About 25 minutes after the Highland High School Class of 2019 processed out onto the football field to the traditional ‘Pomp and Circumstance,’ and the Concert Choir had the chance to sing the ‘Star Spangled Banner,’ the skies quickly began to darken, forcing everyone to take shelter in the High School. All appeared to make it inside before the skies opened up and a torrential downpour ensued for more than an hour. Remarkably, the rain ceased and the sky took on a beautiful pink sunset glow as everyone returned to continue the ceremony.

High School Principal William Zimmer offered some comments to the Class of 2019.
“Graduation is a time to reminisce on the past yet at the same time to gaze into the future. We recognize past achievements and look ahead to new opportunities,” he said. “Graduates you should be proud of your achievements and confident about your future. The education we have given you is the foundation you will use to help you reach your full potential in this ever changing and awful uncertain world...You are ready to move on, whether by entering the workforce, joining the military or by continuing your education in college. Regardless of the path you chose, I am confident you are ready for the challenge.”

Zimmer urged the Class of 2019 to pursue their dreams. He quoted First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt’ “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams...I wish you the best in your future endeavors and please know you will be missed.”

Salutatorian Marie Ling spoke to her fellow graduates, noting that each tallied up 16,380 hours since starting school.

“They aren’t everything and they shouldn’t be because numbers in the end don’t define you,” she said. “The most important things don’t have numbers [but] family, how much you love someone and happiness matter, just those few things. You don’t need 100 friends, just a handful or one for that matter. We’re off to college and work now [and] some of us having a plan for the distant future and some of us unsure of where we want our lives to go.”
Ling closed by thanking, “our parents and other family members, our teachers and other faculty and to all the friends who have talked, helped, and supported us as we got through these different calculations of high school before we move on to more complicated ones. Good luck in your personal endeavors. Peace.”

Senior Class President and Valedictorian Carlie Relyea delivered her Address to the Class of 2019. She began by thanking “everyone who helped us reach this point...every person who worked tirelessly every day to ensure that we students received a quality education. I must especially thank all of the family members here as well; without all of this support to guide us we would not be here today.”

Relyea said it will be a little strange not to return to Highland High School this fall as everyone will leave to “wherever life takes us.” She said she could not imagine doing senior year with any other group.

“When life keeps throwing you challenges and you seem to be cursed, always keep fighting; take the hardships head-on and ask yourself how can I make the most of this,” she told her fellow graduates. “I believe we all have the ability to succeed after high school if we just put in the effort. I urge all my fellow graduates to continue to work hard.”

Relyea said the next few years will be full of excitement.

“Learn from every experience and make the absolute most of your lives,” she said.
Olivia Armstrong was this year’s Commencement Speaker. She is an Alumna of Highland, Class of 2010, and went on to attend Marymount Manhattan College where she earned a BA in Communications with a concentration in film, television and critical media. She has been a producer on Decider.com, a streaming news website for the New York Post and presently is employed by HBO as a Manager of Editorial Strategy and Digital Production for the network’s marketing team. Armstrong has won an Emmy Award for her marketing of HBO’s hit series ‘Westworld.’

Armstrong said she had “successfully escaped” her hometown when she went to school in Manhattan. But she recalled that before she graduated college in 2014, “I was thrown into a fiery insanity more commonly known as the workforce,” by helping to launch an entertainment start up but eventually moved on to HBO.

“Being with you here tonight reminds me of how fast these nine years have flown but just how much time has passed,” she said. “I couldn’t imagine trying to convince you that I had it all together back then; I assure you I did not, nor do I now. But I’ve learned a lot since I graduated from Highland, nine years ago on this very field.” She acknowledged that she is not yet a fully formed adult, “but I’ve learned a lot of what it takes to be an adult and what it means to be an effective member of a larger group.”

Armstrong said going to school in New York City was an eye-opening experience because of its, “uncanny ability to constantly reject you, knock you down and steal all of your money. I have learned to bounce back from failure after royally screwing up a story for the New York Post. I needed the nasty comments in my twitter feed, put my head down and got back to work. It was brutal but it made me a better reporter and a more thoughtful researched writer.”

Armstrong urged the Class of 2019 to search out adults in the workforce who they can learn from and whom they can trust. Over time, “I’ve learned how to work hard, save money and take better care of myself. Doing your best even in a job you can’t leave just yet, will make you feel your money is even more earned. Saving that money will allow you to explore what you are passionate about outside of work and taking care of yourself both physically and mentally is essential [because] your body and your soul are truly the only places you have to live.”

