Graduation 2018

A class of smart, successful students graduates Lynbrook High School

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Lessons the Lynbrook High School senior class learned over the course of their high school experience could be summarized by morals from Walt Disney Company movies, salutatorian Jack Hunter demonstrated in his speech at graduation on June 22.

His lessons for his fellow classmates came from many famous Disney movies. He told his fellow graduates, “Sometimes you have to fall down a rabbit hole to get where you need to be,” referencing“ Alice in Wonderland; “You can’t run from who you are, the clock always strikes 12,” quoting “Cinderella;” “Hakuna Matata — it means no worries,” riffing from “The Lion King;” and “If you can dream it, you can do it,” quoting Walt Disney.

Hunter explained that, much like Alice in the movie “Alice in Wonderland,” the seniors had to adjust to a new environment and that like Cinderella, they have learned that if they stay true to themselves they can find their happily ever after. He also said that students should enjoy the present moment, and that Mickey Mouse’s greatest resources were his friends.

“They have proven time and time again that the impossible is possible,” Hunter said. “Black and white becomes Technicolor, when we work together.”

The 226 graduates exemplified that they understood these lessons throughout high school. In March, the students worked together to organize a memorial service for the 17 victims of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. They also worked to create new clubs and programs in the high school over their four years.

“We are unstoppable,” valedictorian Dustin Mandell reminded his peers. “Our passion fuels us, and when you find yourself in difficult circumstances, you may find that you’re capable of far more than you think.”

The lessons they have learned will help guide them as they become adults, Lynbrook High School Principal Joe Rainis and Superintendent Melissa Burak said in their speeches.

“The world desperately needs your energy, your positive outlook and your ability to work together,” Rainis said.

Burak echoed his sentiments in her remarks. “We are all depending on this generation to do the right thing,” she said, urging students to “continue to be great.”

Members of the graduating class will attend more than 200 colleges and universities next year and have amassed more than $13,000 in scholarships.