Commencement Exercises of the Class of 2021

[Music] [Music] yes twenty percent twenty percent i'm back [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] so [Music] do this [Applause] hey [Music] so [Music] [Applause] you [Music] so [Music] so [Music] [Applause] good afternoon everybody colleagues families friends members of the board of trustees honored guests and of course members of the class of 2021. [Applause] [Music] it is my great privilege to welcome you today as we celebrate the 163rd commencement ceremony of norwich free academy the location may be different but the meaning is not this is a very special and very hot day in a year full of questions twists and turns to be here with you today is an extraordinary accomplishment to the parents relatives and friends with us thank you for the privileged gift of being a part of these remarkable students lives now i would like to recognize and thank our outstanding faculty and dedicated staff for their time and effort which have contributed greatly to the successful completion of the class of 2021's academic studies and diploma requirements this year more than ever before our team has risen to the occasion on behalf of these students please join me in extending your thanks [Applause] at this time i ask that you join me in honoring some very special guests who have been invited to share this day with our seniors as they celebrate their 50th anniversary of graduating from norwich free academy please turn your attention to the upper deck in the luxury boxes and join me in welcoming members of the norwich free academy class of 1971. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] before we continue further i ask that you all rise for the singing of the national anthem and remain standing please at its conclusion the anthem will be performed by senior members of our ambassador choir under the direction of tonya lehmann [Music] stripes [Music] stream [Music] [Music] apron that our flag was still there oh say does that star spangled [Music] r and the home [Applause] [Music] [Applause] nfa is especially proud and mindful to continue the observance of many time-honored traditions the him dundee was first performed in 1858 at the very first academy commencement that tradition continues now with this performance by the hear ambassadors mighty deeds which god performed of old which in our young [Music] our goodness told thus shall they learning god alone their hopes secure these stands that they may never forget his works but practice his comments ladies and gentlemen the ambassadors i invite all of you to be seated as we begin our program our first speaker this afternoon is participating in his very first norwich free academy graduation it is my great honor to introduce our head of school and superintendent dr brian kelly good afternoon and welcome parents family friends faculty staff alumni community members and most importantly the class of 2021. one of the perks of being the head of school is having the opportunity to address the graduating class as you commence on the new phase in your life this is a great honor for me and my words today come from the heart i truly hope my message is something that will be useful to you as you begin this exciting new journey first and foremost i want to thank you while i've only been here for one school year and i have not had the opportunity to meet all of you please know that i'm incredibly impressed with you as a group and how you've handled yourselves over the last 15 toil some months you have demonstrated grit and perseverance and i have no doubt you'll take the lessons learned and apply them to your future ventures one of my regrets this school year is not being able to get to know as many students parents teachers and community members as i could have due to the conditions of the pandemic i think it is incredibly important that the head of school has a relationship with students especially the seniors and for the seniors that i have met thank you thank you for demonstrating incredible character rational thinking a willingness to collaborate for school improvement and incredible kindness to me as a newcomer to this institution i've been in education for 24 years and i've sat through countless graduation ceremonies so my message today is not going to be on a lecture on what you're supposed to do or how you're supposed to act in the future you've already developed into fine young adults with high character and who am i to be telling you what you should be doing with your lives you're already prepared for that and i'm confident you will all be successful in whatever path you choose so with that in mind my best my message today is about something that i believe is the most important thing in life and that's happiness happiness is something we all strive for and perhaps my word today will help you in either maintaining happiness or finding happiness so when it comes to happiness it's something that all of us seek but not