Armstrong concluded by encouraging the Class of 2019 to, “work with others and listen to them no matter how different they are from you and allow yourself the same empowerment because we’re in this together and you’ve already checked off the most challenging group project there is, high school. It’s over and now it’s on to the next group project. Congratulations all, you’ve done it.”

In keeping to an abbreviated ceremony due to the weather, the Awarding of Diplomas was followed by the traditional tossing of the graduation caps and picture taking by family and friends of the Class of 2019.

2019 Graduates

CARLIE RELYEA (Valedictorian)
MARIE LING (Salutatorian)
CASSIDY MCMANN

JASMIN AKTER
RYLEE MONTELIONE
SOFIA CRIMIVAROLI
TANMAYE HULGUNDI
NICOLA WILK MEGAN FINN
TERESA MAZZELLA
EMILY ANGELILLO
JOSEPH ARENTSEN
ANTHONY ARROYO-RODEA
BRENDEN ATTARD
DYLAN BARRY
ELLE BEACH
RILEY BECKER
ROSETTA BECKER
TYLER BENJAMIN
SEAN BENKERT
LILY BOGDANOWICZ
BROOKE BOHLINGER
RACHEL BURNS
CATHERINE BYWATER
JESSE CABRERA
BRENDYN CACHOLA
CHRISTIAN CANINO
DAVON CARTER
EMILY CASHMAN
MICHAEL CASO
MICHELLE CASTELLANOS
JENNA CHENERY
CELESTE CONSIDINE
JOSEPH COOK
ISABELLA CROWE PAUL CUSA
DEANNA DECKER
GREGORY DEDRICK
JOHNNA DEVICO
CHRISTIAN DIPRIMA
ARIANA DOXEY
SERA DUBOIS
DUANE DUNHAM
JANIQUE DUNKLEY
MAIYA EARLEY
ARIANA ESPOSITO
SKYLER EVANGELISTA
VICTORIA FANELLI
JEREMY GIBSON
SAIPRANAV GOLKONDA
ALIVIA GRATER-BRADLEY
SHANNON GREENE
KYLE GREINER
VICTORIA GUIDI
NICHOLAS HACKETT
JUSTIN HALBERT
CHRISTOPHER HAMMOND
ROGER JOHN HEGEMAN
EMILY HERMAN
RACHEL HESS
CASSIDY HONS
JAYDA JACKSON
RACHELLE JOHNSON
SKYLER JOHNSON
PAUL KANDETZKE
SANTINO KORTRIGHT
JACK KROLL
SEAN KURRY
NIA LAWRENCE
ALEXIS LEAHY
LEE LOPEZ
CESAR LUNA RODRIGUEZ
TABITHA LYNCH
JOSEPH LYONS
RYAN MACDANIELS
CHRISTOPHER MACK
MATHEW MALHEIRO
WASFI MARJI
CASEY MAYNARD
JENNA MAZZETTI
MIKAILA MCCLINTON-THIBAULT
BAILEY MCDOWELL
Julian Meltz
NICHOLAS METZ
WILLIAM MINARD
GIOVANNI MORANO
CAMERON NESS
ANGELA NORTH
CAMERON NUESSLE
KINGSLEY OGELLE
MARC PANZELLA
CHRISTOPHER PAULSEN
AMBER PISCIOTTA
AUTUMN PISCIOTTA
CHRISTINE POLUZZI
EMILY PORTER
JULIAH PREGNO JUSTIN RAO
MARISOL REYES
JOEL REYES RENDON
JORDAN REYNOLDS
MICHAEL RIDER
FAITH RILEY
GERARDO RODRIGUEZ
CASEY ROSEN
ALEXIS ROSSO
BRIANNA ROZZI
ASHLEY SANCHEZ
JOHN SCALO
FORDHAM SHAUT
RYAN SHEPARD
CHRISTIAN SICKLES
ANGELICA SILVA PEREZ
KITTY SMITH
MATTHEW SMITH
RACHEL STAUBLE
STEVIE SUKUNDA
MATTHEW SUTCLIFFE
NICKOLAS SUTCLIFFE
NILAJA THRASHER
ANTHONY TORTARELLA
ANDREW TREZZA
JUSTIN URBANK
YESENIA VALENTINE
ISABELLA VALENTINO
JOSSELIN VALLADARES GOMEZ
PATRICK VANNORSTRAND
SHAWN VANNORSTRAND
DANIEL VEGA
FRANCISCO VERONA
AMANDA VITTONE
LAUREN WEISS
NATALIA WILK
NATASHA WILK
THOMAS WILLIS
JACKEY XIAO