Bristol Central High School graduated 275 students last Wednesday, led by Valedictorian Hannah Krueger and Salutatorian Martina Jagielski.

The theme of this year’s graduation was “Rise Up,” and Max Harding presented the class poem of that title.

Rise up, rise up for the challenges we have faced the hours we have put in.

Rise up for the inclusiveness that the school holds and the togetherness we share.

Rise up for the people that we have lost but are never to be forgotten.

Rise up for the people who need a helping hand, the ones who struggle going through life without a plan.

Rise up to the inequalities that this world holds. Fight Against who the those who have told you that you can’t be yourself.

Rise up for the stories that are told and can be held close.

Rise up for Bristol Central High School Class of 2022.

Class Valedictorian Hannah Krueger gave the following speech, entitled ”Stay Gold.”

Good evening families, friends, teachers, administrators in class of 2022. One of my all time favorite books is S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders. For those of you who haven’t read it, the story centers on a boy named Ponyboy and his greaser friends as they battled the upper class socials and the harsh realities of life, in the 1960’s era coming of age tale. The quote that stuck with me since reading this novel in seventh grade is one said by his friend Johnny, “Stay gold, Ponyboy,stay gold.”

Today, I ask you all to do the same. Johnny believes that it was rare for anything to stay gold. During one single novel he recites the Robert Frost poem entitled “Nothing Gold Can Stay” about the melancholy reality that beauty and usefulness don’t last forever.

Over the course of my years here at Bristol Central, I found this to be true. We lived through many golden moments of BC, from watching Mr. Carrier jump around in a turkey suit at a pep rally to celebrating our wins, plural, over Eastern on Thanksgiving Day while our toes froze off. These moments made high school memorable. Our test grades and grade point averages won’t stick with us but the inside jokes shared among classes and the bonds we formed with teammates, classmates or cast members will. Eventually, Mr. Carrier puts his Turkey suit away and the bell comes to rest in our trophy case for another year. Eventually, the laughter that goes throughout the classroom dies down and we actually have to learn something. Nothing Gold Can Stay.

And that’s the ever changing nature of high school, from switching classes and teachers to finding new friends or losing old ones. I’ve learned the true value of living in the moment, as Miss Sunday would say, “Carpe diem,” nothing gold Can stay.

The same can be said for everything else. Nothing dark and dull can stay either. We recently encountered a dark cloud called COVID-19. It was hard to see any gold shining through the abyss of quarantines cohorts and awkward pauses when the teacher is asked a question on Zoom. COVID couldn’t keep the golden moments away forever though. We made it back in the classroom masks well within six feet of each other. The Darkness didn’t last forever.

Everyone in front of me right now made it through. Despite the uncertainty ahead of us, despite the dark clouds we will certainly face, I dare say that. If we made it through this, we can make it through anything.

Gold doesn’t just characterize our best moments. It characterizes the best parts of ourselves. Our youth and our eagerness to take on life is our hope for the future. And our tenacity in the face of adversity. When you face the dark clouds of your life and you can’t see the golden moments ahead, your golden qualities will help you through.

Stay eager to take on life. stay hopeful for the future in store. Stay strong in the face of adversity. Keep searching for those golden moments. And when you find them, revel in them. They would make all the darkness worth it. No matter where you go after you leave here. No matter what you do or who you become, I ask of you one thing, stay gold.

Here are some photos from the ceremony.