The weather was almost fitting at Barnstable High School’s graduation on June 12. The day started off rainy before turning into a cloud cover, then finally the sun came out at the end of the ceremony. It was a great representation of how these graduates’ senior year went, from being all online to start the year to going hybrid. Then, at the very end of their year,  they were finally able to experience a complete in-person style of learning; a bright end to a cloudy year.

The plan was for the graduation to start at 10 a.m., but due to rain early, they pushed it to 1 p.m., but still the energy was the same. There was a buzz on Leo Shields Athletic Field with people who up until a few weeks ago thought they would not be able to attend the ceremony, many of these people maskless. Like most graduations the event started with the school band playing “Pomp and Circumstance”  while the soon to be graduates made their way through the crowd and into their seats in bleachers on the field. As expected, parents stood up and tried to get their child’s attention for a picture. 

After the commotion settled down and everybody took their seats, the National Anthem was sung by the school’s choir. That was succeeded by class president Abby Olsen welcoming everybody to the event followed by her “Address of Welcome Speech”. Olsen expressed how proud she was of her class’s perseverance.

 “I’ll always be grateful for these past five years, the memories we’ve made, the strength that we’ve shown,” Olsen said.

 She also mentioned how many changes her class had to endure and how they conquered these changes. She ended her speech with a quote from C.S Lewis and a wish she had for all her classmates to carry the happy feelings they felt the past five years for the rest of their lives. 

The next speech came from class vice president Gracie Davis. Davis spread a similar message of toughness and strength. Davis stated “As overused as the word is, resilience defines the class of 2021.” She also expressed “This class has shown its strength even in the face of unbelievable adversity.”  

Next was the student council president Emily Cahill. Cahil gave a speech titled “What’s Next”.  Her speech was about who people are and how the class pf 2021 is filled with good people. She emphasized that the most important thing is not what college they got into or the grades they got, but rather if they are a good person. She remarked “The class of 2021 is composed of 338 good people.”  

The final student speech came from National Honors Society member Morgan Dardia, who first took an opportunity to thank the unsung heroes. She thanked the custodians who kept our school clean and the crowd gave head custodian Tim Pillsberry a standing ovation. Next, she celebrated our school lunch workers for their hard work and free lunches. Finally, she thanked our school nurses and all people in the medical field and they got a big applause. 

Next was Superintendent Meg-Mayo Brown. She called the names of students who would be going into the military. That was succeeded by applause for all students who completed a multi-lingual test and earned the Seal of Biliteracy from it. Administrator-In-Charge Kristen Harmon gave a speech about all the successes these seniors had despite the pandemic. She drove home a point that despite the pandemic the seniors were still able to get a lot done as well as get somewhat normal senior events, like the Seniors at Sunset dance held the night before graduation.

FInally it was time to hand out diplomas. Class advisors Ms. Anne Mach-Dixon and Mr. Fadner Pierre read the names and students received their diplomas before shaking hands with Mayo-Brown or Harmon and heading back to their seats. Parents rushed to the front to try to get a picture of their kids while this was happening. The ceremony ended with the traditional moving of the tassels across the cap and the toss of the cap by the now BHS alums. They filed out the same way they came in, to a standing ovation and then it was picture time with friends and family.

If you would like to watch the graduation the link is:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkkP1mCLx-s