OLD LYME — UPDATED 6/10 with additional photos and captions. PHOTO GALLERY AT FOOT OF ARTICLE. It might have been a little hazy from the Canadian wildfires but the Commencement Ceremony for the Lyme-Old Lyme High School (LOLHS) Class of 2023 went off without a hitch, complete with all the usual pomp and ceremony, making it a memorable night for all.
The Class of 2023 walked in to the traditional sound of Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance and then the LOLHS School Chorus sang the National Anthem.
Class President Alex Olsen gave the welcome from the class.
Commenting on how the class lived through COVID in their freshman year at high school and numerous other curve-balls along the way, he said, “Because of the challenges that we have bested, we have the tools necessary to overcome any obstacle life may throw at us. Based on the last 13 years with all of you, I have no doubt that wherever life may take you, you will all succeed.”
He concluded, “Whenever life’s challenges start to overwhelm you, remember the words my grandmother shared with me, a quote from American actress Constance Marie: “Eventually, all the pieces fall into place. Until then, laugh at the confusion, live for the moment and know that everything happens for a reason”.
Lyme-Old Lyme High School Principal James Wygonik then gave his welcome speech, noting, “This is a big day. The 50th Commencement of our school.”
He praised the class, telling them, “Your class is the highest-ranking class for academic achievement in school history,” asking rhetorically, “Did I mention the State Champion Mock Trial team anchored by Billy and Rhyleigh?” and continuing, “I left last year’s musical, The Adams Family saying, “It can’t get better than that.” I was wrong. This veteran group of senior cast members blew the doors off with Mamma Mia.”
He gave further evidence of the class’s prowess commenting that, “Seniors Izzy, Livie, Callie, Alexis, and Sam have played in 66 tennis matches over the past three years and won all 66. Along with three straight state championships.” and then pointed out, “Our girls’ crew team also rowed themselves to a state title.”
Drawing towards the end of his speech, Wygonik offered this sage advice to the Class, “When you leave the friendly confines of Old Lyme, be sure you get on the right bus. In your life’s journey you will meet a lot of new people. Tomorrow you will start driving your bus. You’re going to drive that bus for the rest of your life. Make sure you put good people on it.”
He added, “And if you get on someone else’s bus, make sure they’re good people. If they are, then they will help you go places that you will not be able to go alone. Wherever your journey takes you … in good times and in trying times … and believe me there will be plenty of both, be with good people. It makes the tough times easier and the good times sweeter.”
Then Wygonik concluded wisely, “Oh, and be one of the good people. Be who your dog thinks you are. Success and happiness are sure to follow.”
After Commencement Speaker Courtney Baklik had addressed the Class, Honor Essayist Harry Whitten stepped up to the podium. He confessed, “I remember when I got called down to Wygo’s office and I thought to myself: what could I have possibly done to get into trouble.”
Whitten continued, ” I was relieved when he started to congratulate me, but that feeling of relief quickly disappeared when he told me I’d be giving a speech at graduation. I never was great at giving presentations in class in front of 20 people, so it was a bit nerve-wracking when I was told I’d be speaking in front of several hundred people.”
The fear of giving the speech caused Whitten to procrastinate about writing it and so his theme for the speech became procrastination. He neared the end of his speech by advising his peers, “Sometimes we doubt ourselves so much that we’re afraid to start. We’re afraid to fail. But failure is the first step to success.”
Whitten concluded, “I pity those who succeed on the first try, for they lack the determination that comes with the journey to success that takes a thousand tries. So I encourage you not to let procrastination or fear or doubt get in the way of your dreams and success. Do what you told yourself you were going to do and don’t push it off another day.”
Salutatorian Anna Davis also started her speech with a confession, saying, “I would like to start off by sharing a piece of information that I do not share very often because I have always been afraid of being defined by it. I was born deaf in one ear and with significant hearing loss in the other. As a perfectionist, I hated that there was nothing I could do just to be able to hear like everyone else. My hearing loss has been and still is one of my biggest insecurities.”
