NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Drury High School valedictorian Elli Miles said graduation had seemed a lifetime away when she first heard the "class of 2022" reference four years ago. 

 

"It's been a strange journey to say the least and certainly not one that any of us could have predicted, but we persevered and overcame, and now here we are ready to begin the next stage of our lives," she said at graduation ceremonies in the high school gym on Thursday. 

 

But she added that she wasn't feeling what she expected after all the hard work and stress. Instead of excitement, she was feeling relief she hadn't let anyone down. Miles said when she realized that being the top student was a possibility, the excitement and push to improve turned "into a weight holding me back." 

 

"It felt I was no longer running toward something, something that could inspire me to achieve great things, I was running away from the feeling of failure," she said. "Expectations have the power to motivate and inspire, but also to limit and confine. Expectations can cause tunnel vision that distracts from more important things such as mental health and relationships."

 

Now is the time, Miles said, for the class to reflect back on the experiences that have molded them, and understand there's a difference between what they actually want and what they've convinced themselves they want.

 

"I urge you all to reject what's been weighing you down and begin the work to become that person you want to be, to break from the confinements of past expectations and start fresh," she told the class of 2022. 

 

Class President Thomas Peterson welcomed family and friends, staff and teachers, and his 79 classmates to the graduation ceremonies. He spoke of the importance of appreciating the friendships that have grown over the past four years. 

 

"These friendships, even if they have changed over the past four years, have shaped us even more than we know," he said. "Thank you all for allowing me to see you grow and grow with you these last four years."

 

Superintendent Barbara Malkas presented the Marion B. Kelley Teacher of the Year Award to Lisa Marceau, a fifth-grade teacher at Colegrove Park Elementary School. The yearbook was dedicated a surprised Donna Myers, a social studies teacher at Drury, who said "it was one of the nicest things that ever happened to me."

 

"She never fails to inspire us to do our greatest at everything we do. She's a person you can always count on for a good laugh but at the same time, she always keeps everyone in line," junior Rachel Barrows said of Myers.  

 

Salutatorian Madeline Nesbit said the class was barely adult but 12 years of schooling has made them capable of entering the military, college of the workforce and "who are capable of taking on the challenges of the adult world." With that, she encouraged her classmates to take on a global challenge — the climate crisis. The world is losing rainforests at the rate of 30 football fields a minute, she said, and by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean. 

 

"This is the world we are being sent out into. But the truth is that we have the power to change it. Yes it is frustrating, and scary, but we can do it. We can be the change that the world so desperately needs," she said. "We will be engineers, electricians, teachers, lawyers, politicians, scientists, architects, police officers and other professions we can't yet dream of. But if we work hard enough, we can use them to better the world. ...

 

"We are strong enough, smart enough, capable enough, and brave enough to be the difference. The only question is: are you ready?"

 

Malkas presented the class to Mayor Jennifer Macksey, chair of the School Committee, who handed out the diplomas. Class co-Vice Presidents Zachary Davignon and Nesbit read the graduates names and the scholarships and awards they had won. Principal Timothy Callahan presented the high honor awards and the band played selections from composer John Williams. 

 

The class of 2022 was nearing the end of its sophomore year the direction of its educational journey changed forever, said Callahan, with its members spending 30 percent of their high school career completely or partially in a virtual environment. As an administrator, teacher and parent of a graduating senior, he understood the difficulties of the pandemic, albeit not from the perspective of the students.

 

"You've had a high school experience unlike any other and even though I haven't seen it from your perspective, I know that some of you switched to remote learning feeling uncomfortable with the technology and the lack of social distractions. I know many more of you struggled," he said. "I get it. I really do get it. But I didn't experience it the way you did. And only you know what it was really like and how hard it was. But here's what I do know. You're here now. You did it. You made it through even though there may have been times when you felt like you wouldn't. 

 

"Here you are moments away from receiving your official diploma as the Drury High School class of 2022 and you have persevered. I can't say anything that will make you feel better about everything you've lost or never had the chance to try. But I can say that I'm incredibly proud of all you. ...

 

"You stared down a global pandemic and you said, 'you can't stop me,' and you were right, congratulations class of 2022. Take that defiance, persistent strength and go out and change the world. I know you can and I know you will."

 

The ceremony ended with the singing of the alma mater "Mother Drury on the Hill" and a tossing of caps before graduates exited to the gym to be greeted by their families. 

 

Drury High Awards & Scholarships

 

Drury High School Class of 2022

Julia Margaret Albright*