Montclair High Holds 150th Graduation Ceremony (WATCH)

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Montclair High School marked a milestone year for 2017, hosting its 150th annual commencement ceremony for graduating seniors on June 22.

During a “perfect night” of weather, blue caps and gowns festooned the high school’s outdoor amphitheater and hundreds of students forged lifelong memories.

Benilde Little, Montclair resident and bestselling author of the novels Good Hair, The Itch, Acting Out, and Who Does She Think She Is?, gave the commencement speech, extolling graduates to face their bullies, take Montclair with them on their life adventures and be “vulnerable, transparent and authentic.”

"Being bullied made me more compassionate and insightful,” Little said. “My mother wanted me to go to private school but I decided to stay in my public school. My gut told me not to run, but to face the bullies and to prove that I was not whom they decided I was. What I learned was how to navigate life.”

“This diversity, this crazy quilt is what's best about Montclair and what's best about America,” Little said. “Your experience, good and bad, has given you a gift. You probably don't see it yet but you will shine if you take this gift into the world."

Cristi Kennedy, President of the Class of 2017 addressed her classmates as they graduated with "bittersweet pride and uneasiness about their futures."

"As the 150th graduating class, we are a small part of history,” Kennedy said. “It will serve us well to remember how we were treated here at Montclair High School and how we fortunate we were to have spent time in this special place with a big heart."

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Photos: Montclair Public Schools