NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — It wasn't just the Drury High class of 2023 getting some advice on Thursday night. 

 

Valedictorian Evan-Quin Goodermote included the family, friends and staff filling the auditorium seats in their call to live with determination.  

 

"Rather than deliver some big speech about the passing of the torch, the turning of the page and chapters of our lives, I want to talk about the difference between surviving and living," Goodermote said to the 61 graduates on the stage. "All my life I've been taught that those two things are somehow synonymous, that they need to exist in some form of consciousness, but surviving is the act of keeping yourself alive. ...

 

"But living, truly living is the pursuit of fulfillment, contentment and happiness."

 

Goodermote urged their classmates to dig deep into the soil and get their hands "filthy with the soil to allow your purpose to grow." Take risks, seek opportunities but don't let failures detract from your goal, they said, noting how the class had grown in a world full of challenges. 

 

"You will be taking that failure and working it into the soil for the next plants you grow. Use what you collect from your mistakes and learn from them to retire next time and start back at square one," Goodermote said. "Relish in the fact that you have the resilience to keep going even as roadblocks appear as your path becomes steep once again."

 

And to the audience, "I encourage the same. Don't just survive anymore, live."

 

Salutatorian Morgan Sarkis urged them to face their fears and go boldly into the next chapter of their lives. 

 

"This is not the time to sit on the ground and watch our friends ride the roller coaster, this is not the time to sit on the beach roasting on the sand and watching from a distance," she said. "This is the time that you're going to board the plane confidently knowing what a wonderful time to awaits."

 

Sarkis asked them to think about the "trials and tribulations that we endured over the last four years" and how that "endemic uncertainty" allowed them to become stronger individuals. 

 

 "We adapt and adjust to meet our needs at any given time," she said. "We will all end up where we are meant to be. This is a piece of advice that I will continue to take with me"

 

Class co-President Nicholas Lescarbeau welcomed the gathering, saying how much he appreciated his classmates and thanking parents and families "for your unwavering love You have been our biggest supporters and we owe our accomplishments to your sacrifices and encouragement. We stand here today because of you." 

 

Ash Gardzina sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "I'll Always Remember You," as the class waved the flashlights on their phones. Principal Stephanie Kopala presented the awards with Director of Curriculum and Instruction Krista Gmeiner and Class Treasurer Emma Bergeron read off the scholarships. 

 

Superintendent Barbara Malkas said she admired the class for having "lived history with flexibility, adaptability, you have lived the values of personal responsibility and resilience, and collectively it has not been an easy road to this day. And for some it has been even more challenging road."

 

Malkas presented the class and handed out diplomas with Mayor Jennifer Macksey, who told them that there's no recipe for life but to strive to be the best person they can. 

 

Class co-President Rachael Barrows presented the yearbook dedication to physical education and health teacher John Moore, saying he has been there to listen to and support students. "This has an impact that will last a lifetime and we will never be able to thank you enough for being a rock," she said. 

 

The graduation ceremonies, which had a few tearing up stage, ended with the singing of "Drury, Mother on the Hill" and the setting off of confetti cannons.