everyone is able to realize and although it's a relatively simple concept do something you love live your life by your own rules and discover your happiness it appears there are many people in this world are truly unhappy and i'm sure you know the type the kind of people that are only happy when it rains but this leads to the question as to why self-help and happiness books are a billion dollar industry with people from all walks of life offering opinions on how how we should act how we should be how we should think in my personal opinion i find it odd that so many people look for happiness through these means and lead their lives based on opinions and theories of what people of people they don't even know one of the things i've learned in life is that you cannot simply look for happiness it cannot be chased it cannot be bought it cannot be found by living someone else's life and it most certainly will not be a product of listening to what others believe you should think and feel so here's my advice your happiness needs to start today on your graduation day celebrate your success and be optimistic for what the future brings and most importantly understand that although today is special the culmination of high school is not an end it is in fact a very important beginning for each and every one of you i made a decision a long time ago to take the necessary steps to listen to listen to my inner voice i choose to stop and smell the roses to appreciate the places people and gifts around me and i really tried to stop listening to negative opinions of others when they decided and when i decided to take that approach everything became clear i have the power over my own happiness and my happiness comes from deep within my soul and nobody can take that away so as you graduate from high school and head off to your future i have one wish for all of you discover your happiness and although it's hard to believe at a very young age life is very very short don't waste it on superficial meaningless things live your life to the fullest and be happy so please consider these five tips whatever your passion is believe in that passion with all your heart dedicate time to it and be proud of whatever that sparks that passion trust in yourself never doubt that you're going to be successful and you'll have a happy productive life don't be afraid to take risks life is an adventure and i urge everyone to see it this way a dear friend of mine once said life is a game and the winner is the person who has the least amount of what-ifs believe in the goodness of other people while you undoubtedly will encounter negative people in your life the grand majority of people are good at the end of the day we are all human beings striving to live a happy life please don't let race color ethnicity political polarization sexual preference gender identity socioeconomic status or other external factors impact your kindness or derail your faith in humanity most importantly before falling in love with someone else remember the most important person you should love is yourself self-love is not selfish loving yourself for who you are and who you have become is the most important key to happiness so i sat through many graduation ceremonies and delivered more graduation speeches than i can remember in a good number of those speeches i've shared a small excerpt from one of the most impactful speeches i've ever heard and that comes from the late steve jobs when he addressed the stanford class of 2005. 16 years later his advice is something i continue to embrace in my life and i believe it supports my message today i hope you get as much of it as i have he said your time is limited so don't waste it living someone else's life don't be trapped by dogma which is living with the results of other people's thinking don't let the noise of other people's opinions drown out your own inner voice and most important have the courage to follow your heart and intuition they somehow already know what you truly want to become everything else is secondary i wish all of you the best of luck in your future endeavors and most of all i wish you a life full of happiness happy graduation day thank you dr kelly a little housekeeping note there are water fountains behind section 8 and section 14 should you need to refill our two student speakers earned the distinct honor of speaking today by competing in the caden williams prize reading contest the 2021 ivy order and our first speaker is valeria irata zavalos and the class speaker is dakota burns valeria will be the first to speak [Music] you've got this it's really good good afternoon class of 2021 [Applause] take in this moment this moment is one you have achieved after four years of hard work dedication and strength today you are celebrated for all you have accomplished pinch yourselves to notice that this moment is indeed real before i continue i would like to give thanks to dr kelly our head of school as well as all of the teachers