She went on to explain how her hearing situation has transformed “in some ways” into her “superpower.” She noted, “I see my classmates talking at lunch or sitting in class with an airpod in one ear. I’ve never been able to do something like that, but also, I recognize that those people are never fully listening to the person talking. There will always be some part of them listening to the music instead.”
Her advice to her classmates was therefore simply, “Take the air pods out and just be in the moment,” adding, “We need to put in the effort to really listen to the world around us, and I guarantee that you will learn better in school; be a better employee in your job; and become a much better friend if you just take the airpods out.”
She concluded cleverly, “Hopefully, you were all listening to my speech about the importance of listening.”
Valedictorian Marielle Mather chose this quote from Soren Kierkegaard as the message for her speech, “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” She reviewed the shared experiences of the class over their time together but then noted pointedly, “Now our paths will diverge.”
She thoughtfully recommended her fellow classmates to, “Take this foundation you have been given, all the life you’ve lived up to this point, and build yourself up into who you’re meant to be. When we’re young we’re told that we’ll grow up and change the world, but if nothing else, change your world and do it for the better.”
Mather concluded, “As we spend our final moments together, let us all remember the times we have shared, the good, the bad, and especially the wacky, and how those experiences have prepared us for our next steps as we live looking forward into the future.”
The Outstanding Educator award given in honor of Mildred Sanford was presented to Juan Vazquez-Caballero, pictured above, who teaches Spanish and is the advisor to the Spanish Honor Society.
After diplomas had been presented, the Class celebrated with the traditional cap toss.
After Assistant Principal Jeanne Manfredi had given a Farewell Message, the Class sang the Alma Mater and then processed out to Vaughn-Williams’s Flourish for Wind Band to be greeted joyfully by friends and family.
Editor’s Notes: i) We have published below the full text of each of the speeches we have referenced. We know from experience that LymeLine readers always enjoy perusing graduation speeches.
ii) Hearty congratulations to all the graduates and their families!
THE GRADUATES
Lyme-Old Lyme High School Class of 2023
Class Officers
Alexander Hagen Olsen – President
Cooper Russell Bowman – Vice President
Monique Makwes Lavoie – Secretary
Jack Jameson Morgan – Treasurer
Gretchen Wood Burgess – Class Historian
Marielle Grace Mather – Valedictorian
Anna Rebecca Davis – Salutatorian
Harry William Whitten – Honor Essayist
Olivia Grace Alpha
Whitney Tyler Barbour
William Robert Barry
Callie Grace Bass
Livie Abigail Bass
Jillian Hope Beebe
Jordan Faith Beebe
Gillian Anna Bradley
Kathryn Wrigley Brandenburg
Ava Yaile Brinkerhoff
Eli Joseph Brown
Jamie Lyn Bucior
John Francis Buckley
Sebastian Gregorio Burgio
Sarah Frost Burnham
Jennifer Jesenia Cajamarca
Hayley Marie Cann
Ava Leigh Catalano
Liam Foley Celic
Luke Harty Celic
Alexander John Chrysoulakis
Grace Victoria Colwell
Marjorie Anne Curtis
William Christopher Danes
Jacob Riley Derynioski
Ian Scott Diaz
Kylie Praylyn Dishaw
John Pierson Eichholz
Zachary Wilhelm Hale Eichholz
Archer Thurston Evans
Phoebe Holbrook Evans
David William Evers III
Alexis Mei Fenton
Richard Joseph Frascarelli III
Mason Cotter Freer
Matthew Noah Grammatico
Angus Jules Richmond Griffin
Ethan Nicholas Hale
Clarence Charles Hinckley IV
Willa Kate Hoerauf
Dylan Scott Hovey
Arber Hoxha
Casey Phillip Hurtgen
Owen Alexander Ingersoll-Bonsack
Charlotte Hammond Judge
Aidan Shea Kerrigan
Madison Madonna Krol
Phoebe Athena Lampos
Theodore Silvanos Lampos
Karleigh Paige Landers
Jair Alejandro Lata Yanza
Jonah Michael Lathrop
Jacob Alejandro Lopez-Bravo
Ford Harris Macadam
Amy Maria Magalhaes
Kennedy Rose McCormick
Madalyn Josephine McCulloch
Gillian Mairead Milewski
Joseph Nicholas Montazella
Caden Charles Monte
Calvin Andrew Monte
