Suffield High Graduates 203 in Class of 2011

Suffield High School graduated the 203 members of the class of 2011 during its 72nd graduation ceremony Saturday morning held on the Beneski athletic field.

Friends and family came to salute the triumphs of the seniors for the 72nd year in a row. The audience filled chairs and stands and cheered loudly as names were called, stories were related and jokes were told.

Young men in blue robes and young women in white ones were led into the ceremony by class advisors Kristina Kochanek and Domenico Casolari, reaching a milestone in their academic careers.

Class President Marco Muzio welcomed and congratulated the group of his peers, sharing in the excitement of the accomplishments they achieved together as a class.

“Well, for the past 13 years this class has been in motion and more than most,” Muzio said. “In many ways we have become the transition class, you might remember we didn't all start this journey together.”

Muzio acknowledged that the class started their academic careers in different schools, but they finished together.

Muzio was not the only speaker to recount the experiences and time the classmates shared in Suffield.

“Many of you are probably expecting me to quote some cliche about following your dreams, or speak about our future,” said Sarah Voisine, the class salutatorian. “But I thought now would be a good chance instead to look back on our high school time.”

She recounted humorous experiences, common misconceptions and threw in some jokes from The Hangover, as her speech was met by laughter in the crowd.

The unique potential of the graduating class is something valedictorian Neha Mehta recognized during her speech. She said important moments like graduation are defined by whether the class chooses to take advantage of the potential of the event.

Mehta believed she was among future doctors, actresses, writers and athletes. The group included Andy Mai, who she said could be the next Tiger Woods some day, “in a good way.”

Graduation did not just mean the next step in the lives of 203 young adults, but the next step for Latin teacher Gail Katz, who will moving to Australia to be with her family.

As commencement speaker for the ceremony, Katz spoke of the ever-changing life people live. She said that despite an individual's best planning, things change.

Breaking the form used by other speakers of addressing the crowd, Principal Donna Hayward faced the class of 2011 and spoke to them directly about the excitement of graduation.

Hayward admits she got to a point where she was listening to “Pomp and Circumstance” in her car on the way to school some mornings.

The class of 2011 entered the field as seniors on the cusp of the next chapter. They left as high school graduates embarking on the next part of their lives.