High school graduations are usually a little bit of everything. This year's ceremony at Marblehead High School included the pomp and the circumstances but added a surprising measure of gentle criticism from one of the graduates.
Salutatorian Maxwell Sherman called his fellow graduates "a class that had every reason to act but could not bring ourselves to do so."
Comparing them to Shakespeare's Hamlet, he noted their keen interest in public events and strong opinions before urging, "We cannot stand by indefinitely and watch the world divide. ... I fear if we do not act now we will never act in the future."
Characterizing his classmates as intelligent and charismatic, Sherman looked out at them and said, "I don't see you in caps and gowns. I see you staring out at me from the pages of history." He called out specific students, raising high expectations for each, telling them he expected to see them "on the cover of Fortune Magazine," winning the Nobel Prize, or working with people in the Third World.
Early in the ceremony graduate Ellery Smith announced the class gift, benches dedicated in memory of both the late Principal John Ziergiebel and sophomore Allie Castner.
A tearful Smith recalled Ziergiebel, who had to leave the school last year because of a diagnosis of terminal cancer. He could be seen outside the school each morning, he said, talking to students. "A great principal." And he cheered Castner, killed in a pedestrian accident last August, as a smiling presence "everywhere she went."
The gift earned perhaps the loudest applause of the day.
Acting Principal Kristina Kyles told graduates, "You are ready. ... You can venture out and make the world a better place. ... How do I know? I know because I've been watching you."
Outside of the field house the weather held off as inside the grads first marched in, males in black gowns, females in red. They passed beneath an arch of black and red balloons, the school colors. The school band offered big sound for the Star Spangled Banner and "Marblehead Forever."
The well-regarded chorus sang selections including "Forever Young."
Superintendent Paul Dulac missed the ceremony due to surgery but sent a note advising students to retain their "critical spirit" after graduation. "Marblehead is your home," he added. "It is a place where everyone will always be behind you."
Class Valedictorian Christiane Henrich charmed listeners with an address centering on humor. Thus, she cited the gym teacher "who does an impression of Bono that's better than Bono" and the history teacher whose lesson got her so excited she broke the podium.
"Humor is something all of us humans have in common," Henrich said.
The graduates roared their approval when John Dowds offered a somewhat unconventional poetry reading, speaking from the floor, moving among his classmates like a stand-up comic. "They make us smart," he said of the teachers. "We're afraid to go."
This is certainly a class that moves off in uncertain times. And by the time they left the building the day itself was transformed by a bank of ominous clouds and the world became a dark and stormy place.
Marblehead Graduation 2010
Number of graduates: 235
Class gift: Benches in memory of Principal John Ziergiebel and sophomore Allie Castner
Most moving scholarships: In the names of Principal John Ziergiebel and student Allie Castner, both both of whom have died since last year's ceremony.
Memorable quote: Acting principal Kristina Kyles recalled texting her mother — "OMG, I'm speaking at the graduation." Her mother replied, "What does OMG mean?" (Oh, my god.)
Channeling Huey Long: "I dare you to stand up and proclaim 'Every man a king. And I'm the king here.' " Maxwell Sherman, salutatorian.
Hardest memory to explain: The history teacher who reenacts the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914 with props and by jumping over the desk, according to Valedictorian Christiane Henrich.
Obama Gives Education Waivers to 10 States
Giffords Aide to Run for Her Seat
LA School in Sex Abuse Scandal Reopens
Winter Slamming North Asia, Parts of Europe
Syrian Forces Renew Bombardment of Homs
States, Banks Reach Foreclosure-abuse Settlement
Raw Video: Italy's Mount Etna Bursts Into Life
Greeks March; Angry Despite Debt Deal
Raw Video: U.S. Pullout Celebration
Raw Video: Annual Empire State Building Run-Up
Man Killed in Courthouse Shootout
Video of Ga. Man Who Killed Girl Released
Air Force Airlines: Leaders Get Polished Service
Ga Girl Fights Off Kidnapper at Walmart
Nevada Highway Patrol, City Settle Beating Case
Homs Bombardment Continues, Global Outcry Grows
Raw Video: Dog Rescued From Icy Colo. Water
Skip the Coffee Cup and Inhale Your Caffeine Fix
