East and West Leyden High School students reflected on a turbulent year filled with perseverance during graduation ceremonies held at the Allstate Arena.
The large venue allowed each high school room for plenty of guests while still following COVID-19 protocols. Dominic Manola, principal of East Leyden High School, said that Allstate’s size provided flexibility for school officials regardless of state social distancing requirements during the pandemic.
West Leyden held its graduation May 18, while East Leyden’s took place on May 19. Manola said Allstate Arena, which was a new venue for Leyden Township District 212 high school graduations, was available largely because of the pandemic and the lack of events booked for weekday nights.
“The point is to give the seniors as much of a celebration as possible after what has been a tough year,” he said.
District 212 Superintendent Nick Polyak said this year’s senior classes are, in some ways, more prepared for the real world because of the challenges they had to overcome.
“When people talk about schools in this pandemic they often use the term learning loss; I think that’s the wrong way of thinking,” Polyak said. “None of you lost any learning over the past year. That was thanks to your hard work and the hard work of so many adults here at Leyden and in your homes.”
“Ultimately, you learned that school is not a building; learning is not confined to physical walls. School is really a collection of experiences and relationships,” Polyak said. “Your version of that has been different than that of those before you. But, I think you are actually better for it.”
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East Leyden Salutatorian Cindy Meco echoed some of Polyak’s themes, noting that typical high school concerns such as “Where is the lunchroom?” or “Do I know anyone in this class?” were made to seem minuscule compared to what high schoolers had to grapple with this year.
She said this year’s seniors had learned an important lesson: Change is the only constant in life.
“In a sense, this is what the real world is like,” she said. “It’s filled with change and challenges, where adaptability to that change and what we make of it defines our characters.”
East Leyden Valedictorian Yaritza Frias acknowledged that this final year was not what anyone expected.
“I know since I was a kid I was ready for a musical to break out in the hallway,” she said. “Although I soon found out that was unrealistic, I did imagine spending my last year in high school with my closest friends, laughing in the hallway or at lunch enjoying our final moments of high school looking back with nostalgia.”
“It is very important to look back and recognize the fond memories we made these past four years,” she said. “But it is also important to acknowledge the future we have before us.”
