NORTHBOROUGH – With a turn of the tassel, Algonquin Regional High School celebrated the graduation of the Class of 2024 on June 2.
Class President Renee Gauthier recalled seniors telling her when she was a freshman that high school flies by.
“I rolled my eyes, thinking they were crazy, and cringed at the thought of how long my next four years would be,” she said. “Yet, standing in the gym with 317 crying teenagers on May 20 – our last day of senior year – I knew they were right.”
Everyone in the building had an impact on who the graduates have become, she said.
“Now, at my 17 years of age, the one piece of wisdom that I want to share is this – cherish the relationships around you and take nothing for granted,” said Gauthier.
Graduation also featured speeches from Senior Class Essayists Suha Ashfaq and Justice Huang. The students and staff remembered Jon Niemi, who passed away in 2022 and would have been a member of the Class of 2024.
Principal Sean Bevan said he has found that people feel most aligned with a place when returning after being away. Some day, the graduates may return to ARHS and see that a room is now being used differently, a new staff member has replaced one that retired or new facets of the campus.
“In some way, you have not truly arrived as a community until you left. Then, when you return – and I hope you do – your memories become sharper and are folded in to the collective experience of all of our graduates,” he said.
Bevan said he would look back at the class with fondness and affection.
“You were the kids who experienced the most tumultuous and consequential four years of our school’s history, and you did it with grace and poise,” said Bevan.
During his address, Superintendent Greg Martineau shared lessons that he learned from his 4-year-old neighbor, Adam, who he said was full of adventure and “good mischief” and became his shadow when he worked in the yard.
“Twenty-plus years later, I still smile when I think of Adam. He taught me many valuable lessons,” he said. “… Here’s my advice, be courageous in making friends – be like Adam. Sometimes you need to let go for things to work out, and lastly, and most importantly, pay back your parents if you borrow gas money.”
