‘In that pursuit of growing’

An hour before community members filled the Holyoke High School gymnasium to honor 2023’s senior class as they crossed the stage, a smaller crowd of graduates, family and friends gathered in the Heginbotham Auditorium for the Baccalaureate ceremony, an opportunity for those present to quietly reflect on what had been achieved and what lay ahead.

Pastor Al Smith delivered the keynote speech, urging the graduates to remember that throughout their lives, learning should never cease to be a priority, and that the attainment of material wealth should not take precedence over the cultivation of wisdom. 

“When we reach milestones in our lives such as this graduation, it lays a foundation for us to continue in that pursuit of growing,” Smith said. “Understand that whatever journey is next for you, make sure that you place the proper value on acquiring more knowledge, more wisdom.”

The commencement ceremony began with the processional entrance of the graduating seniors to a pre-recorded rendition of “Pomp and Circumstance” by the the JR/SR High band. Superintendent Kyle Stumpf welcomed all in attendance, and Alma Alejandre and Ethan Schneller gave the Salutatory and Valedictory addresses, respectively. Both expressed deep gratitude and fondness for their time at HHS, and encouraged their classmates to pursue their chosen paths with passion.

Senior members of Sound Check performed the song “So Long, Goodbye,” by Deryck Whibley, to the accompaniment of an acoustic guitar played by senior Max Kleve. Citizenship Awards were then presented by Susan Roll-Walters, American Legion Auxiliary, and Steve Millage, American Legion Post #90, to recipients Tamara Penzing and Kai Siep. 

After a performance of Movement 4 “Presto” Telemann Flute Duet, by Alma Alejandre and Jimena Nuñez, JR/SR High School Principle Angela Powell took the stage to present the Class of 2023. Reading the poem “I Want to Age Like Sea Glass” by Bernadette Noll, Powell called on the graduating class to let the challenges they would inevitably face in life make them stronger; to be, as the poem says, “smoothed by tides, not broken.”

The 46 graduates were called to the stage to receive their diplomas and scholarships (the class collectively  earned $1.4 million in scholarships) from Ashley Clayton, High School counselor, Jon Kleve, School Board Vice President, and Jessica Koch, School Board Secretary. When the last name had been called, a special presentation slideshow was played, displaying side-by-side childhood and current photographs of each graduate. 

The ceremony was concluded with a heartfelt farewell speech by Class President Kai Siep, who referenced Samuel Becket’s famous play “Waiting for Godot” in challenging his peers to make the most of the time they have been given, saying: “I encourage you all not to wait, but to take action.” 

Siep led the graduating class in turning their tassels and tossing their caps to cheers and applause from the crowd, and the graduates exited the stage to rejoin friends and family in a recessional accompanied by class song “Walking on a Dream” by Empire of the Sun.