Canton High School graduates Class of 2016

Class President Michael Noone addresses the graduates. (Mike Barucci photo)

See this week’s Canton Citizen for complete graduation coverage, including then and now photos, future plans, scholarships and awards, and more.

Decked out in their new green gowns and custom-designed caps, the 233 members of the Canton High School Class of 2016 celebrated both their unity and uniqueness during a memorable commencement ceremony held last Friday on the CHS turf field.

Although certainly not the focus of the evening, the school’s new unified graduation look, which replaced the longstanding tradition of boys wearing green and girls wearing white, was nonetheless visually striking, evoking the spirit and purpose of Principal Derek Folan’s now familiar motto of “Be one and move forward.”

As Folan reminded the graduates during his remarks, it was this class that he had started with four years earlier — the students entering as nervous freshmen and he as an equally nervous freshman principal. Prior to the start of school that year, Folan met with staff members to develop a vision for the school culture and for “what type of students that [CHS] wanted to graduate.”

“Four years later,” he told them, “I stand before you and proudly say, ‘You are that vision. You are that vision of young adults with integrity and character and thoughtfulness. You are a class that brims with excellence, curiosity and compassion.’”

“You made a decision to ‘be one’ — a strong class that was unwilling to simply go through four years,” he continued. “Instead, you defined yourself and you subsequently defined the school. There are so many underclassmen that have a spark to be something more and to seek greatness because of you. That’s your legacy.”

Class valedictorian Sung Ahn, who Folan described as a Renaissance man with a “gracious and compassionate approach to life,” also mentioned the school motto in his speech, but he focused mostly on the second part as he urged his classmates to “keep on changing.”

“Change happens because life is not like one solid block but more like a machine with moving parts,” said Ahn, who will attend Harvard University in the fall. “We are not the people we were 10 years ago and we will not be the same people 10 years from now.

“Take it from my experience: I would not even be here if my family hadn’t moved to America when I was 7 years old, changing my environment; I would not be speaking the language if my teachers hadn’t taught me to change my linguistic capabilities. Change is a necessary part of life because it helps us grow.”

While Ahn examined both the inevitability and value of change, his bandmate and fellow mathlete, salutatorian Rigel Galgana, looked backward in time as he emphasized the importance of memories.

Donning the panda hat that he has worn since ninth grade, Galgana spoke about the people, places and experiences that have shaped their identities and implored his classmates to “never forget.”

“More specifically,” he said, “don’t forget what happened here. The memories we made at Canton High are what we take with us into the real world. Whether those memories consist of awkward teenage romance or simply the smiles, voices, and laughter of those dear to you, they define who we are and shape who we become. So don’t forget. Never forget.”

Class President Michael Noone touched on a similar theme in a speech that had equal parts humor and heart. Noone urged the graduates to take their high school experiences with them “wherever [they] go,” including the happy moments as well as those of “heartbreak, of grief, and ultimately, of resilience.”

Nick Kenyon decorated his cap in memory of his late sister Kaleigh. (Mike Barucci photo)

“In the course of our lives, we have had to and will have to go through experiences that will test the limits of our sorrow, test the capacity of our character, and test the strength of our spirit,” he said. “But when we go through these hardships in a community of support and love, we come out the other side stronger as a group and as individuals. The next time our lives go from clear skies to hurricane, we must remember how there have been times here at Canton High where we came together as a class and community, where we pushed through the rain and got to the rainbow.”

Noone’s remarks seemed particularly fitting on an evening that began with a moment of silence for community members who were lost to tragedy this past year, including CHS student Paul O’Brien, Luce kindergartener Kaleigh Kenyon — sister of CHS graduate Nick Kenyon — and father and youth sports coach Tom Gunning.

The ceremony also featured a touching tribute to interim Superintendent Jen Henderson, who was unable to attend after undergoing cancer surgery last week. Folan said Henderson, who addressed the graduates during their rehearsal on Wednesday, “passionately looked forward to this day,” and he arranged to have a photograph and video taken of the graduates saying her favorite phrase, “Rock on!”

“I want to make sure we give back to a person with great integrity and a heart for students and learning,” Folan said. “I confidently say she is the best educator I have worked with.”

In addition to the student speakers, Friday’s commencement also included remarks by School Committee Chairman John Bonnanzio and Selectmen Chairman Bob Burr.

Bonnanzio took the opportunity to recognize all of the “unsung heroes of education,” including not only the teachers but all of the coaches, mentors, advisors and volunteers who had a hand in the graduates’ success. Yet the lion’s share of the credit, and the biggest signature on the diplomas, he insisted, should go to the parents.

“Shouldn’t your diplomas have the names of the people who brought you to this town so that you could have a better education, a better life, and simply have a better chance at achieving your very own American dream?” he said.

For Burr, Canton’s graduation ceremony was not just a celebration for the graduates and their families, but also one for the entire town. “For the last 12 years, this community has invested in your future, and I must say, you have been a fine investment,” said Burr. “You have achieved success in the arts, athletics and academics, and you have made Canton proud.”

In addition to the speeches, the commencement featured performances by the CHS chorus, who sang “The Star Spangled Banner” and “Wherever You Go” under the direction of Darrel Whidden, and the CHS band, which played “Tune from County Derry” under the direction of Brian Thomas. Rev. Thomas S. Rafferty of St. John the Evangelist delivered the invocation, and School Committee member Reuki Schutt presented the eighth annual Paul Matthews Cup to 2016 winners Catherine Song and Woanyen Mahn.

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Posted by Jay Turner on Jun 10 2016. Filed under News, Schools. Both comments and pings are currently closed.