WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Before Mount Greylock Regional School bid adieu to the the class of 2016, those grads had a chance to say goodbye to one of the school's most popular teachers.

 

Retiring physical education teacher and coach Raymond Miro was recognized by the graduating seniors as the school's Teacher of the Year during Saturday's commencement exercises.

 

Miro offered two last lessons.

 

"The first is, 'Treat all people well,' " he said. "I give my parents a lot of credit. It doesn't matter what side of the tracks you live on or how much money you make, race, color, creed — that's how I was brought up. That's how I brought up my kids, and that's how I feel.

 

"The second one is … be yourself. I think the piece I want to add to that is we spend so much time trying to be other people. I have done that myself. … Be yourself, get comfortable, do the best you can and make improvements from there."

 

The latter point echoed the advice offered by graduate Benjamin G. Hynes, selected by members of the class to speak at the event.

 

"Be yourself to the truest degree possible," Hynes said. "Don't let anyone tell you what you should think or feel. Just put 100 percent of yourself into whatever you believe.

 

"Push your comfort zone. There are a lot of great opportunities available if you go into a place where you're uncomfortable. And, lastly, stop and take a look around you every now and then and try to realize that you're in the good old days."

 

Both Hynes and Hannah P. Fein, who was selected by the faculty to speak on Saturday, reminded their classmates of the good times they have shared during their days at the junior-senior high school.

 

For her source material, Fein turned to the journal entry she wrote the night before she started her freshman year. Her 13-year-old self focused on stress about not getting her summer work done, the difficulty of high class material and "not having the right supplies."

 

"Poor me," Fein offered with self-deprecation. "Wow, I was such a nerd."

 

What she finds looking back at her Mount Greylock years is that they may have been filled with stress but they were not defined by stress, Fein said.

 

"Though that [4-year-old] passage may be more hilarious and miserable-sounding than most, that type of whining entry was not uncommon during my high school years," Fein said. "I know a lot of my classmates had similar experiences with stress. But I don't even remember writing this. If this type of stress happened all the time, why is it not what I remember most about my time at Greylock?"

 

And, she told the audience of friends, family, teachers and underclassmen, her kind of "selective memory" is not uncommon.

 

"I asked some friends what they'd remember most about their time at Greylock — friends who I know have experienced just as much stress and just as many highs and lows as I have," Fein said. "Responses were beautiful. Our class will remember, 'how much Greylock helped us grow,' and the 'supportive, welcoming community,' and the 'common drive to excel' and respect for everyone's different 'passions and hard work.' "

 

The foundation the graduates received at Mount Greylock will be needed as they go forward and face the myriad challenges of adulthood. Their principal reminded them on Saturday that, in words attributed to Anne Frank, "Our lives are fashioned by our choices. First we make our choices. Then our choices make us."

 

"The choices you have made are part of the individual trajectory that's brought you here today," Mary MacDonald said. "It's always more pleasant to attend to the positive choices during celebratory graduation ceremonies, but if we speak plainly — and I do believe in candor — you have to acknowledge your bad choices. You have to recognize the innocuous misstep as well as flagrantly poor judgment, and learn from those experiences to change how you live forward.

 

"The way in which you capitalize on choices – pursuing the good and rethinking and correcting the poor choices – will shape the arc and direction of the trajectory into your future. Avoid being overly calculated or conservative as you make choices; a less obvious choice might lead to surprisingly rewarding experiences. Risk is often worthwhile."

 

In addition to awarding diplomas, Mount Greylock on Saturday recognized a number of award winners. In addition to Miro's recognition as Teacher of the Year, custodian Ed LaMarre was recognized as Staff Member of the Year by the graduates.

 

And among the graduates earning special recognition were:

 

English Award: Hannah Penner Fein

History Award: Lucius Lionel Claiborne Park

Alfred J. Leonardi Prize in Mathematics: Adly Huff Templeton

John D. Gill Jr. Science Award: Adly Huff Templeton

Class of 1950 Foreign Language Prize: Petrea Tongsuan Mannello

Elizabeth S. Piper Memorial Latin Award: Adly Huff Templeton

Clary Well Alpert Memorial Art Award: Sophie Anne Gerry

Music Award: Lucius Lionel Claiborne Park

Business Technology Award: Joshua Peter Jezouit

Wellness Award: Elizabeth Mary Bernardy and Graham Nardone Kaegi

John B. Clark Scholars Award: Hannah Penner Fein, Graham Nardone Kaegi, Greta Lane Savitsky, Anya Evangeline Sheldon and Melissa Clare Swann