The seniors’ graduation week held three of the most famous events all high school students hear about during their four years at Old Rochester.
June 6 was Senior Awards Night in the ORR gymnasium. Students were awarded certificates, medals or trophies (depending on award) without prior knowledge of what they were to be given.
One award for every senior academic class was awarded, as well as a “Department Award” for each section of ORR’s academic institution. Academic class awards were given as certificates, some to two or three students at a time. Department Awards went to one student per department. Department Awards were awarded as followed: Emun Legesse in French, Abigail Hiller in Latin, Edward Costa in Spanish, Kristin Nascimento in English Language Arts, Joshua Bardwell in History and Social Sciences, Drew Cunningham in Mathematics, Edward Costa and Sophie Harding in Physical Education, Alexander Milde in Science, Technology and Engineering, Tori Hayden in Art, Michael Bliss in Band, Caroline Reusch in Chorus and Naomi Reed in Family Consumer Science.
There were also awards for Community Service hours, AFS recognition, Drama Club and National Honor Society. These were awarded to all seniors who qualified.
Top 10 Scholar Awards were given to the top 10 students in the senior class.
Numerous other awards were awarded that night, including but not limited to the Principal’s Leadership Award, which went to Sophia Santos and the Scholar Athlete Award, given to Edward Costa. All scholarship awards won by seniors were announced for the crowd as well.
The next morning was Seniors’ Last Assembly. Speeches by Class Officers, Principal Michael Devoll and the Junior Class President were presented about the senior class in between student performances and two video presentations. The school band performed, as well as the chorus. Performances included the following students: Madelyn Pellegrino, Katelyn Kiernan, Maxwell Houck, Nick Mathieu, Caroline Reusch, Ethan Faulkner, Justin Smilan and Eliza Treichel.
Two video presentations were made. The first was by the AFS Club to give recognition to ORR’s three foreign exchange students and to give them a chance to give ORR recognition in return. The second video closed the assembly, a combination slideshow/video made by Tim Gonsalves and Erin Murphy that highlighted the Class of 2013’s years of schooling.
The next afternoon saw the final commencement in the gymnasium. Speeches were given by: Senior Class President Abigail Hiller, Superintendent Doug White, Principal Michael Devoll, National Honor Society Vice President Fred Murolo and Valedictorian Edward Costa. The school band performed the usual graduation processional and recessional as well as “River of Life” from the musical Les Miserables. Highlights of the speeches included Devoll’s “Know Your Class” game show and Costa’s fitting Toy Story-themed speech. (The seniors’ Homecoming skit was Toy Story and their Senior T-Shirt quote was “To Infinity and Beyond.”)
The afternoon ended with students receiving their diplomas and the traditional switching of the tassels from right to left.
By Jessica Correia
