Grads ready to face the future and its challenges

BY Jason Gabak

Editor

During Sunday’s 66th Skaneateles High School commencement ceremony, it was a time of emotion and celebration as the 142 members of the class of 2016.

Evan Bille, who will be attending Davidson College in the fall, began the proceedings as the honorary class speaker.

He looked back on the past 13 years of his education and recalled meeting a friend.

Bille said he had moved from Ohio and his friend had moved from Virginia and the two have been friends for all these years.

This was a reflection of the nature of the entire class according to Bille

“We became best friends,” Bille said. “We’ve become like family. These experiences are a part of who I am.”

These shared experiences have made the story on the class of 2016 and it is one all the graduates have had a hand in.

But Bille reminded his fellow graduates that while things will be changing as they take the path on to other adventures, they will have new opportunities.

“You will be surrounded by people,” Bille said. “These people won’t know your story. But you will get to choose who you tell it to.”

Class Salutatorian Aimee LaFrance, who will be attending Cornell in the fall, recalled preparing for senior year and considering what classes to take when she was a junior.

She shared that Dr. Paul Blair encouraged her to take AP physics.

She admits she was not interested and had no intention of pursuing physics in college, but she understood that taking this class, getting out of her comfort zone, would be a new experience and a new challenge.

This environment, a place where students feel comfortable taking risks and trying new things has proven to be important and has given graduates skills they will use for the rest of their lives well beyond just what they may have learned in physics of any other course.

She said these challenges, all the graduates have learned have contributed to them garnering the abilities to communicate effectively and to think in creative ways, skills they will need and take with them wherever they may go.

“There are no directions in life,” LaFrance said. “We define what success is to us. Whether it is traveling the world or finding a job that makes us happy. We have a community that has given us the education to make that possible.”

Class valedictorian Vincent Viego will attend Harvard in the fall.

In his address, Viego shared insights and wisdom from Charles Dickens to Soren Kierkegaard.

Quoting from a “Tale of Tow Cities,” Viego said with all respect, he hoped this was just the beginning of the best of times for the class of 2016.

Viego said as he was preparing for his speech, he wanted to avoid clichés and wanted to share something special with his classmates as they ready to move into the next phase of their lives.

Perhaps the best thing he felt he could share was to encourage each member of the class to continue to define themselves on their own terms.

“No on has the right to define you,” Viego said. “No one has the right to define your aspirations for you. No one has the right to define your identity. Be the person you feel comfortable being, not the person people expect you to be.”

He also encouraged everyone to not only be the person they choose to be, but to be a good person, an individual that treats others with kindness and respect.

Tom Lambdin, president of the board of education, reminded the graduates, wherever they may go, Skaneateles will still be home.

“Let it be known you are people of the lake,” Lambdin said. “And to the lake you will always be welcome.”