"Bittersweet" Manchester Essex graduation sees off 126 seniors

Michael Cronin, Gloucester Daily Times, Mass.
·3 min read

Jun. 4—MANCHESTER — There were many mixed emotions at Manchester Essex Regional High School's commencement on Friday.

"It feels great but also a little depressing," said graduate Haley Altieri. "It's been a long four years because of COVID."

Altieri was one of the 126 seniors to graduate this year. She and her classmates prepared for ceremony at the Manchester Memorial Elementary School gymnasium around 3:30 p.m.

"It's bittersweet," said Shea Furse as she waited with friend Emma Ketchum. "It doesn't even feel real. It all happened so quick. I still kind of feel like a freshman."

Out on the Manchester Essex Middle High School football field, parents and friends eagerly awaited to see the Class of 2022.

"I'm super excited," said Wendy Sullivan while holding a massive printed cut-out of her daughter Emalia Collins' head. "It's also bittersweet because she's my youngest and the last one to graduate."

Sullivan said Collins will be head to her alma mater, Colby-Sawyer College in New London, New Hampshire, in the fall.

Mike Alden was waiting to see his daughter, Jillian, with a bouquet of flowers in hand.

"She's the third and the last to graduate (of my children)," he said. "The closest one to her is five years older. So it's happy and sad."

At 4 p.m., the Class of 2022,l ed by a troop of bagpipers, entered the high school auditorium for the ceremony.

"As you leave today, I hope you follow your passions and find your individual version of success," said Principal Patricia Puglisi, taking to the mic once the seniors were all seated.

Salutatorian Samantha Rosen likened the Class of 2022's close-knit community to a family.

"There may be 20 people in the audience whom I have known since pre-school and even more since kindergarten," she said. "Having a solid foundation will remain important for the rest of our lives ... No matter where we end up, we will always look to Manchester Essex as our home."

For his speech, valedictorian Lukas Shan envisioned his ideal day if every one of his classmates realized their individual goals. While heading into his dream pharmaceutical research job in New York City, he sees Andrew Torri installing a solar panel he engineered on top of a skyscraper built by Amelia Donnellan Valade. Later in the day, he reads an article written by Gelsey McCue on the latest research on presidential campaigns by data analyst Sean Vendt.

The long and winding odyssey saw Shan running into all of his 125 classmates in some way or another — each following their dreams. The speech was based on interviews he conducted with every student on their personal goals for the future.

"Life goals are never set in stone," he concluded. "They're always set to change and that's OK ... What we all have right now is some semblance, some of idea of what we want our futures to look like regardless of how sure we are of our future endeavors. And that is something to be held onto."

The Class of 2022 chose librarian and social studies department member Barrett Alston to present the commencement address. The first-year employee at Manchester Essex Regional High School gave a deeply emotional and personal speech about how his new job changed his life for the better.

"You turned my job into one that I was legitimately excited to wake up and come to everyday," he told the Class of 2022, "and turned this year into one of the happiest years of my life. .. .I had been feeling pretty down on humanity in general. With COVID, the climate crisis and the current state of politics in our country, I was feeling wildly pessimistic about the future. Then I met you guys. You changed my entire world view ... with your sense of indestructible hope, the hope I see in your eyes when you talk about your future plans."

Michael Cronin may be contacted at 978-675-2708, or mcronin@gloucestertimes.com.