With a blend of heartfelt reflections and hearty laughter, Pawling High School's Class of 2023 bade farewell to the Pawling Central School District on Friday, June 23.
Held at the middle/high school baseball field, the graduation featured speeches highlighting the spirit and achievements of Pawling’s senior class.
Emma Leahy sang the Star Spangled Banner while Salutatorian Madalyn Henke implored her classmates to forget fear and move forward with their aspirations.
“My brother once said, ‘Ain’t no one gonna let you go unless you start to go,’” Henke said. “Even though he was referring to merging on the highway, take that advice into your life. Jump at opportunities. Seek to do more, not less. Always work to carve your own path. Live your life in a way that you won’t regret.”
Valedictorian Magnolia Garbarino used her speech to impart advice: “Find something that makes you angry” in a world that could use change.
“I’m not saying that anger should govern your life but I do think that it’s a useful emotion in identifying where our passions lie,” she said. “And there’s a whole lot to be angry about.”
Garbarino also laughed while moving on to share a story about her struggle during a three-year stint on Pawling’s tennis team. She hoped that her words would remind others not to shy away from challenges.
“There were matches where I felt like apologizing to my opponents for having wasted their time playing against me,” she said. “This is all to say that when used constructively, failure is not a bad thing and is actually a very necessary stage in the growth process.”
Decorated with art, photos and words of wisdom, many students’ graduation caps reflected these messages as they walked the stage to receive their diplomas. “It’s a slow process but quitting won’t speed it up,” read one student’s mortar board.
Clearly, those collecting their diplomas had not.
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