1. The Coginchaug Regional High School
class of 2012 said their final good-
byes to their school and to each
other on Wednesday, June 20, at
the Julian B. Thayer Auditori-
um. Students celebrated by
popping confetti and shoot-
ing silly string (below).
There was a fantastic fire-
works show over the new
athletic field at sundown
(far right). Molly Dudko and
Morgan DeBaise pose to-
gether after the ceremony.
“I’m excited for what’s to
come, but I really enjoyed my
time at Coginchaug,” DeBaise
shares. See pages 11-18 for
more graduation coverage.
Photos by Michelle P. Carter
Volume 19, Issue 12 Serving Durham, Middlefield and Rockfall TownTimes.com Friday, June 29, 2012
Future looks bright for CRHS grads
2. Friday, June 29, 2012 Coginchaug Graduation 11
CRHS graduates ‘will always be Blue Devils’
By Michelle P. Carter
Editor’s note: Michelle P.
Carter is a 2006 graduate of
CRHS. She took a step back in
time when she attended last
Wednesday’s CRHS gradua-
tion. Here, she shares high-
lights of the big event.
“Eat the lemon” is proba-
bly the best life-advice I’ve
ever heard anyone give, and
the Coginchaug Regional
High School class of 2012 was
challenged to do just that by
Rebecca Weir, valedictorian,
during her speech at the
school’s commencement cer-
emony last Wednesday,
June 20. It’s been six years
since I graduated from
CRHS myself, so when I was
asked to attend this year’s
ceremony as a freelancer for
the Town Times, I gladly ac-
cepted and relished the op-
portunity to see the newest
crop of soon-to-be CRHS
alumnus and hear what last
words of advice they had to
share. They did not disap-
point.
When I arrived in the
cafeteria just before the cer-
emony began, I found the
students buzzing, decked out
in their white-and-blue
gowns, giving each other
roses and hugs and words of
wisdom. There were nerves
behind the smiles, but the
enthusiasm was palpable
and genuine.
It was fun to see what
things about the ceremony
have changed over the years
and what things haven’t
changed at all. There were
still those in the audience
who refused to limit them-
selves to the “please hold
your applause until all the
names have been called”
rule. There were still beach
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4. Coginchaug Graduation Friday, June 29, 201218
balls and confetti and silly
string. There were talented
performances by band and
choral members of the grad-
uating class — Adam
Twombly performing “An-
dante et Allegro” on trom-
bone, Tim Hayes playing
“Sonata No. 3 in C Major” on
violin, and an arrangement
from Rent was sung by
Melanie Badin, AJ Ganaros,
Sierra Manning, Alexis Mar-
towski, Eric Peters, Ben
Plant and Rachel Viccaro.
And I positively beamed
when Jesse Siegel, in his
salutatorian speech, re-
joiced that he finally learned
“whose America is it?” in
his U.S. History class —
which any CRHS alum will
tell you is a veritable rite of
passage.
What was different, be-
sides the faces and the
names on the program, were
the stories shared at the
podium. While the senti-
ment was familiar, I knew
that each student came
away from CRHS having
learned something unique
but all equally valuable.
Principal André Hauser ac-
knowledged the unprece-
dented 87 distinct times the
honor flag was flown in hon-
or of students’ outstanding
achievements throughout
the school year, and he en-
couraged the seniors to find
the person in their lives who
inspired or encouraged
them to pursue their re-
markable talents. Julie Sel-
berg, faculty, talked appreci-
ation, while Superintendent
Sue Viccaro, whose
youngest child was a part of
the graduating class, gave
the students a warm send-
off, voice breaking as she
fondly recalled their stun-
ning accomplishments.
“Have the courage of your
convictions,” she told them.
I was touched (as were, I’m
sure, everyone else in the
audience) to see her hug
every student after they re-
ceived their diplomas.
Jesse Siegel spoke candid-
ly to his classmates, weav-
ing in a great deal of humor
that was shared and appreci-
ated by every student on
stage — a testament to their
formidable camaraderie. But
despite the jokes, he also
shared an inspiring tale of
their sophomore trip to
Spain where he recalled seiz-
ing the opportunity to see a
foreign production of The
Lion King at the kindness of
a stranger. He encouraged
his friends to take risks and
always be optimistic and per-
sistent. And to prove their
diligence, he casually in-
formed the audience that the
planning for their 25-year re-
union was already underway
(although whether he said so
facetiously or not, I’m not
sure!).
Rebecca Weir (right) am-
bitiously but successfully
addressed the issue of
strong attachment to a com-
munity like CRHS, and she
walked her fellow class-
mates through how to say
goodbye and move on to the
next great chapter in their
lives. But what impressed
me most was that she did
something that I’ve never
seen before at a graduation
ceremony — she turned
away from the audience and
spoke directly to the gradu-
ates. While her advice was
surely beneficial to those of
us on the other side of the
stage as well, it was clear
that she spoke directly and
specifically to her class-
mates.
The outdoor celebration
following the ceremony was
just as I remembered. Stu-
dents posed for pictures
with their loved ones, ac-
cepting bouquets and kisses
and well wishes all around. I
smiled to see groups of stu-
dents “strike a Zeus” and
other silly poses as a last
hurrah with their friends.
As fireworks bloomed above
the bustling celebration, I
saw that the students truly
epitomized what class presi-
dent Billy Malcolm said at
the beginning of the night:
“Love your life. Perfect your
life. I am and will always be
a Blue Devil.”
Above, students arrive on stage. Below, Rebecca Weir.
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Graduates(From 11)
