BRADFORD, Vt. — At first glance, many graduations look the same — the procession, the attire and even the speeches are all familiar. But Oxbow High School has its own way of personalizing the ceremony.
The Olympians roll out the Honor Guard, a long-standing tradition where, according to the printed program, students choose an adult to honor at graduation who they feel had a significant impact on their life and education between kindergarten and 12th grade.
This year, at Friday’s ceremony under a tent behind the high school, 16 of the 60 graduating Oxbow seniors chose to recognize a teacher or other school employee who made a difference in their lives. The adults, whose names were listed in the program, stood to applause as thanks for “influencing the lives of our young people,” the program said.
Class president Nora Fahey told the audience that although many of her classmates came from different schools — one all the way from Germany — their time at Oxbow united them nevertheless. She praised their dedication and hard work despite being referred to as “the worst-behaving class we have ever had.”
The audience chuckled. Fahey argued that anyone who thought her class was poorly behaved hadn’t met the sophomores; that got an even bigger laugh.
Valedictorian Leah Wheeler reminded classmates to remember and cherish the memories, connections and experiences gained at Oxbow.
She reminisced about their time in the district, including an incident when a student was able to override and shut down a teacher’s projector through their phone. Something the crowd and students still found very amusing.
Science teacher Vicky Carson gave the commencement address. Carson began with a disclaimer that hers would not be a cheesy, inspirational speech as that was just not her style, something the students seemed to have anticipated.
Instead, she gave her address as though sharing a book she had written about her experiences with students, including a few good-natured jokes at their expense.
She made sure to highlight the importance of perseverance in the face of self-doubt.
“Even if you’re bungling things up — keep going,” Carson said. “Make that bungle epic.”
Carson concluded with her own definition of a well-lived life: “My hope for you is that you live an interesting enough life to poke fun at it and at yourself, and that you have enough experiences to warrant your own book.”
Valedictorian Wheeler urged her classmates to continue to work hard not just for themselves, but for their community that helped them get to this point.
“It is up to us to ensure that the generations to come will live in a world where opinions can be freely expressed, facts are universally accepted, and the truth is acknowledged and upheld,” she said.
Wheeler also took a moment to honor Joshua McDonald, Wheeler’s classmate and close friend, who died in 2019.
While much of the ceremony took place under cloudy skies, as if on cue, the sun broke through right in time for the turning of the tassels. And then friends, family and teachers eagerly gathered at the aisles as the graduates completed their final walk as a class into the high school.
The ceremony was followed by a car procession of the students around Bradford led by firetrucks.
Nathan Bachus; McKenzie Ball; Taylor Bean; Dylan Bearce; Quinncy Beaudin; Carly Braley; Paige Brammell; Isaac Brochu; Kamryn Burnett; Kaitlyn Chaffee; Izzac Clogston; Samuel Corti; Emma Decker; Gyury deNagy; Andrew Emerson; Nora Fahey; LaShanna Fleming; Madelyn Fredella; Olivia Fredella; Iva Fredieu; Alexander Giguere; Tiarnan Gillespie; Oriah Glynn; Emily Gordon; Emily Grout; Alexander Guay-Wheeler; Emilee Hathaway; Izaac Hathaway; Matthew Hayes; Lillianne Husted; Alaina Jarrett; Isabella Johnson; Keghan Keyes; Alexa Kosakowski; Sarah Kuge; Jenseny Lauer; Connor Mazzarella; Andrew McGovern; Connor Moore; Madiso Morrissette; Morgan Morrissette; Derrick Nadeau; Darcy O’Connell; Hannah Osmer; Ayanna Parkin; Emma Parkin; Niauna Roberts; Christopher Roy; Michael Sackett; Jada Salomaa; Emma Schulze; Alexis Scott; Logan Spencer; Gregory Tilton; Helina Torres-Dindo; Hannah Turner-Bennett; Dylon Vance; Leah Wheeler; Alexander Wiedrick; and Merrett Young.