Thomas Jerald Moore
Madeleine Ila Morgado
Leyonce Mari Munoz
Cooper Kenneth Munson
Abby Lynne Patana
Alain Jaromir Pecher-Kahout
Olivia Eileen Powers
Kelsey MacKinstry Pryor
Jacob Carl Rand
Izzadora Georgia Reynolds
Santiago Israel Rodriguez
Benjamin Joseph Roth
Rhyleigh Berit Russell
Eli Winston Ryan
Stefan Thomas Ryer
Alden River Sarnoski
Jenna Skye Schauder
Dylan James Sheehan
Anders Erik Silberberg
Ned James Smith
Riley Lynda Smith
Malcolm Warner Speirs
Alyssa Nicole Spooner
Joseph Matyas Steinmacher
Marco Edward Supersano
Mary Lynn Surprenant
Samantha Xinsheng Tan
Peter John Tkaczuk
Tova Maeve Toriello
Gesami Gene Vazquez
Kaitlyn Emily Ward
George Henry Williams
Quinn Madison Williams
Lea Paige Wilson
Andrew Hale Zelek
Steven Zhao
THE SPEECHES
Senior Class President Alex Olsen
Good evening everyone, and welcome to Lyme-Old Lyme High School’s 2023 graduation! Greetings to the Board of Education, high school faculty, staff, and administration, friends, family, and most importantly, the Class of 2023! I am Alex Olsen, Senior Class President, and it is my honor to welcome all of you to Lyme-Old Lyme High School’s fiftieth graduation!
Class of 2023, we made it! Since we first set foot in Mile Creek or Lyme School, we have been working our way to this very moment. As part of the Lyme-Old Lyme family, we have studied together, won championships together, performed in musicals together, and grown together. Although our journey may not have always been what we expected, we have certainly come a long way. The obstacles that we have faced as a class have made us who we are today – unique.
We are the first class not to have attended Center School, instead spending our final grade school years at Mile Creek and Lyme School.
When we made it to the Middle School, we met new friends, took on new classes and schedules. As we started to settle in, we experienced changes in our administration after just one year, and we welcomed Mr. Ambruso, the 2022 Middle School Principal of the Year, to the Lyme-Old Lyme family. After finishing middle school and closing out those awkward years of our lives, we crossed this very field, and made our way to the high school.
We began to figure things out – succeeding in class, meeting new people, and getting to know the amazing teachers.
And then, something happened that totally disrupted our high school experience … they got rid of pep rallies! ….
Oh yeah, and COVID happened.
We dealt with a semester of online learning, of no activities or events, and little socializing. When we returned as sophomores, we had to re-learn the ways of high school, as nothing was as it was. We persevered, got back to work, went to our first prom, and even brought back pep rallies for our senior year.
We faced all these challenges head on, and made the best of what we had. We adapted to our changing surroundings to create our own unique school experience.
Because of the challenges that we have bested, we have the tools necessary to overcome any obstacle life may throw at us. Based on the last 13 years with all of you, I have no doubt that wherever life may take you, you will all succeed.
Whenever life’s challenges start to overwhelm you, remember the words my grandmother shared with me, a quote from American actress Constance Marie: “Eventually, all the pieces fall into place. Until then, laugh at the confusion, live for the moment and know that everything happens for a reason”.
Congratulations class of 2023, we did it!
LOLHS Principal James Wygonik
To our Board of Education, Superintendent Neviaser, administrative team, the best teachers in America, families, alumni, community members, and of course the class of 2023, it is my honor to welcome you to the 50th Lyme-Old Lyme High School graduation exercises.
To the parents and families of our graduates. Thank you. Thank you for trusting us with your children. May I remind the graduates that your families are your biggest fans. They will be there for you. And believe me, you will need them. Never take for granted their love and support. You will be astonished how smart your parents will become in the next few years. Don’t be afraid or too proud to lean on them.