administrators our counselors the communication staff cafeteria staff and the entire nfa staff as a whole for making this moment possible i also want to welcome and thank all of our family and friends present today you all were truly the village that has helped raise us in the past four years and for that our class of 2021 wants to give you all our biggest thank you [Applause] now onto my awaited speech that i hope will make anybody drowsy first a quick shout out to my english teachers from the past four years they have prepared me for this very moment after drilling in my head the importance of rhetorical devices appealing to pathos and not procrastinating hope i can make you proud today unprecedented times the two words we have heard over the past year we have all undergone a different year to say the least one that has stripped us down into our most vulnerable selves which has broken us strengthen us pushed us and enlightened us that has changed our normal lives and built us a new one that has paved the path for us without a clear direction but has given us the opportunity for redirection unprecedented times the two words which have been ingrained in the definition of our class limiting us on portraying the barriers we surpassed the bridges we chose to build and the voices we chose to enlarge unprecedented times the two words i wanted to avoid today unfortunately there was no avoiding this conversation but it is a conversation that is coming to its final destination back when i was a sophomore and i was told i would have the opportunity to speak in today's event i would have laughed in someone's face if they told me our graduation would be here at dodd stadium with facial mass socially distanced after a senior year that was partly virtual and after a year of lessons based from a google meet making our first interactions be with different colored circles however don't be confused because our class was able to jump over this hurdle although this pandemic has been part of our lives for 453 days to be exact yes i counted it is not the pandemic that gets the credit for the resilience drive diversity and loud voice the class of 2021 has endlessly presented unprecedented times no no no no our time the time our class has used to bring about change this class has fearlessly broken down the glass ceiling knowing that it is not an option to stop believing breaking records in all aspects from sports to academic achievement being the class to have had the highest amount of people of color part of the national honor society taking ap and honors courses and overall and overall seeking to be leaders in clubs and officer positions outlining a clear mission of turning what was once viewed as fiction into reality the different cultures in our school have come together to display a sense of unity weaving together a closer and more inclusive community we have made signs during hispanic heritage month we have celebrated chinese new year we have we have honored haiti's independence and we have uplifted the rich cultures in our school that make this high school unlike any other today we honor the greatness that lies beneath the covers the unique dedication from the students graduating today who are first-generation immigrants who have come to this country without knowing the language and overcame all obstacles and overcame all obstacles with an admirable courage into my fellow peruvian dominican puerto rican [Applause] haitian [Music] and all students who today are representing their native country with pride congratulations on living up the dreams of the generations that have come before you we are slowly but surely rewriting history that was long overdue [Music] cultural mosaic the two words that demonstrate what this class was able to achieve with ease we have learned to not only value our ideas our way of being our way of life but also the ideas being in life of our classmates with a cultural mosaic comes a burst of colors all ultraviolet and a full brightness placing an endless desire for kindness with a cultural mosaic we have the ability to learn about the people we would not be able to learn about anywhere else understanding the importance of the stories of those beyond ourselves let these be an example on how to live our lives moving forward and how the country and the world around us should live out theirs to continuously choose love over hate unity over division and empathy over apathy [Applause] after these past four years our chapter is coming to its finality it is time to venture out beyond this fishbowl we have become accustomed to to prioritize following our dreams and not a paycheck to become independent and not fear failure but rather welcome the growth that comes with it i wish i could grant you a promise of a clear path ahead but i must admit we will stumble along the way and hit unwanted obstacles but never forget we are strong enough to overcome the struggles no matter the path you haven't you have envisioned