The Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School’s class of 2015 is made up of artists, musicians, scientists, chefs, gardeners and scholar-athletes. They have been recognized with awards on the local, state and national levels, and are the recipients of prestigious scholarships. Some will study liberal arts at Ivy League colleges and universities next year, others will train for future careers at vocational schools, while others will take the year off to explore their independence and travel the world. But perhaps most noteworthy and impressive are the human qualities that define them, and the genuine, selfless spirits that guide them.
The graduation ceremony takes place on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. at the Tabernacle in Oak Bluffs. Tonight the class gathers at the Tabernacle for Class Night honors.
Patrick Nascimento, a Brazilian-born senior, moved to Martha’s Vineyard in 2007. He has been a community organizer, builder, cook, and has welcomed visiting seniors from the High School of Economics and Finance in New York. He has also helped form a bridge for students from diverse backgrounds, all while working a full time job at Cronig’s Market throughout high school.
“He understands the concept of service and leadership,” said senior advisor Josh Burgoyne. His selflessness and quiet leadership are perhaps best exemplified by the effort he made on behalf of the One World club last Wednesday.
“While most seniors would have spent the day on the beach, Patrick spent the entire day organizing and cooking a meal for the New York kids when they got here. That’s just the kind of guy he is,” said Mr. Burgoyne.
Patrick is an all around gentleman, too.
“He holds doors open for people, and you just don’t see that a lot anymore,” said Mr. Burgoyne. This is a class that knows not just how to interact with their peers, but also with adults. Tennis captain Josie Iadicicco, who will study at NYU next year, is the school’s president, and already has her sights set on becoming a lawyer. The faculty thinks she will make a good one.
“She was at every school council meeting, totally comfortable holding court with a bunch of adults in the room,” said Mr. Burgoyne.
“I have been involved with student government for eight years and she is one of the most articulate people we have ever had lead the school,” added senior advisor Olsen Houghton.
The students also engage with the community around them, and are supportive of, and celebrate, diversity. Galya Walt, a competitive swimmer and Peer Outreach member, has used her training in counseling through the program to help create a Cool To Be Kind Club and lead other projects that engage her classmates. She will spend next year in a gap year program in Israel, after which she will attend Tufts, where she is considering neuroscience as a major. She has an open mind, however, and is not restricted by her scientific bent.
“I am sure after Israel I will have a whole new set of ideas about what I want to study,” she said.
This class is comprised of kids who are well-rounded and focused. Football captain Liam Smith was also a member of the business club run by Mr. Burgoyne. Liam reached out to a relative at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC), so that a group of 15 high school seniors could visit the executive boardroom of PWC’s midtown Manhattan offices.
“He networked and got us in a setting that very few people within the company even get to be in,” said Mr. Burgoyne.
Senior Anne Ollen was the embodiment of resilience, even while her father was sick and hospitalized during her junior year.
“She used schoolwork and the school itself to get her through those crazy times,” said Mr. Houghton. She will study at Barnard College next year.
And finally, this is a class that excelled at athletics. Multisport athlete Tim Roberts will play basketball next year at MIT. He was recently awarded the Boston Globe/Richard Phelps Scholar-Athlete Award. He was the first Vineyard student in 10 years to have received this level of recognition.
Aubrey Ashmun has been a tri-sport captain and will also continue her athletic career into college. She will play ice hockey at the College of the Holy Cross. “She is an amazing athlete and will probably even figure out how to play more than one sport, but she will start with hockey,” said guidance director Michael McCarthy.
Valedictorian Samantha Potter played at the number one spot for the girls’ tennis team and led them through their first undefeated season. Today the team heads to the finals of the division 3 sectional tournament. Samantha, along with salutatorian Tim Roberts and class essayist Charlotte Potter, will speak at graduation on Sunday. Tim Roberts is flanked by the twin Potter sisters in the class standings, along with Justice Yennie who tied with Charlotte for third honors. Katherine Reid, a theatrical artist and singer, will emcee the ceremony.
“She is a ball of energy and very bubbly,” said Mr. Burgoyne.
Mr. McCarthy describes this year’s graduating class as respectful.
“They are appreciative of people who have worked hard to support them, which is a nice quality to see because teenagers are usually self-centered. But these are kids who have grown and matured into thoughtful, understanding people. They will be sorely missed.”
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