This is a big day. The 50th Commencement of our school.
So, I decided to prepare my remarks with the same strategies that many of you have utilized to write those essays and research papers. Late last night, I began.
At about 9:00 pm I drank a Red Bull and turned on my computer. I decided that nourishment was important, so I made a trip to the refrigerator. I opened the door and stared at its contents for a few minutes and determined that nothing looked good. I returned to my computer and sent out a post to my fellow principals that I was working on my speech.
Settling in, I wrote the famous line, “Welcome to the 50th Lyme-Old Lyme High School graduation exercises.” I took a short break to check my Instagram to see how many “likes” I got from my post. Then I headed back to the fridge to eat a package of honey-roasted turkey. I played an hour of X-Box, and then focused on the task at hand.
Did you know that when the 1973 graduates went off to college, the yearly tuition cost for a four-year public university was $358?
If my knees, joints and fading memory are any indication, anything over 50 years old is past its prime.
But it turns out that some things get better with age. Allergies tend to dissipate as you age. Flannel sheets get softer. Maple syrup gets sweeter. George Clooney. That was my wife’s contribution. And may I add, she offered it without hesitation.
What about me? I asked. “Well…” she replied… “you still have hair.”
But do you know what is better now than ever after 50 years? Lyme-Old Lyme High School. Thanks in large part to the Class of 2023.
Your class is the highest-ranking class for academic achievement in school history.
Did I mention the State Champion Mock Trial team anchored by Billy and Rhyleigh?
I left last year’s musical, The Adams Family saying, “It can’t get better than that.” I was wrong. This veteran group of senior cast members blew the doors off with Mamma Mia.
Seniors Izzy, Livie, Callie, Alexis, and Sam have played in 66 tennis matches over the past three years and won all 66. Along with three straight state championships.
Our girls crew team also rowed themselves to a state title.
I could go on and on about this class and the standards they have set in academics, athletics, community service, and the arts. But as you move on today, I want you to remember that skill and talent are only half of the formula of a successful and happy future.
To make my point, I’d like to leave you with one quick story and one piece of advice.
The story starts with two candidates applying for a position at Ford Motor Company. Both candidates were from the same university with the same engineering qualifications. Their grade point averages were the same, so academically there was no difference.
Henry Ford invited both candidates to a restaurant for a dinner, and at the end of the dinner, he selected one candidate. He then turned to the other candidate and told him that the company would not be hiring him.
The candidate whom he did not select asked,
“Mr. Ford, tonight we sat at dinner and we did not speak about engineering or the motor industry. We did not talk about the company or anything to do with work. We only spoke about general stuff. How is it you selected my friend and not me?”
Henry Ford responded.
“It’s simple. There are two main reasons I selected him and not you. Number one, when he received his steak, he tried it first, then added salt. You added salt and then tried it. I like people who try things first before making changes, not people who make changes and then test them out.”
Henry Ford then continued to explain his decision.
“Not only that, the second reason is far more important. He was courteous and treated the wait staff in the restaurant with respect. He said please and thank you. The wait staff seemed invisible to you, and you only treated me with respect when you addressed me. For those two reasons, I am hiring him and not you.”
When you leave the friendly confines of Old Lyme, be sure you get on the right bus. In your life’s journey you will meet a lot of new people. Tomorrow you will start driving your bus. You’re going to drive that bus for the rest of your life. Make sure you put good people on it. And if you get on someone else’s bus, make sure they’re good people. If they are, then they will help you go places that you will not be able to go alone. Wherever your journey takes you … in good times and in trying times … and believe me there will be plenty of both, be with good people. It makes the tough times easier and the good times sweeter.
Oh, and be one of the good people. Be who your dog thinks you are. Success and happiness are sure to follow.
Class of 2023. You have raised the bar for the next 50 years. Thank you for your time here. I wish you the best life possible.
Honor Essayist Harry William Whitten
Hello, Class of 2023, parents, guests, and faculty. I’d like to start off by saying congratulations.
