The 161st annual commencement was a special one as students and faculty reminisced over achievements earned by their numbers. Some highlights included 12 French and three Spanish students receiving the New York State Seal of Biliteracy, Victoria Dipini being named JCC student of the year for Dunkirk, the girls softball team playing in the Section 6 B1 finals, the bowling team taking the state championship, and the unusual collection of three sets of twins in one class, one set taking the third and fourth rankings respectfully.

“We will always remember you for what you have shown us,” Master of Ceremonies Michael Burnett said. “You demonstrated to the community the power of doing good for others.”

Dr. James Tracy, superintendent, reminded the students that “this is not an end. Graduation means that you moved on to the next step. Please don’t get stuck at this step.”

He went on to quote Thomas Huxley stating that “the rung of a ladder was never meant to rest upon, but only to hold a person’s foot long enough to enable them to put the other somewhere higher.”

OBSERVER Photo by Jo Ward Hannah Saye, salutatorian, accepts her diploma as she walks across the stage at Dunkirk's 161st Annual Commencement Saturday at King Concert Hall.

Salutatorian Hannah Saye, who suffers from paralysing stage terror, according to her brother Josh Saye, accepted her medal, but had her brother read her speech instead. In it, she thanked current and past school boards for hiring the teachers that changed her life as well as thanked the parents of her friends and classmates for their support.

Valedictorian Haileigh Pawlak did read her address and used Dr. Seuss, whom she is a huge fan of, as her stepping stone to push the class off on it’s future journeys. Citing the book “All the Places You’ll Go,” she said, “Our class has in fact, already moved mountains,” as she reminded them all of their sports achievements, the win of a Kenny Award, the high school equivalent of a Tony Award, as well as art and music achievements.

“In our journey to move mountains, we’ve also moved the pebbles, boulders and hills, that have blocked our path and also the path of others,” Pawlak added. She pointed out the simple achievements they’ve made such as final gym miles, last exams, beach clean-ups, canned food drives and volunteering with the Special Olympics.

She reminded them that “It’s is OK to fail. No matter our future choices, life will continue to present us with challenges. We know that we’ll be capable of overcoming because we have already faced hardships and adversity on our journey to graduating. ‘Today is your day, your mountain is waiting, so be on your way.’ Class of 2019, our mountains are waiting for us; finally we can charge forth and make a difference in the world.”

Advice from their mentors were added to the celebrations shortly after. High School Principal Alan Gens shared the best advice that he felt he could give, and that was for the graduates to give their goals their best shot. “The worst case scenario is that 5-10 years down the road, you don’t want to be in a situation saying ‘Geeze, I wonder if I attempted that, what would have happened,'” Gens said. “Mark Twain said it best: ‘Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do, then the ones you did do.'”

OBSERVER Photo by Jo Ward The Dunkirk High School Class of 2019.

Class mom, Donna Pucciarelli, a business education teacher for the high school gave the class five pieces of advice to help them on their way as well. “You never know where life’s journey, it’s twists and turns are going to take you. Sometimes the plan you laid out for yourself is not the actual plan for you, remember things always happen for a reason,” she began. “I hope that you all find a job that you’re passionate about, something meaningful to you. Each day you have the opportunity to be the best part of someone’s day or the worst part. Do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do and when someone says your name in conversation, do you want their first thought of you to be ‘oh, there’s a wonderful, kind person’ or would you rather their first thought be bad? In a world where you can be anything, please be kind.”

Tassels were turned, cheers erupted and the class of 2019 moved on to the next rung in their ladders of life.