave the family, teachers, and friends who have nurtured them and embark on a journey that they cannot possibly imagine as to where it will lead them.

We offer our congratulations to the Class of 2011 for a job well done and wish them the best in the years ahead.