Huntington High School’s Class of 2023 Graduates

Huntington High School’s Class of 2023 received the sendoff it deserved before a near capacity crowd at last Friday night’s commencement exercises.

Clad in navy blue caps and gowns, more than 325 seniors marched into the auditorium to a standing ovation as strains of Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance No. 1” filled the air. The remarkable group garnered millions of dollars in scholarships and grants and gained admittance to some of the most select colleges and universities in the nation.

This marked the Huntington’s 162nd annual commencement exercises, which date to July 18, 1862 when a class of six students earned diplomas in the midst of the Civil War. Few schools in the country can match such tradition.

This year’s senior class captured numerous academic, artistic, athletic, musical and humanitarian awards, garnering county, state and national recognition along the way. The top scholars and student leaders sat in chairs on the huge stage last Friday night along with school officials and members of Huntington’s Board of Education.

Senior members of the chamber choir performed a lovely rendition of Francis Scott Key’s “Star Spangled Banner.” The 90 minute ceremony included a series of short addresses.

Dartmouth College bound salutatorian Haileigh Smith is planning to study for a career as a dermatologist. To prep for her address to her classmates, she flipped through her primary, intermediate and middle school yearbooks.

“As I flipped through the pages I was hit with how much has changed over the last 13 years,” Ms. Smith said. “But, at the same time, I was awe stricken with how almost nothing has changed. Sure we may have gained a foot or two in height, lost the braces, maybe changed our hairstyles. But, whether they were 8 or 18 years old, I saw the same smiling faces that eagerly had their pictures taken on the first day of school, the same enthusiastic kids radiating with each and every spirit day, and the same goofy or loving personalities showing through the signatures in the back of every book. Those kids running their hearts out in pictures of elementary school field days were caught in the same athletic poses in high school, only this time they had varsity jerseys on their backs. The happy toddlers waving in the yearly parades were now uniformed members of the band or Highsteppers, leading those same parades themselves as graduating seniors. To me, the funniest part was seeing how half the kids we voted for superlatives in Finley claimed those same superlatives again in senior year. If that doesn’t show continuity, I don’t know what does.

“With every graduation it felt like we were losing something in the moment,” continued Ms. Smith. “But then time happened, and we moved on to bigger and better things. We kept the best of what and who we had with us and we gained more than what we ever would have expected in terms of relationships, opportunities and experiences. I have no doubt that the same will be true for this graduation.”

The tradition-laden ceremony evoked a variety of emotions in both the seniors and their family members as tears could be seen in more than a few eyes.

Valedictorian’s message to classmates

Valedictorian Laurel Bonn, who is headed to the University of Georgia in the fall to pursue an academic major in biology for preparation for a career in dentistry, gave an impassioned address last Friday night.

“Whether you launch yourself into a gap year, overseas to Europe or college across the country, know that Huntington will always be here as your rock, your center, and your light, that will burn for eternity,” Ms. Bonn told her classmates. “No matter how far apart, we will always gravitate towards each other like the planets in the solar system, with this school as the sun that keeps us all connected. Huntington High School is where we will always be able to find a source of light remembering all of the good times, happiness, and childhood memories that happened the past four years. I am honored and proud to be leading the last official send-off of our Class of 2023’s rocket into the universe in which after, all of us will lead our individual missions. Before we do just that, I have one final mission for all of you: through tears, frustration, and mistakes, find happiness and satisfaction in the little things. The little things ignite small fires that grow into burning passions. I cannot wait to see where these passions take all of us in the future.”

“Embrace the chance to be unreasonable”

Huntington School Board President Christine Biernacki gave an uplifting address.

“Today, as we celebrate your remarkable achievement, I am reminded of the powerful words of George Bernard Shaw: ‘The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself,’” Mrs. Biernacki said. “Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” As you begin the next chapter of your lives, I encourage you to embrace the chance to be unreasonable, to be unafraid of challenging the status quo and breaking free from being ordinary. Never accept the answer, “but that’s how we always do it.” That response is the killer of innovation, art, ideas and often humanitarianism.

“Being unreasonable or outrageous does not imply recklessness or failing to consider consequences,” Mrs. Biernacki said. “Instead, it is the mission to exceed imagined limitations, question the norm and dream beyond what others deem reasonable. It is about having the audacity to believe that you can make a difference, that you can positively affect the world around you and that you can leave a permanent mark on the lives of others. Blue Devils, please remember that it is often those who no one imagines are able who ultimately change the world.”

Superintendent’s Final Commencement

The ceremony marked Superintendent James W. Polansky’s final Huntington commencement after leading the district since July 1, 2011. He is retiring at the end of the summer.

“What I have found most joyful throughout my time here are the relationships I have cultivated – with students, colleagues, parents, community members and others,” Mr. Polansky told the crowd. “It is these relationships that have truly shaped my experience and have motivated me to do my best work. In this light, I implore you, Class of 2023 members, to maintain positive relationships and choose joy as you travel life’s roads. When you do so, you will feel good. When you feel good, you will do good. When you do good, it reminds others of what joy feels like and it might just inspire others to do the same. If someone comes into your life and has a positive impact on you, remain thankful that your paths crossed. If they can’t stay in your life or if you drift apart over time, be thankful that they somehow brought joy into your life even if it was just for a short while.”

Mr. Polansky has been a constant presence in the school life of each of the seniors, attending every conceivable event and visiting the building and classrooms on a daily basis.

Principal Brenden Cusack beamed with pride throughout the commencement. He has developed so many strong relationships with senior class members, but the veteran educator knows it’s time for them to move on to the next stage of their lives.

Principal Brenden Cusack Addresses the Crowd

Mr. Cusack spoke to the seniors about the world in the age of artificial intelligence and the shortcuts and compromises that come with it and the moral dilemmas it poses.

“It’s about refusing to give up a part of yourself in order to expend less effort,” Mr. Cusack said. “It’s about integrity. Whenever you work toward something and put forth effort, you give a part of yourself. And in giving that portion of yourself, you little by little show who you are. The effort you put in, no matter what the task, shows what you are all about. It shows what you stand for. Whether it’s your effort in college, at work, or the effort you put into your family or into a relationship, it all demonstrates to others who you really are. That effort, no matter what, is worth it. No shortcut will serve you very well in the long run. And shortcuts generally won’t send a positive message to those around you. True, it takes integrity and it takes effort to show who you really are and what you are all about, but it will always be worth it in the end. So many of you have shown this here at Huntington High School and I remain hopeful that you will continue to do so as you move on to your next phase in life. It is my hope that as we all move forward into the unknown, that we can rely on you to stick to your sense of integrity and that you will always use your passion and your effort to show others who you really are.”

Serving as master of ceremonies of the commencement were Samuel James and James Rosselli. Teachers Sarah Hall and Melissa Sorrentino announced the name of each senior before diplomas were presented by members of the Huntington School Board. The two teachers served as the Class of 2023’s faculty advisors.

As Mr. Polansky signaled the seniors had met the requirements for a diploma and were now officially graduated, the new alums tossed their caps high into the air to the cheers of the crowd, before hugging one another and being congratulated by their families.

The teenagers and their loved ones lingered for more than an hour in the auditorium lobby and around the front of the building, posing for countless rounds of photos and saying goodbye to one another, Many of them realized this would be the last time the entire Class of 2023 would be assembled together in one place and they appeared unwilling to let go of the moment even a minute too early.