WESTBOROUGH – Amber Bock used to think the word “deliberate” had a “negative implication.”
She told Westborough High School’s Class of 2024 how her attitude about being deliberate changed to something beneficial – to acquire wisdom, for example.
“Seeing a more deliberate path forward is indeed an active process,” she said. “It takes time to learn. Being able to make more deliberate choices requires reflection.”
She advised the class to “be deliberate” by taking some time to “talk to yourself about you,” your goals and dreams.
On Saturday, June 1, in her final graduation ceremony as superintendent, Bock said she enjoyed her years with Westborough Public Schools, and watching this class grow.
“It’s been a joy to know you these 10 years,” she said.
Bock announced in December 2023 that she was leaving to accept a position at a school on the North Shore. Allison Borchers, assistant superintendent for Westwood Public Schools, will take Bock’s place.
Class President Sandhya Baia presented a message of appreciating the present.
“Most of the challenges we face in life don’t last,” she said. “We need to cherish the moments when we’re happy…”
Baia offered a “condensed” quote from Theodore Roosevelt – “It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena … because there is no effort without error or shortcoming … and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly.”
Valedictorian Joyce Li told her classmates to “embrace the opportunity we’re being given this moment.”
She added, “Learn to wait, be patient, and smile,” just before taking a selfie with her classmates.
WHS Principal Brian Callaghan announced that about $180,000 in scholarships would be dedicated to the Class of 2024 — $140,000 to graduates, another $40,000 for those committed to their college studies.
Callaghan asked the students to look around and “take the moment in” before starting his remarks.
“I am struck at how much trust the class has in each other,” he said. “It is something to be proud of. The class believed in each other.”
Soon afterward, Callaghan joined Bock and other school officials in conferring diplomas.
Once William Zheng – the final student alphabetically – and the class officers received their diplomas, had their photos taken and made their way back to their seats, the class did the ceremonial switching of the tassels. They then proceeded to another part of the field, threw their caps into the air, and began their first moments as alums of Westborough High School.
