Dedham High Graduates Told To Go Against Status Quo

DEDHAM, MA — There may have been only 146 diplomas handed out at Saturday’s Dedham High School graduation ceremony, but that only means that the school said farewell to a grade that’s closer to each other than past classes before them.

Last weekend’s ceremony was a time for celebration and reflection. Principal James Forrest said he would miss the fist bumps and high fives while Dedham High School Class President Andrew Czazasty called his grade more than a class, rather, a family.

“Nobody in our grade dislikes each other. At football games, prom, senior week, anywhere really, our grade is never divided. That’s an achievement that maybe no other Dedham High class can claim,” Czazasty said.

He went on to reflect on the class’ rebellious streak and tendency to fight the good fight including objecting to the loss of the wrestling room, refusing to accept an unfunded senior snowball dance, and pushing back when the senior music was turned into a school musical.

“This is what I mean when I say high school brought out our best. Time and time again, our grade led many movements. The grade that fought the status quo and won,” Czazasty said. “Challenge the establishment, go against the status quo, don’t let the past dictate the future. Don’t sit back and wait for someone else to change the world. History doesn’t remember the people who do nothing. History remembers the people who stand up for their beliefs.”

Matt Brown of Norwood served as the day’s keynote speaker. Brown became paralyzed in 2010 after a bad hit during a high school hockey game. While that life-changing moment is enough to drive many to self-pity, Brown chose to move forward and stay positive.

“I could not change what happened no matter how much I wanted to. My decision was to work as hard as I could to beat this and set a goal that I will walk again. Yes, my life changed that day but it did not end. At 16 and now 24, I still have a life to live. Each day I try to live it to the fullest,” he said.

Brown’s message was a warning that there will be setbacks in life, but how the graduates manage them will set them apart from others.

Valedictorian Katherine Bondar had the last words. Short and sweet, she said to look forward and not be sad that the past is over.

“These changes that we are going through can be looked at in two different ways. We can live in the past and be sad because it’s over, or we can look towards the future and be excited that we still have our entire lives ahead of us. We’ll always have Dedham High in the memories we made here, but we’ll also have so many new friends to make, new adventures to experience and a whole new chapter of our lives," she said.

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