in front of you of attending college this fall enlisting in the military or simply taking a gap year make sure to continuously do what makes you happy it is time to make our dreams our reality let your voices be heard and amplify the voices of those without a platform allow yourselves to step out of your comfort zone to truly see life in all its different forms don't underestimate the power of being empathetic and continue doing what our generation does best holding on to hope because in the words of amanda gorman there is always light if we're brave enough to see it if only we're brave enough to be it [Applause] thank you valeria next up is our class speaker dakota burns all right so you're starting on this side you're good to go hello everyone class of 2021 and all of our family faculty and staff members when planning for graduation in this crazy year i did not think that one of my dilemmas would be finding a mask that went well with my graduation gown thankfully i was relieved of that awful stress and was given this one really kind of sums up high schoolers during a global pandemic right not to sound redundant but i know everyone is thinking it what a year i remember last year sitting in my boyfriend's car with him and his parents it was pouring rain and we watched his face flash on screen for a few seconds and that's when i thought to myself please do not let this be how my graduation goes i was ecstatic when i found out that we would be having an in-person graduation and on behalf of the entire class of 2021 i just wanted to say thank you to everyone who made this a reality we are eternally grateful throughout my four years at nfa i was always focused on the future ironically my ideas for said future changed almost every two months if you would have asked freshman year dakota what path she would take she would tell you i'm gonna be a lawyer and i'm gonna go to harvard well you can all see how well that turned out i've been up until about april if you were to ask me about my path then i would have told you i'm leaving for boot camp in five months and i don't even know if i want to go to college anymore my point is change is okay and you have to embrace it that's the main thing that this year has taught me you never know what is going to happen next and you have to always be ready while never losing sight of who you are i was faced with a lot of challenges in high school many things i never expected to encounter along the way but that doesn't mean i dwell on them every single day part of growth is moving on from the things and people that hurt you i can confidently say now that the experiences i've had in high school as cliche as it may be have shaped me into the person that i am today when we went fully online back in the fall and then it got extended one week after another i'm willing to bet that i wasn't the only person who was ready for our senior year to be over right when it started thankfully though things went well as well as they can in a global pandemic and i think with what we were given we made the best of it for that i just wanted to take a moment and say to each of you congratulations and i am proud of you those are some words that i always need to hear and i'm sure in these crazy times with all of us going on to amazing futures you do too this was not easy but we did it i am so glad to be part of such a great class i see how hard everyone worked and it's paid off just to be sitting here on this night in those chairs and those gowns and caps is not something every person can say that they have done and you should be proud of yourselves the future is scary especially now everything is so modern new and constantly changing whether you have a concrete plan a vague idea or no idea at all that is okay if you have a plan and decide five years from now it's not what you want that is okay only you can decide what is best for yourself and only you can decide what is going to make you happy change your major take a gap year get a different job whatever it takes to make you happy in a world where such big responsibilities and expectations are placed on us from such a young age make it your world to everyone heading to college i wish you nothing but the best and good luck in your classes to those going to work thank you for being a part of the backbone of our nation and to those of you like me who are going into the armed forces thank you in advance for your service [Applause] and i look forward to serving alongside you as brothers and sisters in arms thank you and again congratulations in another time-honored tradition our next speaker will address the class of 2021 as the representative of her graduating class of 1971. please join me in welcoming abby israelite [Applause] oliver it's not easy to follow those wonderful students congratulations to the class of 2021 on your graduation it has been a year unlike any other in history and despite all that everyone has been through here you are ready to graduate