We made it.
I still find it hard to believe that we’re graduating today. Everyone tells you it’ll go by more quickly than you think, but it doesn’t really hit you until it’s over. I stand before you today as the honor essayist and I’m incredibly grateful and honored to be given the opportunity to speak today.
I remember when I got called down to Wygo’s office and I thought to myself: what could I have possibly done to get into trouble. I was relieved when he started to congratulate me, but that feeling of relief quickly disappeared when he told me I’d be giving a speech at graduation. I never was great at giving presentations in class in front of 20 people, so it was a bit nerve-wracking when I was told I’d be speaking in front of several hundred people.
So I did what any person with a fear of public speaking would do, I procrastinated writing my speech until the last minute. I think Mrs. Burke summed it up perfectly when she said, “There’s something wrong with you if you don’t procrastinate”. But why do we procrastinate? We know we’ll have to do it eventually, so why do we just push it to the last minute?
I think there are several reasons why. Sometimes we procrastinate in an effort to convince ourselves we won’t have to do it. I found that to be the reason why I kept procrastinating writing my speech. Other times we simply just don’t want to work. I found this to be the case often this past year as I, along with most of the other seniors, had very bad cases of senior-itis.
And that isn’t all our faults.
For half of our freshmen year, we didn’t have to show up for school and could do our school work whenever and wherever we wanted. Our time is limited, so why spend it working when you could be spending it having fun with your friends or spending it with your family? The simple answer is because we have to. It’s easy to get caught up in the pleasure and fun of good times to the point where all you want to do is relax. But it’s hard work and discipline that carves the path for good times.
The final reason I found that people procrastinate is fear. Sometimes we doubt ourselves so much that we’re afraid to start. We’re afraid to fail. But failure is the first step to success.
I pity those who succeed on the first try, for they lack the determination that comes with the journey to success that takes a thousand tries. So I encourage you not to let procrastination or fear or doubt get in the way of your dreams and success. Do what you told yourself you were going to do and don’t push it off another day.
This class is filled with some of the brightest, kindest, and most dedicated people I know. I don’t doubt you all will achieve greatness in anything you apply yourselves to.
David Goggins put it best when he said “Who’s gonna carry the boats!”
Thank you.
Salutatorian Anna Rebecca Davis
Hello to everyone out there and good evening. My name is Anna Davis, the salutatorian of my class.
I would like to start off by sharing a piece of information that I do not share very often because I have always been afraid of being defined by it. I was born deaf in one ear and with significant hearing loss in the other. As a perfectionist, I hated that there was nothing I could do just to be able to hear like everyone else.
My hearing loss has been and still is one of my biggest insecurities. But as you can see, I didn’t let my disability stop me, and I realize now it has in some ways become my “superpower.”
When I have trouble hearing something, I often compare my method of understanding to autocorrect, assuming it probably was based on context. My autocorrect has been getting better as I get older and use it more.
When I was little, I thought I heard some pretty outlandish things, but now it’s pretty accurate.
Up until very recently, I thought that the expression “take it with a grain of salt” was “take it with the grand assault” (Neither of which make very much sense to me).
And so, when I put in so much more effort just to understand what people are saying, I soon found that I became very good at listening.
I see my classmates talking at lunch or sitting in class with an airpod in one ear. I’ve never been able to do something like that, but also, I recognize that those people are never fully listening to the person talking. There will always be some part of them listening to the music instead. So my advice to you is to take the air pods out and just be in the moment.
We need to put in the effort to really listen to the world around us, and I guarantee that you will learn better in school; be a better employee in your job; and become a much better friend if you just take the airpods out.
Don’t get me wrong, there is a time and a place for music – I listened to music as I wrote this speech – but remember to always be present when you are interacting with others.
As I mentioned before, I rarely tell people about my hearing loss because I hate to be defined by it, but I wanted to share my story with all of you today because I know everyone struggles with their own disabilities and insecurities. Living with my disability has felt like a war with more battles lost than won.
