By Juliet Rotondo
On a warm, mostly cloudless Thursday evening at Nugent Stadium, Rye High School’s graduation ceremony was a celebration of 221 seniors who Principal Andrew Hara said, “experienced levels of success unlike any other in Rye High School history.”
Friends and family gathered to celebrate the graduating class, assembling under white tents to beat the heat or along the stone bleachers lining the stadium. Seats were in high demand. Some families secured spots by laying towels on the bleachers over an hour before the ceremony began.
Guests trickled toward their seats to hits from the ’70s and ’80s – including Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl” and Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Serpentine Fire.” When the music changed to “Pomp and Circumstance,” the graduating class filed in, led by Hara and Rye School Superintendent Tricia Murray.
Faculty, students, and administrators settled into their seats on the field, some students detouring to grab water from buckets lining the chairs in the field’s center. Everyone rose for the Pledge of Allegiance and National Anthem, performed by vocalist Eliza Chai and seven American Sign Language performers (Alexandra DellaSalla, Margaret Derman, Alexandra Huen, Phoebe Lee, Charlotte Lincoln, Abigail May, and Melisa Pirinccioglu).
The first musical interlude featured Leah Arus on vocals, Hunter Gillies on guitar, and Sam Surak on the drums, who performed Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb.”
“There’s always gonna be another mountain,” Arus sang. “I’m always gonna wanna make it move.”
(“She’s so talented,” murmured a girl on the bleachers as the audience applauded.)
Hara welcomed the family, friends, and soon-to-be-graduates of Rye High School’s 95th annual graduation.
He touted academic and athletic achievements – along with more unconventional accomplishments, noting, for example, that “Claire Pohlman has not missed a day of school during her entire middle school and high school career.”
Hara deemed success to be a measure not of accomplishment but, in the words of Maya Angelou, “how you made people feel.”
“Your greatest legacy will not be what you accomplished,” Hara said. “It will be the lives you touch along the way.”
Murray encouraged the Class of 2026 to reflect not only on this moment of transition but what they gained in the process: “friendships that shaped you, challenges that tested you, successes that encouraged you, and setbacks that taught you resilience.”
“Reflection is one of the most powerful tools we possess,” Murray added.
Seniors Carson Miller, Greta Murdoch, and Sloane Paul delivered the Latin Oration. Miller, who was named Rye High School’s Athlete of the Year earlier in the week, thanked his family, as well as world language teacher Mark McWilliams for allowing him to speak at graduation.
In her Senior Oration, Caroline Bartlett shared words of advice from her father: “Never a doubt.”
“It means having confidence in yourself, even when you feel hesitant,” Bartlett said. “It means enjoying the journey and appreciating little things along the way.”
Salutatorian David Singer recalled crowning achievements of the graduating class, from Section 1 championships to surviving AP Physics – experiences that were part of the “Rye bubble.”
“Calling Rye ‘a bubble’ actually highlights the most important aspect of our community,” Singer said. “We support each other.”
Vocalists Fiona Green and Lucas Gordon performed the second musical interlude, a belting rendition of Frank Sinatra’s “That’s Life.”
“We pick ourselves up and get back in the race,” Green and Gordon sang.
Valedictorian Grace Wang shared cherished family memories, recounting her appreciation for even the briefest of experiences. “Beauty lies, after all, in precisely these ephemeral moments.”
At 7:30 p.m., it was golden hour; the green of the field surrounding the graduates’ red and black, and the trees lining the stadium, were still cast in yellow light.
Board of Education President Jane Anderson delivered closing remarks. “Stop, pause, reflect,” she encouraged the Class of 2026.
The flags above the bleachers flapped as wind gusted over Nugent Stadium. There was a ripple over the crowd on the field – members of the graduating class reaching up as one to secure their caps.
“And after you’ve done that,” Anderson added, “keep going.”
Finally, the students lined up to walk the stage. Many looked toward the bleachers, beaming and waving at the loved ones watching them graduate.
As students collected their diplomas, shadows crept up the trees surrounding the stadium. By the time the final name was called – “Samantha Grace Yeh” – the light of golden hour had receded. The clouds in the sky tinged pink.
When Hara presented the Class of 2026, the field erupted in celebration. Caps flew through the air, graduates jumped to embrace their friends, and family members descended from the bleachers. The evening had been one for reflection. Now, graduates were ready to celebrate, and to begin new chapters.