and move on to reach your goals as a graduate of the class of 1971 i am both thrilled and honored to address the class of 2021 thank you to my classmates for affording me this opportunity thank you too to dr kelly and the nfa family for inviting the class of 1971 to have this partnership with the class of 2021 what could i possibly share that will make a difference to you based on what we experienced in 1971 and all that you have experienced over your years at nfa i guess i could talk about who dated who how we spent our weekends but i wouldn't publicly share that how our sports teams did and about the very liberal dress code that finally passed during our third year our music and art programs were exceptional and this has not changed nfa ids were implemented and nfa hired two security guards at that time too i wish i was still paying 40 cents a gallon of gas now there were many environmental issues in 1971. it was during these years that we lost maine mt commercial to terrell cranston shattuck and brad law so really what do we possibly have in common during this time of unprecedented need in our country both do the to the pandemic and civil unrest i see the importance and connection of where we started in 1971 and where you are now in 2021 in 1971 project outreach was started today due to your hard work and strong commitment project outreach is nfa's award-winning student organization helping the hungry the homeless the elderly the disabled the school community and children to name a few community service is a critical need then in 1971 and now in 1971 we had marches to feed the hungry so many today are struggling with food food insecurity racial unrest was evident too in those early days of the seventies and we had what we called the intercultural committee to promote general understandings between all groups of people at nfa and in the community we had marches through town to address some of these critical issues we were aware but maybe not quite as vocal and well spoken as you are today i am sad to see that racial racial bias and unrest are larger concerns today together we must continue to address the injustice and stand up for equality we had basic struggles in our day but they have certainly grown over these past 50 years these are the challenges that you have experienced now so much has changed over 50 years and so much stays the same your struggles have been so tough the social isolation learning without regularly being in classroom with peers and teachers giving up poor sports season and music programs the list is long i am thrilled that you can celebrate graduation today together this year and that we are here with your friends and families the class of 1971 has had reunions regularly and though not huge in numbers we do we dance and sing to our favorite band malena we catch up on old stories and try to recognize each other wearing yearbook pictures as our reunion id is very humbling for sure with every story comes a learning opportunity one never would have guessed that our word our worlds would stop in march 2020. take a moment to think about what these times have taught you about yourself and about others these are life's lessons and even with all the disappointments along the way changing traditions and developing new ones continues who would have thought you would have graduation in a baseball stadium instead of on the beautiful nfa campus what you must remember is really what my classmates and i have experienced while here and in the 50 years that followed as hard as it may be to see it everything is a learning opportunity for each of you and all of us we must look at where we have been and where we want to go and pick our paths even though they often change it is more important now than ever to get involved in your communities and in using your voice to speak about what is important to you pay it forward even if you are the only one in 1971 and those exceptional four years before that my class developed many of our own stories ones that we continue to tell some 50 years later what has not changed over these 50 years is our need for each other the need for love and kindness the need for acceptance of our differences now more than ever the class of 1971 asks that you continue to advocate for yourself so that you can reach your north star never forget the person behind in front or beside you even getting registered to vote or encouraging someone else to is a way to serve and thanks to those of you who have decided to serve our country in the military our country needs you our world needs everyone's compassion your knowledge and your energy remember all that nfa taught you even if you were in front of a computer screen on zoom nfa has been there for us the class of 1971 for throughout these 50 years in different ways i know they will be here for you too as will the class of 1971. i close with this quote from a book called maybe by kobe yamada do everything with love follow your heart and see