I want to remind everyone here that there will be things in your life that you will struggle with beyond your control, but you should also find the good that may come with those struggles and never let them stop you.
And given that no good speech would be complete without someone else’s words, I would like to quote one of the most famous deaf people in history, Ludwig van Beethoven, who wrote his most well known work, Ode to Joy, after he lost his hearing, “What you are, you are by accident of birth; what I am, I am by myself. There are and will be a thousand princes; there is only one Beethoven.”
In summary, you are who you are, now make the most of it. Hopefully, you were all listening to my speech about the importance of listening and making the most of whatever happens in life, and as my time here comes to a close, I would like to thank my parents, my sister, and everyone who supported me through all of my struggles with my hearing and just in general, as well as everyone here for taking out their airpods, so to speak, and being here in the moment for such a momentous occasion.
Lastly, I would like to say congratulations to all of my peers for all of your accomplishments and for walking across this stage tonight. I wish you all the best of luck in whatever comes next!
Valedictorian Marielle Grace Mather
Good evening families, guests, faculty, administration, Board of Education, and especially the Class of 2023, the wonderful group of people I have shared most of my life with.
I don’t think I ever really believed we would get here. In fact, I still clearly remember my first day of freshman year, when I felt like I had an eternity of high school in front of me. That eternity has flown by in an instant, and as I wrote this, I was immersed in memories and lessons learned by both myself and our class.
This immersion has caused me to reflect on pieces of our experience in Lyme-Old Lyme. Some of these pieces are shared among us all: school dances, Ms Skelly’s infamous 7th grade science class, the zoom bomber incident of Ms. Ressler’s class, and the pandemic’s impact on all of our high school experiences and our lives.
Other pieces are more personal such as team practices, joking among friends at lunch tables, and late nights in the robotics lab. One thread has defined each of our experiences, though: we have all been following a similar path. We have journeyed through life together as one class, experienced many of the same major events, taken classes in the same rooms and seen the same people in the hallways each day.
But now our paths are diverging.
Today is a stepping off point for all of us, and the future is no longer as clearly defined as it has been. Looking back on our experiences in high school is an important part of this stepping off point, as it gives us each an insight into ourselves to prepare us for the unique paths that we have chosen for our futures. I would like to share a quote from Soren Kierkegaard that encapsulates what I feel about this moment in time.
I promise that it isn’t long or difficult to digest. It goes as follows: “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards”
So how does this represent our graduation? As my mother has told me many times, hindsight is 20/20. I can look back on all my major choices in high school and pinpoint the rewards and the consequences that have stemmed from each of them, but while I was living them I had no sense of the outcomes they would bring.
Each of us has made thousands of choices over the course of our high school experience, some big and many more small. Moments as simple as choosing cereal over eggs for breakfast before school can ripple out, affecting larger pieces of life. As Kierkegaard outlines, these ripples can only be seen after the fact, but these small moments are what have taken our larger common experience and personalized it to each and every one of us.
As we graduate and reflect on these personalized experiences within the Class of 2023, we must also set our sights on the future. We are entering a new phase of our lives, leaving this chapter of ourselves behind. The choices we have made and lessons we have learned through reflection are important pieces in driving us into the unknown, but they aren’t everything. Looking forward is just as important as looking back.
Turning our gaze forward is not a new concept for our class. We’ve all, (at times under threat of a large, impactful grade) been forced to look into the future. From the letters to ourselves that we wrote in 7th grade health to our 4-year planner from High School 101, we’ve looked forward at least a few times.
Now, all of us will be forced to live looking forward, as the future is out of the hands of our parents and under our control.
So, take this foundation you have been given, all the life you’ve lived up to this point, and build yourself up into who you’re meant to be. When we’re young we’re told that we’ll grow up and change the world, but if nothing else, change your world and do it for the better.
As we spend our final moments together, let us all remember the times we have shared, the good, the bad, and especially the wacky, and how those experiences have prepared us for our next steps as we live looking forward into the future.
The photos of this event are spectacular. Well done Kim Tyler! Heart felt speeches all around. I wish all the graduates great success and a happy and healthy future.