Millbrook 2023 graduates: hats, hopes thrown high

MILLBROOK —  On Friday, June 23, at 7 p.m., strains of Pomp and Circumstance filled the air and the rain held off at the playing field at Millbrook High School for the graduation of 75 seniors in blue and white gowns.

Millbrook High School Principal Eric Seipp, at the podium, related to the students how difficult it is each year to find the right words with which to send his graduates off.

He was followed at the microphone by Interim Superintendent Caroline Hernandez Pidala, who instilled in the graduates some messages she gleaned from author Brené Brown. Hernandez Pidala also shared some tidbits of wisdom from Theodore Roosevelt and Charlie Waddle, but a favorite was a quote from Brown, “Love others without losing the best of who you are.”

Math teacher Cynthia Rosenzweig was the staff member voted by the students to give the keynote address, which she did amid tears, thanking the students for what they have given her. She told them, “You make everything so much fun without even knowing it.”

She also congratulated them on their graduation, saying it was “epic” because they persevered at a time when there was a global crisis in COVID-19, saying they had made the choice to overcome what they couldn’t control, and to thrive in spite of it.

Rosenzweig commented that among the graduates were star athletes, artists, poets, conservationists, musicians, singers, debaters, and future lawyers, and said they are an inspiration to all, a tribute to all that this graduating class has achieved and some of the awards they have received.

Salutatorian Sadie Krueger asked her fellow graduates to learn from the past, live in the moment and prepare for the future. Also mentioning the challenges students faced during COVID, Krueger admonished the class, “Don’t let anyone hold you back from reaching your full potential.” Krueger will be reaching for her potential at Kenyon College in the fall, hoping to become a physical therapist.

Olivia Lucal, the valedictorian, told fellow graduates that although they had a world of support, “We are here due to our own fortitude.” Speaking of the year and a half these students lost to COVID in lockdown, watching statistics go up, wearing masks and going to school virtually, she added, “It taught us to be resilient.”

She also urged them to push boundaries when needed, finishing her statements with: “There’s a world out there with our names on it. Make sure they spell them right!” Headed for the University of Chicago, Lucal will be going into the field of astrophysics.

Seipp presented the 2023 graduating class to the board of education, and with hoots and hollers, tossed caps went flying into the air. But in the end, they all came down, a bittersweet reminder that the high of graduation quickly fades, and the process of living and earning in earnest begins.

Valedictorian Olivia Lucal delivers  a message of hope and fortitude to fellow graduates at the Millbrook High School graduation Friday, June 23, at Millbrook High School. Photo by Judith O’Hara Balfe

High hopes and high hats at Millbrook High School graduation Friday, June 23, at Millbrook High School. Photo by Judith O’Hara Balfe

Valedictorian Olivia Lucal delivers  a message of hope and fortitude to fellow graduates at the Millbrook High School graduation Friday, June 23, at Millbrook High School. Photo by Judith O’Hara Balfe

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