By Jesse Serwer
"You began high school only days before what may well be the defining moment of your life," Principal Carol Burris told students, referring to the September 11th tragedy, which occurred just days after the beginning of the '01-'02 school year. "Members of your class suffered profound losses - you all shared in our collective grief even though you were only 14. The last four years have proved to be among the most eventful in memory - you have seen the effects of a tsunami, the horror of war and a cultural and religious polarization the likes of which may be unmatched. You live in a time of constant technological change, and in which your image can be snatched up by a telephone."
Changing gears, Burris also hit a lighter note when she quoted Bill Cosby, a recent commencement speaker at a college graduation, who said the graduates before him were the "Magna cum laudes, the summa cum laudes and the thank you laudes."
While antsy graduates tossed around beach balls and played a game of keep away from school administrators, Burris, Rockville Centre Schools Superintendent Dr. William Johnson and Alumni Association President Andrew Krouss awarded South Side's Richard S. Byers Community Service Award, Laurel Award for sportsmanship and Centennial Award for School and Community to Heather Knoch; Darnell Mayers and Hallie Cohn; and Heather Knoch, respectively.
In addition to Burris, other speakers included Johnson, Cohn, the Student Government Association president, Marcia Hirsch, the immediate past president of the Rockville Centre Board of Education, senior class president Laura Rich, salutatorian Emily Moin, and valedictorian David Randell. Shying away from humor, Moin challenged her fellow graduates to think-about the world around them and their place in it.
Before the South Side Wind Ensemble closed the ceremony with a rendition of "Northern Spirit March," Randell quoted Star Wars' Yoda, "the greatest philosopher in the universe," when he told his fellow classmates "May the force be with you."
Photos by James Escher/Herald
Comments on this story? JSerwer@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 221.
