Although a fast-moving storm initially sent everyone into the gymnasium on June 14, Palmyra High School graduated 114 students.
The event evoked hope for the future among graduates.
“You deserve to invest in your dreams. Tomorrow might be extremely scary, but you are capable. Put as much of yourself out there as much as you can,” said valedictorian Cadence Anderson.
“We’re saying goodbye,” she added, “but our time together as classmates at Palmyra High School is something we will always have in common. Cheers to us. We finally made it here.”
Family and friends filled the gym as the graduates filed in wearing caps and gowns. Alyssa Fusco, Thomas Sacca and Kiyomi Okazaki delivered a stirring rendition of the national anthem to start the proceedings.
Assistant Principal William Devlin then welcomed members of the Palmyra, Riverton and Beverly boards of education and asked all parents, grandparents and great-grandparents in the audience to stand up and be applauded by their offspring.
“This is the beginning of a new adventure,” Superintendent Mark Pease told the graduates. “Tonight we celebrate the achievements of our graduates. You are one step closer to the next chapter in your lives.”
“Palmyra High is a family, and as a family, we have flourished,” noted student council president Maura Russell. “It has helped us grow to be the young adults we are today.”
Class president Benjamin Still followed Russell to the podium.
“We are a great class,” he remarked. “We have set aside our differences and worked together. We are a class that brings people together.”
Salutatorian Natalie Sherrill’s speech referred to the pandemic faced by the classmates early in their high-school careers.
“No matter how hard things get, we must keep going,” she insisted. “As freshmen, we experienced the COVID shutdown. I found myself swimming in isolation. ‘I need help’ were the words that saved my life.
“I urge you to welcome change,” Sherrill added. “It is not something we should be afraid of. Our four years of hard work at Palmyra High gave us a chance to find out who we are.”
After receiving their diplomas, the graduates joined in the tradition of throwing their caps in the air.
Class president Benjamin Still (left to right) addresses his peers at Palmyra High School’s June 14 graduation. Valedictorian Cadence Anderson urged her classmates to invest in their dreams, and Superintendent Mark Pease invoked “the beginning of a new adventure.”
