Retiring teacher Steve Besold responds to the crowd’s applause that soon turned into a standing ovation. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)
Class marshal Lily Moore-Eissenberg. (Photo by Daniel Shrives)
Salutatotian Emily Erdos addresses the audience. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)
The senor class belts out “Sweet Caroline.” Front row, from left: Liz Armstrong, Loren Beale, and Sam Halmshaw.
The 108-member Class of 2015 assembled for the last time Friday afternoon, bathed in late afternoon sunlight and surrounded by family, friends, and teachers. It was the first year of gender-neutral robes, with blue and white gowns distributed equally among the young men and women, with those in blue seated on the left and those in white on the right.
The 1,000 chairs arranged on the field in front of the original Bromfield School building were completely filled by the time the graduates-to-be were led to their seats by class marshal junior Lily Moore-Eissenberg to the tune of “I Lived” by OneRepublic. Others in the overflow crowd either stood or settled into beach chairs or onto blankets brought for the occasion.
“How fast time flies,” Bromfield Principal Jim O’Shea said in his opening remarks, praising the departing seniors as “an amazing, talented group of young adults.” The class included 35 members of the National Honor Society, 15 members of the French National Honor Society, 13 members of the Spanish National Honor Society, and 10 National Merit Commended Scholars.
The keynote speaker was school counselor and track coach Sara Lamere. “When the world says give up, try it one more time; I’d say it’s worth one more try,” she said, noting that the class had already beaten formidable odds simply by being alive at this time in the universe, the odds against that achievement having been estimated by self-help author Mel Robbins at 400 trillion to 1. Lamere said she had placed a fork on each graduate’s chair to remind them of the old adage, “Save your fork for dessert.” When times are tough, she suggested, look at the fork and tell yourself that “the best is yet to come.”
Dare to be curious
The student keynote speaker was Emma Delaney, who ended her talk by quoting lines from the Dr. Seuss book, “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!:”
Will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed)
Kid, you’ll move mountains!
Delaney was followed by Emily Erdos, salutatorian, and valedictorian Heather Flokos. “Dare to be curious and to ask the audacious questions,” said Erdos, whose mortarboard was decorated with pink elephants. “Asking questions and listening is where our future begins.”
“We’re about to step out of our safety net,” observed Flokos. “Let’s go and see what life has in store for us.”
The class song was “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond, with which the class serenaded the audience following Delaney’s talk.
Principal O’Shea read the names of the six Harvard teachers retiring this year, including that of Bromfield social studies teacher Steve Besold, who received a standing ovation from the crowd and chants of “Be-sold, Be-sold.” Then it was time to hand out diplomas, rise for the last time, and dash down the aisle to the tune of “Don’t You Forget About Me” by Simple Minds.
By evening, the grounds were once again empty. Standing alone was the class rock, decorated with the multicolored handprints of the now departed Class of 2015.