where it leads you because there is really there really is more inside you than you know and the world needs your gifts your talents and your big ideas from the class of 1971 congratulations we are so excited to see how you the graduates will change our world thank you very much and now senior class president jareth tosses will present the class gift to deval joyner chairman of the norwich free academy board of trustees hello everyone chairman joyner on behalf of the class of 2021 we are honored to make a contribution to the tools for learning fun with a specific intent on providing textbooks for the new class focused on cultural diversity called african american black and puerto rican latino [Applause] history class president tasis i'd like to say that i'm personally touched that you and your classmates have chosen this fund as a target for your donation for this year i know that this contribution will benefit the classes to come as they move forward through and cross this stage so on behalf of the board of trustees we'd like to personally thank you and the class of 2021 for your contribution and wish you all well success in your future endeavors thank you thank you norrish free academy is both grateful and fortunate for its wonderfully loyal and generously supportive alumni and vast community of friends who have made it possible for us to award more than 475 000 in prizes and scholarships this year to 295 of our students for those of you that have contributed thank you so much [Applause] i would now like to recognize those seniors who will leave nfa to serve in the nation's military will those of you who have committed to serve our country in this noble way please stand to be recognized [Applause] and now ladies and gentlemen the reason we are all here today the presentation of the class of two thousand twenty one [Music] [Applause] staff members mickey williston jay barrard tyler burley and ross sward will read the names of our graduates and i ask sections four five and six to please rise class of 1971 representative abby doliver will join dr kelly in greeting the senior class officers who will be the first to receive their diplomas [Music] here jareth tosses jocelyn jesus rodriguez montero diane elaine carlos visa valeria rita zevalos dakota lee burns erica marie alfred tristan abshire jasmine rose doherty chelsea lynn taylor isabella morabito elijah oscar davila joshua freeman matthews let me know if i need to slow down jeremy enrique fralen aiden joseph dennis [Music] joseph chase boyce claire anthony chong maxwell a double day jada bonita barbosa [Music] eugenio mallory rose-seer ryan david de chefy markell james diskin katie eight courtney noel davis miguel angela fenador max william davidson spencer lee burlesque [Music] jason edward benoit zachary joseph beers daniel micah croto aidan thomas croto amber marie craney savannah christina dixon maya alice concepcion zachary cottner wilson say chew [Music] klinger max daniel dorvilis [Music] jillian mason brunelli madison elizabeth albert sarah ahmed jenna marie breen catherine shirley contreras [Music] trinity rose bother jaden alan sabolsky skyler elaine buchan bonjour paige helen buchan bonjour sydney marie cummings kamau sarah rose coley sydney madison bachmann tiffany ching quinyan chen excuse me hazel grace bostick amy contreras sophie jean chamberlain matthew evan barbeau sherlond alexander [Music] andale palette balboa rodriguez alexia marie clarke jose alberto aguilar alleluia sierra eileen adams alicia ann abde nicole rose lynn barr [Music] morgan elizabeth carano kiana marie davis [Music] william john curtis skyler angelique arpin [Music] selena magali santeo alves diani francesca burns madison ann collins caitlyn amy bartholomew cora elizabeth de pietro avery rose cloak riley cadence christensen kaylee lynn bingham [Applause] emma may browning julia elizabeth browning nicholas leon bertad [Music] sarah jennifer kuhn alexis faith cash mia christian alfred [Music] michelle guadalupe adan cabanas sylvia elizabeth briggs kieran nicole adcock solmari aviles simon riley carly juliana acevedo chloe angelina victoria alfred megan linnae bronwell alyssa marie diamond chloe isabelle boucher jennifer rebecca crowell darius jr bienemy soraya elizabeth clinton simmons haley morgan desell suleika yolanda de leon malave sandy chen ruan marisol beatrice del valle kylie ann dietz catherine shea crowley delaya amari barreto gabriela jordan chinego john david begazzo kuzaima ahmed din shaheem william crystal arellano andrew connor carbray derrick a dennis alec charlson bergeron caleb jonathan crowley eugene chen marcos josue barrigan justin joseph conrad ready to slow down daniel lawrence bugbee anthony would you read quasi sean franco cabezas grayson courage calvert [Music] jevin chu john donaldson [Music] junior cameron jamal ellison xavier bradley fauville [Music] liam aidan fitzpatrick caleb ryan key ella elizabeth gill chloe emily exley tessa alice faden