Le Roy celebrates phases and changes of the Class of 2023

When the Class of 2023 began its public education journey, Taylor Swift had just released her first #1 album, "Fearless," which would go on to win a Grammy in 2010.

Principal David Russell mentioned Swift during his opening remarks, also noting that when the Class of 2023 began classes at Wolcott Street School, it was the year the Saints won the Super Bowl, Spain won the World Cup, and "Kings Speech" was named best picture.

Now Taylor Swift is as big as ever, celebrating her success on her Eras Tour, and the Class of 2023 has been through some eras, as speakers in Le Roy at the high school graduation noted on Saturday.

"You experienced two presidential elections in 2012 and 2016, and you saw fads like silly bands and the selfie stick become prominent elements in our society," Russell said.

This is a class that grew up with iPads and navigated life during the first pandemic in more than 100 years and now ends one of the most significant eras of their lives and begins new eras as adults.

"When I think about the graduating class of 2023, the word that comes to my mind is perseverance," Russell said. "Perseverance is defined as persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, daily life as you knew it was disrupted substantially. Regents exams were canceled. Extracurricular activities, like sports and musicals, were either canceled or altered substantially. But through all of these difficulties and delays, you persevered, you persevered, and you overcame every obstacle to make the best of the most difficult situation to arrive at this stage today."

School Board President Jackie Whiting also noted the Class of 2023 persevered through COVID-19 and learned important lessons that have helped them deal with life's challenges.

"You learned to adapt to changing environments," Whiting said. "You learned how to cope with adversity, rejection and disappointment. Even this year, you had to deal with a whitewater rafting trip with no water, and a senior trip with such bad air quality you were not allowed outside. But you adapted and thrived. The pandemic provided a humbling teaching point. Do not take any day for granted. The world can be turned upside down very quickly. We don't know if and when it is coming. And there may be nothing we can do about it. But we can appreciate every day while remaining hopeful and productive.

Salutatorian Kathryn Salphine said it does seem like much has changed since she and her classmates first entered Le Roy Jr./Sr. High.

"Seniors, it's hard to believe that we're here today," Salphine said. "I can remember our class as timid seventh graders. I don't know about the rest of you. But I can say for certain that I thought the seniors at the school were big and scary. They were so mature. And I, for one, was convinced that we could never be that. I mean, six years is a long time, and those seniors were just so old. Now, looking back at that time, I'm amazed that I ever thought six years was so long these years have flown by. And now, the last chapter of high school is before us and what seems like the blink of an eye. "

Valedictorian Logan Nickerson called on his classmates to be kind, love unconditionally, avoid selfishness, live in gratitude and joy, forgive, and avoid negative talk.

"Words have the power to give life and to take," Nickerson said. "If there's any confusion over why given words are important, try interacting with people online. An easy trick that I recommend is to just avoid words with negative connotations when speaking. As for curse words, there's no mature excuse to express oneself in a way that imperils both professionality and the impact on those listening."

Regis Pollard, a personal finance teacher, was the faculty member selected by the senior class to address the graduates this year.

He said he had five tips for the graduates. 

"I'm not an expert at life, but what I've figured out is that people like to win," Pollard said. "I like to win. These are my five tips if you want to win, not only at your future careers but also at life."

The first, he said, is problem-solving.  You need to know how to solve problems for yourself, and employers hire people to solve problems for them. Second, "walk the walk." You've got to take action, not just have ideas, call out problems and suggest solutions.  You need to put your words into action. Third, no excuses. Fourth, help other people. And fifth, believe that you can.

"There's got to be these moments in time where you think you can't -- your human body is telling you, I'm uncomfortable, I can't do it, and what I need you to understand that you can," Pollard said. "And so you're gonna listen to a lot of speeches in your life. You're gonna hear a lot of speeches, and my words will fade. But to help you remember this, under your chairs, is the book, "The Little Engine That Could," and on the inside of it are the five things that I think are important for winning. And I don't care if you read it. I'm sure your English teachers do. But what I need you to remember when you get to those critical moments in life, when you have that opportunity to say, 'I can't do it,' I need you to remember that you can."