Mount Greylock's Non-Conforming Class of 2010 Receives Diplomas
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Diplomas were handed out to 100 seniors Saturday night in the school's gymnasium, and while the ceremony included a handful of traditions that are synonymous with commencement exercises, the class of 2010 carved its own identity by what it did differently.
For the first time in Mount Greylock's history, this year's seniors were not ranked by grade-point average. And when Saturday's graduation concluded, the seniors did not conform to custom, choosing not to toss their caps into the air.
According to Patrick Madden, the class speaker selected by fellow students, the seniors' brand of "unified discord" was best displayed during this year's "skip day." At a designated hour, one of the school's corridors erupted with the rings of alarm clocks and cell phones, which were strategically set off by members of the senior class.
While most of the seniors were absent on skip day, their presence was very much known.
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Taylor Foehl, the class speaker selected by faculty, described the different phases many students go through during their stints at Mount Greylock. He recalled the "awkward times" in seventh and eighth grade, where his top priority was amassing a collection of Axe fragrances, in hopes of earning a compliment from a girl.
Foehl described freshmen and sophomore years as the "settling in" period, when varsity sports became available, grades started to matter and true friendships were formed.
As for junior year, Foehl chose to keep it brief:
"Junior year tested our will to survive. And so as not to kill the mood here, I think I will leave it at that."
He said senior year brought on a wide array of moods, everything from impatience to excitement to sadness.
"It was easy to say goodbye to the ordinary parts of high school; we had been waiting to do so for a long time," he said. "What has been so hard to let go of have been the intangibles of this building, the irreplaceable interactions we had every day with everyone around us.
"We've spent the last six years stuck in the same building with each other, being classmates, teammates, locker buddies, friends and 'biffles,' and to think that it would be easy to say goodbye is to downplay our entire experience."
Greylock's graduating class took great pride in its extracurricular achievements. The seniors were heavily involved in the music, art and theater programs, and they were "behind a staggering number of necessary reforms and successful projects over the last six years," according to Madden.
On the athletic fields, Greylock has reigned supreme over Berkshire County during the last couple years, with many of Saturday's graduates instrumental in the Mounties' dominance. In almost every sport, including soccer, ski, cross country, track and field, tennis, wrestling, baseball and lacrosse, Greylock has notched league, regional and state titles.
"Our graduation marks the passing of a dynasty of extracurricular activity." Madden said. "We've left people in all corners of the school with one common sentiment: 'What are we going to do next year?'"
Tom Ostheimer received the Teacher of the Year Award during commencement, and he gave a special "shout-out" to his daughter, Perry Ostheimer, who is a member of the class of 2010.
Superintendent William D. Travis, set to retire this summer, presided over his last graduation ceremony. He, like the senior class, formally said goodbye to Greylock.
"The difference between us is simply that is has taken me 40 years to graduate from public secondary schools, while you guys skated through brilliantly in just four years," he said.
The Mount Greylock concert band performed on Saturday, and the school's choir performed several selections, including The Beatles' "Ticket to Ride."
