Hawks' Class of 2011 Soars

The Manchester Township High School Class of 2011 celebrated the end of their time in the Hawks’ nest at their graduation ceremony on June 16.  Parents, friends and family filled the bleachers and lined the fence, cheering as the graduates marched onto the football field, girls in gold, boys in blue.  The school’s NJROTC Color Guard presented the colors and Student Government Officers, Jason Cainiello and Mikaela Chua, led the flag salute.

Senior Class President, Jade Orth, welcomed family, friends and staff.  She said that whenever she made the morning announcements at school, she ended with the phrase, “Make it a great day or not, the choice is yours.”  Orth told her classmates, “As we leave today and enter the game of life, just remember failure is an option, yet we have a choice to not make it our option.  So, with a twist on the morning announcements: Make it a great life or not, the choice is yours!”

Salutatorian, Sean Zabriskie, shared what he said was the most profound lesson he learned during his high school years.  “I learned to never wish away my days,” he said. “Life is living in the moment, because here and now is the only thing that is truly guaranteed. As you leave here today, as we all leave here today, I hope that each and every one of us can promise ourselves to cherish every moment that we have. I hope that each of us can promise to always try to be the best that we can be, because anything is possible. I hope that each of us can learn to treasure the good times we have in life, while learning and growing from the times that may not be so good. And I hope none of us ever forget the good times that we’ve shared in this school.”

Valedictorian, Kristin McAteer, spoke about friendships made at MTHS.  “Long after we have forgotten the formulas for chemical reactions and how to factor quadratic equations, we will remember the acts of kindness by teachers and fellow students, and the simple pleasure of spending time with high school friends.”  On behalf of the class, she thanked the faculty for helping every student reach their potential and thanked parents for their love and support.

“Up until now, our lives have been fairly predictable.  Most of us could count on seeing the same faces in the same familiar places, year after year.  Now, things will be different.  We will have to make new friends, visit new places, and rise to new challenges,” McAteer remarked.  “We will take the lessons we learned from Manchester Township High School and carry them with us for the rest of our lives.  In closing, I would like to say that no matter where life may take us, we’ll always be Manchester Hawks at heart.”

Class Officers Jade Orth, Erin Ross, Danielle Rasmussen, Kristi Cannella, Briana Parrish, and Anasia Brooks presented thank-you gifts to their class advisors, Mrs. Berthalter and Miss Wolfman, and presented the class gifts to the school.

Superintendent of Schools, David Trethaway, accepted the gifts and congratulated the class for all of their accomplishments in academics, athletics, the arts, and community service.

Board of Education member, Jackie Bermudez, whose daughter was graduating, also congratulated the class. “It is truly an honor to see you here today, ending a chapter in your lives, to start an exciting new one.  Each and every one of you has turned out to be such remarkable young men and women, and I have been lucky enough to see many of you grow up through these years,” she said.                                                                                                      

After all of the graduates received their diplomas, Student Government Officers, Kayla Fata and Blake Balsamo, led the graduates in the traditional changing of the tassels from left to right.

Student Government President, Sarah Elzayat, in her closing address, told her classmates, “This school has been the place where most of our memories were made, and it’s the place where our spirit and pride were cultivated.  Manchester is not only a place for us to learn, but it’s a home.  It’s where we as the Class of 2011 have grown into a family…Use these memories and cherish them, because this is it, Class of 2011; we’ve made it, we’ve done it, and we’re here.  Congratulations classmates, one chapter down and many more to come. Watch out real world, here we come!”

MTHS Principal, Alex George, congratulated the class as he dismissed them for the last time, quoting Dr. Seuss to send them on their way.  The graduates joyously tossed their caps into the air and left the field on their way to hugs and congratulations from their proud parents and families.

Congratulations Class of 2011! We are so proud of you all!