fadden excuse me kaelin yvonne fabry gladius juanita gomez alex larissa dianis alexandra harrison jade mayana elizir ariana anissa flanders aiden christopher eckles nathaniel joshua dye hannah kathleen elliott ryan michael dwarak kerry c michelle brianna kayla rosado karina marie warren kevin omar rivera lynette flores romales christian flores tyler william creator mason mitchell fish anthony joseph venero [Music] sarah cooper ericsson juliana catherine hobbs hernandez centennial camron shade shane patnode delaney grace farina justin james fino jefferson rios espino anna brynder trumbull luciana louise libis sydney brienne gagnon ruin lynn miles braxton king sebastian drake herbert [Music] ariana nadia gothier lily ellen george anna gene hebert timothy vincent jenks shyla marie hautman [Applause] talia renee jones jada eve johnson madison sophie conradowitz haley gene johnson [Music] jenna emily hank tiffany huey ria karoon john isaac glover michaela pearl kelly avery sophia hallsworth tessa augusta hotspot bridgette and keller angela nicole gomes avery lynn henderson margaret jehola [Music] megan catherine jeholah kelvin janelle valeria jacquez karen vicky ha nora grace gallagher keith huley josue alexander dejesus ryan armando gavidia [Music] dion alexander becker angelina simone gracia leonardo arlinghaus heiss bridget olivia hinch natalia baya hogan margaret jane fisaro xavier zebediah jimmy elliott edward johnson alyssa gayle johnson jared gregory hool joseph bernard click jaden michael francis sarah isabella ionella hansen huang [Music] purley anthony michael george dejean amar jarman asia lynn jones gregory paul gaudier william king xavier daniel jenkins matthew francois hanvo kalina shea hemingway tusharian estelle anderson talia collado mackenzie rayne frechette steve jourdain anthony troy harris jr nathan michael heinzelman christopher james groom kelsey jacqueline blackburn shalik zazier cassaberry [Music] riley shawna inglesby chelsea olivia johnson caitlyn michelle lawton olivia k gromko adams ibrahim rafiq hassan matthew noth langley moyeses joseph lopez marin alice kyle lilly rayne lacy allison rose littlefield jennifer lopez yao huali amy lee wilbert giovanni latour jr karen lau michaela lee leonard christopher thomas kamega jermaine corey lee lacombe austin nicholas lima serdwin norton catherine grace kozak jamie lee lamotte cada serenity elizabeth gayle leonard bianca lee laguerre [Music] madison lynne krapinsky nicholas r konico dylan edwin lively tim lee kelsey and the point jennifer suzanne lavoy if you haven't already sections four five and six you may be seated section 17 and 18. please rise and prepare to come forward i'll try to i know we'll see so what are they doing with those cards anyway so they it's the order of the photographer that's why we have to keep them in perfect so mickey's cards were not in order because you dropped the stack so there's like so the counselors robert and i and probably the counselors will have to look at pictures and names okay yeah okay so it's probably only like four or five of them but as they started to fall down here so i wasn't sure [Music] wait for your name mariah you're gonna be the first one over now you better be screaming for me all right all right ready to rock and roll mariah shania cynthia lunsford alisa marie pontes emily ann manicus tiffany marie mello estrada janessa rebecca mcquay waller john patrick mccarthy [Music] diane reynolds kimberly orengo destiny may most dad jackson isaiah miller caleb lucas maine emma grace mcmillan riley julia pappas joseph christopher mcelwee justice giuliani ortiz de jesus destiny rose reyes leilani yolin ortiz kalani leto mitchell jared quinn martin capri ray morales alexander christian mascara blake t palmer [Applause] ethan kennedy mcfadden devin i know christopher norton messiah raphael mercado rodriguez jonathan brian mahan jacob ivan morales alicias joseph patterson kai william lyon gabriella marie mussella kesla medina figueroa hannah marie michelson sophia veronica murphy vasquez destiny marie mateo crystal zoe matos cordero diamara nicole pagan [Music] kyle stephen mccabe samuel kenneth mayer jesse edward marock gloria ng hope eleanor olari jason clyde mcgrath jr no reality victoria manzano ne'riah maya moore ling ng [Music] all right all right shaolian luis hi blind haley carol avery axel lee edwards alexia jasmine popham [Applause] chelsea lynn pettigrew tyna williams malia nicole lopez anaya marie blanding bernardo jules alexis nicole why zinowitz yeah i did aaliyah dominique sutton [Music] [Music] neal [Music] nicholas brendan morang joseph jensen palmer nazea jordan figueroa jordan allen bosch noah antonio serrano brandon michael st francis brianna marie wilson anaja lorraine temple ingram gregory anthony hall tyler joseph gamache eric anthony kelly jr i'm done laura de caso de vanessa lenny viola lolo leo saffronino desario lopez lien carla nosario lopez kailani grace pierce steffy caruso eve