After four years of making friends, working hard, and growing into adulthood, the Massapequa High School class of 2013 graduated in a sea of blue and gold Monday.
There were 673 graduates who participated in the ceremony in Hofstra University's David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex.
“We arrived here four short years ago as freshmen fighting with the locks on our lockers, trying to figure out where our next class was and looking generally clueless," said class president Joseph De Marco. "Tonight we are seniors who gather ready to graduate and move forward in the world.”
Class members who started at the school just months after President Obama took office, witnessed news events such as the economic downturn, the capture of bin Laden, the Newtown shootings and Hurricane Sandy.
Speakers said the storm brought out the best in neighbors and strengthen the community.
One thing for sure is that none of us has changed Massapequa High School as much as it has changed us," said Student Government President Sean Conboy.
"Hopefully we have all developed the skills necessary to push us through the tough times and to thoroughly enjoy the good times; to give ourselves the lives we envision and to give back to society as well.”
The graduates, were adorned in blue robes and the stage was decorated with blue, gold and white flowers. The graduates paused to remember James Kovacsik, known as Coach K, who was a hall monitor at the high school for about 20 years and a major booster for Massapequa sports. Coach K died earlier this month at age 93.
An honorary diploma was given to Superintendent Charles Sulc who was attending his final ceremony before retirement.
Salutatorian Nicole Henveld told her classmates to not fear what's ahead.
“You have extraordinary lives ahead of you," she said. "Embrace the unknown. Shake its hand, if you will. Remember that the future will be what you make of it, because you are the future.”
Valedictorian Melanie Sheehan called on the class of 2013 to make a difference in the world in the name of their alma mater.
I challenge you all, to find a problem in our world, in our communities, in our lives that you feel strongly about, and rather than be a bystander to the world’s woes, be a proactive leader who can make a difference in your chosen field. By doing that, you will prove the world that, once you’re a Chief, you are, in fact, always a Chief."
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