| DERBY — The overcast skies couldn't dampen the enthusiasm of Derby High School's 83 graduates as they walked onto Ryan Field Thursday evening. |
| An
archway created from hundreds of red and white balloons greeted the
graduates as they made their way down a steep hill and onto the field. Family and friends filled bleachers alongside the field. Some cheered as the long line of students dressed in red or white cap and gown snaked around the field and toward their seats. Valedictorian Sarah Denise Miller told her classmates that while she was thrilled to be graduating, she also had to wonder what high school graduation would mean. "Tomorrow, I believe will be the first time we will be able to fully realize that we have completed a whole stage of our lives, and now all this becomes part of our past. We have grown, and while the years will always be cherished in our memories, it is sad that we have to let go of these times," Miller said. She plans to attend Bentley College. Salutatorian Liliana Alexandra Alvarez, who will go to the University of Connecticut, said that some of her favorite memories about high school would focus on the people she met. "All the different personalities mingling together for four years are bound to make for an everlasting experience. We each have our own circle of friends with whom we shared wonderful memories. However, in the end, we are all standing in the same line to receive our diploma, having one last experience together as a class," Alvarez said. Graduation day was particularly special for Board of Education Chairman James Gildea, 35, who had the opportunity this year to present his oldest daughter, Christina, with her diploma. Christina Gildea, who hopes to be a lawyer, will be studying political science as a freshman at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield next fall. Gildea, a father of four, said he got involved with the Board of Education when his daughter Christina was nine. "It's rewarding to see the first child of mine graduate. A day like today makes the sacrifices, missed events and missed family time worthwhile," Gildea said. Christina Gildea said having her father actively involved in the school system for so long could be challenging at times. "I always made it clear that I didn't want special treatment. I wanted to be treated like everyone else," Christina Gildea said. But on graduation day, Christina Gildea admitted that having her father present her with her high school diploma might have made the experience "more special." For others, graduation seemed to signify that it was time to move on. Joseph R. Gabinelli Jr. said that though he was a bit nervous before the ceremony, he is excited about plans to become a freshman in the University of Bridgeport's computer engineering program. Sean P. Henri, who will attend Southern Connecticut State University, said he was eager for the after-graduation festivities, which included a reception at the high school, dinner and a party later in the evening. Henri said he looks forward to spending his first summer as a high school graduate vacationing and camping.
|
| ©New Haven Register 2002 |