peyton pelletier thank you francis moises alexandre lanie kasich [Music] stanley mattis blackwood savannah autumn brown lara valeria daniela garcia jessica lynn pecore kayla saarinen messen park angel sebastian lopez hernandez valerie michelle miranda lebron angel manuel de los santos batista lily marie paul isabella maria pelletier bella grace tyler samuel enoch whitwork cassandra lynn traynor brianna kiera south kyle marion shoppie aiden david rebstock wiliana peralta pena nala jasmine temple cali donna deeper carissa anne barbara yankowitz brina marie rowe isabella olivia price andrew james section aiden joseph workheiser [Applause] drew michael wilson dominic anthony renfrey [Music] joel david perez guzman jean-pierre steve st sherin mckenna kyle tabor angelina lisette ward matthew stevens santini owen young jason jonathan rodriguez cameron d richardson eduardo louis vazquez jr audrey celeste stick yvette angie torvisko tatiana marie rodriguez kyrie sincere perry sharonda wise tyrell tyrese way o'callan joseph scolaro derek bryce riveros josian dianelle valentine montes alberto rodriguez diaz seth wilcox zariah nair monet pollard kayla may plaskett michael aaron st germain tai joseph pomeroy ryan daniel trudeau derrick allen trudeau hector david vicente osorio williams leonardo rosales velazquez meadow jasmine taylor leo rubin logan james valentin melanie kate vega angelina jacqueline smith kylie raeanne wagner brianna alana shealy peyton nolan ramsey han wan zhang nathaniel joseph richardson iii jason allen wedge [Music] michaela patricia ryan [Music] brianna ashley shows jessica wen jesus emmanuel santana alvelo cody suter tyler taran spruell spruell so close annika may savage alexandra lane richardson mackenzie lin wusick kathleen nicole sutti alicia nicole euphrat [Music] olivia grace smarts nicholas george wilkinson shawnee meiji soto brenda lachey portala stephanie lydia tommasto emily nicole peter gemma nicole peterson [Music] jordan michael smith thomas amadeus trudeau samuel pachucci annie zoo sophia tong sincere amadeus rebel raven odessa was noetz i got it corrine mcentee alexander joseph stone wing tong vong jacob bradford ricketts rainey joseph pike grace catherine schultz sylvia tenemisa kaguana samia tabasam marie goody tucson chris love st sermon alexia rosa ramos labonte kylie in richmond and a claire slow pack haley michelle vicko catherine anastasia shannon garrett colin tested jossey raymond you maria grace perino micah joseph tarleton jana lynn royce christina marie sequencia rosa maria carmella race savannah vanasse catherine denise reichel marissa elizabeth spur [Music] jacob ray savage blake james sharp samuel bach thompson lucia faith perry jillian and surface cassidy elaine white janissa araya varela tegan alexandra white gustavo cruz flores benjamin wilson andrew lewis ruffo wade richard pirus connor frederick ulrich hannah grace vega paige olivia rondo kaylee and williams edward williams smith griffin cole pontbriant justin james tatro [Applause] and now it gives me great pleasure to welcome dr kelly back to the stage for the most important part of our program i'm extremely proud to certify that the members of nfa's class of 2021 seated before us today have successfully completed all general and specific requirements for a high school diploma prescribed by the laws of the state of connecticut and the policies of the board of trustees of norwich free academy [Music] [Applause] will the class of 2021 please stand as jareth tosses your class president joins me on stage it's up to you that's your call i'm just asking you to read that fellow graduates our time has come to step into the future let's turn our tassels [Applause] and if you will all excuse my man bun remove your caps and let it fly good job congratulations to the newest alumni class of norwich free academy we are extremely proud of you we respect you and we wish you nothing but continued success and happiness congratulations ladies and gentlemen please stand as our senior ambassadors sing the nfa alma mater and then please remain standing for some final words [Music] and the stars forget to shine till the clouds obscure the sunlight and its darkness all the time till the rain [Music] and the winds forget to blow till [Music] [Applause] we are certainly blessed that the raindrops did cease their falling so this concludes our ceremony thank you everyone for joining us as the music begins our graduates will be recessing the same way they entered the stadium families please plan to meet your graduates outside of the stadium where their staging area was your continued cooperation is appreciated cue the music and let the recessional [Music] begin [Music] uh you

Channel: Norwich Free Academy

Views: 6,476

Rating: 4.879518 out of 5

Keywords: Norwich Free Academy, NFA, Norwich, CT, Connecticut, Class of 2021, commencement, graduation, graduation2021

Id: NRJWgvCLzdI

Length: 94min 55sec (5695 seconds)

Published: Wed Jun 09 2021