Millbrook Blazers celebrate their graduation after a challenging 2021

MILLBROOK — Friday night, June 25, will be a night long remembered by the graduates of Millbrook High School. After more than a year of living through the COVID-19 pandemic, of learning sometimes remotely and sometimes in person, these seniors graduated in a ceremony and atmosphere where they were jubilant just to have things back to normal. And yet, in all of the speeches, the impact of the pandemic was evident, as it’s something that no one will forget anytime soon.

Despite the difficult year and a global health crisis, the Class of 2021 excelled. Millbrook High School Principal Eric Seipp congratulated the graduates and welcomed their family and friends on Friday, June 25.

“We did not just survive, we thrived,” he exclaimed.

He added that in spite of all that had been lost, there were lessons learned, including that while navigating unchartered waters, Millbrook students persevered. Their year culminating with prom, a trip to Six Flags and the commencement ceremony itself.

School Superintendent Laura Mitchell also addressed the pandemic, stating that coping with it had possibly opened up opportunities to change the world and themselves in ways that really matter. 

“We’re counting on you, and you’ll always have a home here,” she told the graduates.

The message to the Class of ‘21 was given by Administrative Assistant to the Principal Katherine Mattis, also the yearbook advisor and senior class advisor. She was elected by the students to deliver the message. She gave the 77 graduates one question each that she agreed to answer at commencement; she received 23 questions via e-mail. Some were poignant, some humorous; she replied to 10 of them.

Valedictorian Alice Pandaleon referenced the colors of the sunrise as she entered high school four years ago, and the similar colors she expected to be present as the commencement ceremony closed at sunset that night. 

Salutatorian Skyler Fountain told her classmates, “We made it” as she reminded everyone this was the first time the entire Class of ‘21 had been together since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. She said their one path of getting through high school would now diverge into 77 separate paths.

Millbrook seniors were accepted into 102 colleges; more than 37 scholarships were awarded; 27 graduates belonged to the National Honors Society; two students, Alice Pandaleon and Benjamin Wallace Lacy, earned International Baccalaureate cords; 16 donated blood; and Cassidy Lynn Howard earned a Future Farmers of America cord. Matthew Guardiola sang  “The National Anthem,” while the High School Concert Band and the High School Chorus performed two songs; Connor Power and James Hartford also performed a song on the bagpipes.

The ceremony concluded with Seipp thanking the Board of Education (BOE), the staff and Mike Ragusa for setting up the event. He especially thanked retiring BOE member John Rudy for his more than 20 years of service to the district.

The sun set as the ceremony ended, but the colors lingered in the sky as Millbrook graduates, family and friends gathered to greet each other after a long absence, and to say farewell as the schoolmates and friends prepared to move on to their future lives.