Pomp and Circumstance: Regional High School Seniors Ready for
Commencement Day
By RACHEL KOVAC
The members of the Martha's Vineyard Regional High School
Class of 2005 stand on common ground in the last few days before
graduation. But as the seniors reach for their diplomas Sunday, they
will be marking the moment when everything changes. Many will spend the
next few years earning degrees from colleges across the country; others
are immediately joining the work force, while still others are unsure
what the future holds.
Commencement begins Sunday at 1:30 p.m. at the Tabernacle on the
Camp Ground in Oak Bluffs.
And tonight, more than $700,000 in scholarship money donated by
Vineyard residents and organizations - the largest amount ever
- will be handed out to the graduating students. Class Night
begins at 7 p.m., also at the Tabernacle.
SRC="http://www.mvgazette.com/news/2005/06/03/content/grads_stage_sm.jpg" This week amid the preparations for graduation, students, teachers
and other school leaders reflected on the events that shaped the 195
members of the Class of 2005. While they experienced their share of joys
and accomplishments, their tenure at the high school was also marked by
tragedy.
In May of 2004 the class mourned two of their own, Kevin H. Johnson
2nd and David D. Furino, who died in a high-speed car accident in
Katama.
Mr. Johnson, who was 16 at the time of his death, was a
cross-country runner and junior varsity basketball player who loved the
summer and all things related to the beach. Mr. Furino, 17 at the time
of his death, was an aspiring architect. An athlete outside of school,
he was described as a snowboarder, a skim boarder, a fisherman and a
surfer.
Both will be awarded posthumous diplomas Sunday.
The class also planted and dedicated two trees at the school in
honor of Mr. Johnson and Mr. Furino.
"The experience made this a much closer class," said
Michael McCarthy, head of the school guidance department. "As
juniors they went through this experience and really pulled
together."
SRC="http://www.mvgazette.com/news/2005/06/03/content/grads_rehearsal_sm.jpg" "When it happened we were there for each other. We have a lot
of respect for one another," graduating senior Kayla Whalen said.
The events of Sept. 11 - occurring just weeks into their
freshman year of high school - also had a formative effect. It
pushed these students from five different schools to support each other
and try to make sense of what happened.
"It was hard for us to understand," Keidy Toomey said.
"Most of the people on the Island hadn't seen the Twin
Towers," Ms. Whalen said. "We were just trying to figure it
out."
Both tragedies shaped the students' attitudes.
"They have really rallied as a class and have become a
memorable group. They have contributed so much service to the school
- everything from reorganizing and fixing up our courtyard at the
school," high school principal Margaret (Peg) Regan said.
For Julia Friedman, who is attending Emory University in Atlanta,
Ga., next year, high school was about the academics. She plans to draw
on all her experiences as she makes her way at a top tier institution in
a big city. For an Island girl the southern city will be a big change,
as will the demands of a school that prides itself on its academic
success.
SRC="http://www.mvgazette.com/news/2005/06/03/content/grads_boys_sm.jpg" "I challenge myself to the extreme," Ms. Friedman said.
"I will fare pretty well in the real world thanks to the teachers
I've had here. It's all about your personal drive."
Jonathan Ryan is also moving to a city, albeit one closer to home.
Mr. Ryan will attend Emerson University in Boston in the fall. But while
Mr. Ryan is looking forward to college, right now he's
concentrating on the immediate future. He will take center stage Sunday
as the master of ceremonies.
"I think the most important thing about graduation is to
remind the audience this is the student's graduation," Mr.
Ryan said before graduation rehearsal on Thursday. "Everyone from
the selectmen to the commission seem to speak and it takes away from the
fact the class is graduating."
Mr. Ryan said this class is possibly the nicest group of people he
knows and it has been a pleasure for him to be among them for four
years.
After Sunday, the class will scatter in many different directions.
"It's a very competitive class," Mr. McCarthy
said. "They did very well in admissions. They are going all over
the country."
SRC="http://www.mvgazette.com/news/2005/06/03/content/grads_girls_sm.jpg" Students are going to colleges as different as Brown University,
James Madison University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Others are attending specialized schools like Johnson and Wales
University, the Savannah College of Art and Design and Paul Mitchell
Hair School. One student will be joining AmeriCorps, another moving to
Colorado to work at a ski slope, while still others are deferring higher
education for a year and traveling.
"These kids are very active in athletics, music and all the
arts," Mr. McCarthy said. "A lot of these kids are in the
vocational program. They are spread very evenly across the
school's programs and have been some real leaders out in the
community."
The students did very well with scholarships as well, according to
Mr. McCarthy. While many received need-based aid from schools, they also
garnered quite a bit of merit-based money.
"These are people who have spent a lot of time and effort to
raise money for you," Mr. McCarthy told the graduates Wednesday.
"Some of these are memorial scholarships so be respectful."
Mrs. Regan said the scholarship and the support of the community is
one of the reasons graduation is so special on the Island. She expects
some 2,000 people to celebrate the seniors accomplishment on Sunday. And
while the graduation will be a lot of pomp and circumstance, it will
also be filled with tradition.
SRC="http://www.mvgazette.com/news/2005/06/03/content/grads_marshalls_sm.jpg" "These seniors have left a mark on the high school through
academics and heartfelt connections to one another. We will remember the
Class of 2005," Mrs. Regan said.
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