| 06/14/2007 |
| Coventry sends off the class of 2007 |
| Nicole Wietrak , Coventry Courier |
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KINGSTON - A year's worth of celebrations were rolled into one
grand event yesterday at the University of Rhode Island's
Kingston campus, as the Coventry High School class of 2007
descended upon a sea of proud families, friends and teachers. Class Vice President Jonathan Cybulski kicked off the event by welcoming the audience members and guests to the 73rd CHS commencement exercises. Following the singing of the National Anthem by seniors Rose Bartholomew and Leah Urwin, the arena's crowd was presented a tribute to fallen comrades, led by the Air Force Junior ROTC cadets and set to the verse of Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA." CHS Principal Michael Hobin was the first to address the graduates as he said goodbye to his students, telling them he did so with a heavy heart, and congratulated them on a job well done. First, Hobin asked those in attendance to reserve a moment of silence to recognize Andrew Coit, a CHS senior who was killed in a hit-and-run accident in March. Hobin then addressed the graduates, imparting on them the advice that they must be able to adapt to a changing world while still having the spirit and drive to follow their dreams. "I challenge you to find your passion and find someone who will pay you for doing just that," said Hobin. Following greetings from School Committee Chairman Raymond E. Spear and Town Council President Justin A. Pomfret, Class President Aimee Belanger then took to the podium for her address. Quoting a poem dear to her, Belanger told her classmates to listen hard, laugh (since it is the best medicine), continue to learn, appreciate friends, and, above all else, live for today. Boston University-bound salutatorian Ali Briden offered a few words of advice to her departing classmates in hopes of reminding them that the most important lessons learned during high school did not come from the pages of textbooks. "It is the little things we have experienced over our four years at Coventry High School that will stay with us forever," said Briden. "These moments seem mundane and ordinary most of the time, but secretly they are the ones that teach us the most about connection, compassion, courage, and confidence." Addressing her classmates as family members, Briden talked about both good and bad times shared during their four year together, saying, "When one hurt, we all hurt, and within our circle we understood each other enough to offer selfless support." "Courage is something I discovered when my days at Coventry began fading fast - courage to leave the comfort of this place, where many know my name, and courage to take a shaky step into the unknown without my favorite people surrounding me each and every day," she said. In the end, Briden said, reflection upon the "little moments" in life will carry the most meaning, as those moments will turn into memories that can never be lost or forgotten. "Do not shed a tear as you replay the glory days of high school back in your mind," she said, "because, now, good times never seemed so good." Coventry High Valedictorian Peter Ross, who will attend Carnegie Mellon in the fall, took his fellow classmates on a journey from early childhood to the present, speaking of a plethora of new choices in college, the military or the workforce, all laid out in front of them. "The road ahead is undoubtedly full of twists and turns, and at times we may want to stop and take an easy way out," counseled Ross. "I maintain we should never give up on our dreams. We should continue to persevere, because in the end, the rewards will be great." Ross recounted the rise and fall of former President Richard Nixon, starting with Nixon's humble beginnings after he declined his acceptance into Harvard University due to financial constraints. "He wore the same suit, shirt, and tie every day while attending Whittier College and he lived in a groundskeeper's shack in order to afford tuition," said Ross. "Because of his perseverance, he achieved his childhood dream of becoming president." After Nixon became president, Ross said, Nixon lost sight of his ethics and morals, and at the same time lost his spirit of perseverance. Playing off of Thomas Edison's famous observation, "genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration," Ross told his classmates that perseverance is the key that will open up doors to success. "We all have the capabilities to use the key," he said. "We just need the will to open the locks." Before receiving their diplomas and venturing out into the world, the new graduates listened to the words of their superintendent, Kenneth R. DiPietro, who named the 2007 class the "best and the brightest that America has to offer." DiPietro then produced a large glass jar that he began to fill with rocks, then smaller pebbles. He topped the whole thing off with sand, completely filling the jar to the brim. The rocks, he said, represented families, health, children - anything that is precious. The pebbles represented smaller things in life - cars, houses and big-screen televisions. The sand, he said, represents everything else that fills the spaces. "If you put the sand in the jar first, the rocks and pebbles wouldn't fit," said DiPietro. "The same goes for life. Pay attention to the things that are central to your life. Enjoy your life. Set your priorities. The rest is just pebbles and sand."
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