Valedictorian Aria Grossman found inspiration for her address scrolling YouTube. See more photos here.
LENOX, Mass. — The 113 graduates of the Monument Mountain Regional High School class of 2023 were sent off with some words of wisdom from Taylor Swift: "Be good to people."
"Several things make your class stand out. In addition to your many accomplishments, I appreciate your voices, your commitment to support each other, your decency and your spark," said Berkshire Hills Regional Superintendent Peter Dillon, who channeled the quote from the pop star. "You've come together as a class, you've made remarkable decisions about what's next ...
"Try hard, do wonderful things, make mistakes and try again. We wish you well. We're eager to see who you continue to become."
Graduation exercises for the Great Barrington high school were held in unusually cool weather in the Shed at Tanglewood on Sunday afternoon. The chorus performed "In My Life" by John Lennon and the diplomas were presented by Berkshire Hills Regional School Committee Chair Stephen Bannon. The class marshals were Ari Caine and Noelia Salinetti.
Valedictorian Aria Grossman said she'd gotten lots of advice on her speech — make it funny, make it Oscar-like in thanking everyone, make it profound, don't make it profound, make it musical.
"So today I'm going to be discussing a topic that I think will deeply resonate with a lot of you. Mindless internet scrolling," she said to laughter.
During her scrolling of YouTube, Grossman came across an artist creating a photorealistic drawing of a glass of water.
"Each stroke increased my awareness of everything that goes into a glass of water, all the patterns of light and color that combined to create the glasses image," she said. "In the process, I gained a deeper appreciation for the depth and complexity of visual experience. ...
"I bring this up because I think that high school has, in many ways been like this drawing video. Much of our work has been a sort of deconstruction."
The class had delved into chemistry and biology, grammar and language, ideas and events that shaped history, she said, and in the process they've gained a greater sense of wonder and gratitude for the world in which we live.
"As we move forward with our lives, my hope is that we will approach each situation with gratitude, gratitude for the joyful moments, but also gratitude for the challenges and the opportunity, the opportunity for learning and growth that they bring, Grossman said. "And gratitude for the uplifting and inspiring communities of which we are apart."
Salutatorian Tyler Sprague said he wasn't sure how much advice he could pass on.
"Hopefully, no one came here today anticipating a life-altering speech, because I unfortunately do not feel as if I possess much wisdom to impart on you all," he said. "Rather, I want to take this chance as a final opportunity to reflect on some key moments in my time in Monument."
The one that stood out most to him was an ambitious pep rally in which he had donned a mascot costume but which hadn't gone quite as he planned.
"I felt the strength, courage and honor that I thought this mascot would feel but more importantly, I felt an immense sense of pride. Because in that moment, I was a symbol for something larger," Sprague said, but the limited vision of the head came sent him flying during hamster ball soccer in the gym.
"Monument taught me how quickly one can go from parading around a gymnasium to holding back tears as they lay sprawled out on the floor," he said. "It has taught me the difference between taking my work seriously and taking myself seriously. I'm truly grateful for these lessons. I hope we all can continue to reflect on the lessons we have learned at Monument as we face this large transition in our lives."
Bannon told the class they'd been given a solid foundation and it was up to them to continue to build on it.
"You're about to move into the next phase of your life. Do not look back with regrets. look forward with anticipation. It is only by having faith in yourself that you will succeed in life. Does not matter what path you have chosen to take. Only matters you're comfortable with the path you have chosen," he said.
Before leading the class in turning their tassels, Principal Kristina Farina wanted to address them one last time.
The had had one of "the strangest learning experience imaginable" that none could have predicted, she said. "Class of 2023, you rose to the occasion. You stepped up and pushed through and beyond that you made our community better. You've each demonstrated resilience in getting to this day, a stop along the way to your next journey, your next destination.
"Take time to savor today's experience and thank those who supported you in getting here."
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Lee Represents Massachusetts in 50 in 50 Mural Project
By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
The mural features the town's history and beauty. Lee is representing the state in artist Cheyenne Renee's '50 in 50' project to paint a mural in one small town in each state.
LEE, Mass. — Out of the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts, Lee was selected to participate in the "50 in 50" Project.
Artist Cheyenne Renee is working to paint a mural in a small town in all 50 states. As part of the project, there will also be a documentary that will incorporate interviews and footage from each town.
Renee has already completed murals in towns in West Virginia, Wyoming, Idaho, and Iowa, among other places.
Renee received close to 300 nominations but only has about 18 states accounted for, so she is still in need of more nominations for a state yet to be completed. More information here.
When selecting a town, Renee looks at chamber of commerce websites and visitor center information to learn more about the area.
Lee marks the 11th town she has completed and will now be moving on to Morristown, Vt., for her next project, which she will do with some schoolchildren.
The goal is to "highlight the community and small businesses within each town and really give people a reason to travel to all of the murals [and] get to know the area that they'd be going to," Renee said at Friday's celebration of the mural.
Artist Cheyenne Renee is working to paint a mural in a small town in all 50 states. As part of the project, there will also be a documentary that will incorporate interviews and footage from each town.
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