Region – For the first time, Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School held graduation exercises off the school campus. Over 2,000 proud family members and friends watched the 220 graduates cross the stage at the DCU Center in Worcester June 1.
In the Class of 2013, 62 percent chose to attend further education, having been accepted to both two- and four-year colleges and technical institutes. The military claimed four percent and 25 percent have already found employment in their chosen technical field.
The list of colleges and institutes is impressive, including Anna Maria College, Assumption College,
Brigham Young University, Johnson and Wales University, Le Cordon Bleu, Nichols College, Texas A&M University, Wentworth Institute of Technology, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and WyoTech. The majors graduates have chosen for the most part reflect what they'se been doing for the last four years at Assabet Valley: pre-med, forensic science, engineering, video game design, hospitality, international business, accounting, education and biomedical majors, among many others.
Ashley Peck of Hudson and Tyler Chaulk of Shrewsbury were the Valedictorian and Salutatorian, respectively.
“For most of us, even with the added responsibilities of senior year, we wouldn's have wanted anything
less,” Peck said in her graduation speech. “We may have suffered from senioritis, but we learned vital technical, academic, and real-life skills. We learned how to fix a car, build walls for a functional building, do perms, and gather many, many other technical skills and certifications that are demanded by the competitive world that is OUR future!”
Citing the influence of one her teachers, she said, “He has taught me that it is okay to fail. It just means it is the chance to learn from our mistakes and to fix them. He also said that in order to make something out of ourselves, we must do what we feel is the impossible. If we put the right effort into something, it can be done”
The students had chosen math instructor Mark Snyder to be the keynote speaker, and he did not disappoint them, having them all laughing as he admitted, “Lean closer, I'sl let you in on a secret
now…It's not all about the math! It's about learning to solve life's challenges!”
