By Cindy Zomar, Contributing Writer
Another car carrying a member of the Class of 2020 arrives at the AMSA Forest Street campus to join the senior parade around the property.
Marlborough – With the state requesting that no actual graduation ceremonies be scheduled prior to July 18, every high school has been faced with the painful dilemma of how to honor the seniors, make note of their many accomplishments, and end the school year with a fitting farewell. This week the Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter School (AMSA) in Marlborough found a way to do all of that on one day with some surprise morning deliveries and then culminating in a raucous parade through the school grounds.
“It’s been such a crazy spring for our seniors, and it feels like there’s so much to say and yet, it’s all been said. It comes down to this, we love our kids, we miss them deeply, and we wish things were different for our seniors, but Eagles fly and they do so with focus, determination, and grace,” said Ellen Linzey, executive director at the school. “We will do the same and face this difficult time of separation in the best way we can. I’m so excited to see our seniors this afternoon at the car parade and it was wonderful to deliver care packages to them this morning! Go Eagles!”
The day started off with nearly 40 volunteers making personal deliveries of bagels, fruit, yearbooks, club cords and special class of 2020 pins to wear on their graduation gowns to each senior’s home. Rob Lusskey, the senior advisor, and Lori Ruggiano, had collected and filled “memory boxes” for each student, filled with letters and notes from parents, friends and teachers, as well as items collected throughout their AMSA years. In the afternoon, seniors in decked out cars and vans, balloons, banners, and flags waving, converged on the school and adjacent Fore Kicks grounds to drive around the buildings in a proud display of class of 2020 pride. Staff and teachers lined the route, cheering and clapping as the parade looped around.
One senior, Maddie Bedard, spoke of her appreciation.
“Never in my whole life did I imagine this would be how my High School career would end,” she said. “I wanted to go out with an awesome senior prank, a car parade with the whole school watching and teachers either waving us goodbye or upset that we were interrupting their class with our loud honking. However, with the circumstances that we are living in, I don’t think any other administration could have done it as sweet and thoughtful as the one we currently have. I am forever grateful for what AMSA has given and taught me from 6th to 12th. ‘Integrity, Excellence, and Community’ – three words I will live by for the rest of my life,” she added.
AMSA is a public school that utilizes a space-available impartial lottery process for admissions. The school is currently at full enrollment with 966 students, primarily from its core towns of Clinton, Hudson, Marlborough and Maynard. It features a rigorous and fast-paced course of studies that introduces abstract subject matter at a young age and continues to build on that foundation. The Core Values of Excellence, Integrity and Community are woven throughout the school culture, with emphasis on a student’s personal initiative, promoting independence similar to a college. The basic premise that all students can learn even the most difficult material is the cornerstone of the school’s teaching philosophy.
For more about AMSA, visit amsacs.org.
