welcome
Traditional school gift, sign of welcome this year. — Jaxon White

If you’ve ever wondered what a charter school is all about, or more specifically, what the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School is all about, convocation is the place to discover its essence. The ceremony, much like the education the school offers, is custom tailored to the tastes and interests of the students.

And so on Saturday, looking more like Greeks than graduates, with laurel halos in violet and sky blue flowers replacing the traditional caps, the nine members of the class of 2009 graduated at a ceremony beneath a simple white tent, colorfully draped with brightly tie-dyed cloth. Marching three by three into the tent, Ryan Antolick, Zoe Benjamin, Sydney Dunbrack, Whitney Fulp, Dylan Huck, Jessey Myers, Augustus Paquet-Whall, Koko Sanfilippo and Annie Wirtz seated themselves center-stage before a roaring crowd of about 200 people joined to celebrate their graduation. These nine young men and women are the charter school’s ninth, and largest, class of graduates — aptly, they are the class of 2009.

dylan
Dylan Huck. — Jaxon White

Each year the graduating class designs its own convocation. This year’s class nixed Pomp and Circumstance for a recessional to the reggae beat of Ziggy Marley’s Good Old Days. The reception menu included frosting-filled whoopie pies. Attire ranged from dresses and ties to jeans and sneakers. Each student could choose — or decline — to speak at the ceremony.

Beforehand, Mr. Paquet-Whall admitted that he felt nervous. “I already had that sense of ‘Yeah!’” he said, pumping a fist into the cool June air. “It’s sad to be moving on.” But nerves and nostalgia soon gave way to a sense of pride that manifested itself in a wide smile spread across his face. “[I feel] a really big sense of accomplishment because it’s my fifth year,” he explained. “I didn’t start taking [school] seriously until my senior year. Now I’m doing it for me.”

Sitting shyly on display before a sea of family, friends and supporters, the graduates began the ceremony stiff and anxious, but quickly eased into laughter, and finally, animated displays of rejoicing upon receiving their diplomas.

The graduates elected science teacher Jane Paquet to deliver the commencement address. “Today is the day of energy transformation,” she said, likening the high school-to-real-world transition to the principles of science she teaches in the classroom. “Forget about who you have been and focus on who you want to be and put your energy into becoming that person.”

whitney and jessey
Whitney Fulp and Jessey Myers. — Jaxon White

Charter school director Robert Moore described the class as kind, curious and charitable. “[Their record of] service is impressive because it’s a giving thing and because it expands their understanding of others,” he said.

Class members volunteered their time at the Martha’s Vineyard Boys’ and Girls’ Club, Big Brothers, Big Sisters and the Vineyard Food Pantry. They traveled to Mexico to volunteer at an orphanage, and to Washington, D.C., to aid in the cleanup of the Anacostia River.

Jessey Myers’ community activism earned her two scholarships of $1,300 and $2,500 — the first scholarships ever awarded to a charter school student from the Permanent Endowment Fund of Martha’s Vineyard, a public charity that rewards philanthropy and funnels funds to nonprofit and community groups with the aim of improving the quality of life on the Island. Tears filled her eyes when she accepted the scholarships, which she will use to help pay for her education at Mitchell College in the fall. “That was the only reason I wasn’t going to go to school — if I didn’t get scholarships,” she said, her face wet with tears. “Now I feel relieved.”

In addition to its dedication to service, the class earned a reputation for comradeship within the charter school community.

“What sets them apart and what impressed me so much was how they welcomed two students from off-Island into their group,” Mr. Moore said.

One of the transfer students, Sydney Dunbrack, joined the school when she moved to the Vineyard from Concord before the start of her senior year. “It was a big change . . . but I love it here,” she said, noting that the small charter school community was much more tight-knit than her class of about 600 students in Concord.

With their high school careers finished, the nine young adults must design their own futures. The plans are diverse, ranging from work, college or travel to utter indecision.

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Nine Charter School graduates take stage Saturday in West Tisbury. — Jaxon White

Zoe Benjamin will continue her job in construction with South Mountain Company, and hopes to spend a stint studying Spanish in Costa Rica. Mr. Paquet-Whall will work as a food runner and dishwasher at the Blue Canoe restaurant in Vineyard Haven, and has his sights set on an excursion to Bulgaria, homeland to many of his co-workers. Annie Wirtz will continue to work at Middletown Nursery. Whitney Fulp will also enter the workforce, but she is not sure where. “[The charter school] is like a family and it’s really nice to have that and not see faces you don’t know everyday . . . but I want to experience other places,” she explained.

Other graduates will go to college. Ryan Antolick plans to attend Saint Anselm College in the fall. He is interested in business, but with many other competing interests has yet to settle on a field of study. Ms. Myers will study social work at Mitchell College and dreams of working with at-risk teens. Koko Sanfilippo will venture far from the Vineyard this fall to study film at California College of the Arts. Ms. Dunbrack plans to take a year off before enrolling at the Art Institute of Boston to study photography and illustration. “My dad gave me a camera when I was five,” she said. “I’ve been shooting ever since.” Dylan Huck, who has attended the charter school for 10 years, plans to tour Europe this winter.

Each graduate received a $500 scholarship for options in education from the charter school. The faculty and younger students also presented the class of 2009 with awards, books and mementos of their high school journeys based on their strengths, interests and attributes. The gifts ranged from Mr. Antolick’s skateboard deck to Ms. Wirtz’s handmade fluorescent pink graduation day crown and 21-page book of memories, quotes and advice for the future.

Following tradition, the graduates presented the school with a class gift: a wooden welcome sign, painted blue with two yellow stars at each end.

Co-founder and retired charter school teacher Sydney Morris attended the ceremony and afterward praised the nine graduates for their perseverance. “They stand out as a group which has probably fought the hardest to get where they are,” he said. “They managed to find their strengths through their hearts and through their passions.”

The ceremony also drew alumni who returned to their high school alma mater to celebrate the accomplishments of the nine graduates. Many of the returning faces reddened and became streaked with tears when Ms. Fulp and Ms. Myers took to the podium to thank the family and teachers who advocated for them throughout their schooling.

One returning student, Liane Fitzgerald, who graduated from the charter school in 2007, congratulated her former schoolmates. “It’s nice to show support for the graduates,” she said, adding: “I want to see where my class is going.” Liane currently studies studio art at Bates College. “I definitely feel welcome here,” she said. “I’m really pleased to be back.”

The occasion also marked Sam Berlow’s final day of service as president of the board of trustees for the school. He too commended the graduates for their academic achievements and commitment to the Island and world community. “We as a community are very proud of you and when we see you our hearts spill with pride,” he said.

And he left the 2009 graduates with this advice: “Dare to fail. Do things that seem impossible. And if you fail, try again.”