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06/15/2019 12:00 AMBrilliant blue skies topped a town green filled with 220 graduates in caps and gowns of Hornets red on June 12, as the Branford High School (BHS) Class of 2019 celebrated commencement at the steps of Town Hall.
The graduates were celebrated with remarks from speakers including Superintendent of Schools Hamlet Hernandez, Board of Education chairman Michael Krause, BHS principal Lee Panagoulias Jr. and speeches from Class President Robert Olejarcyzk and the Class of 2019's selected commencement speaker, BHS faculty member Dr. Steven Brown. Performances by the BHS band and BHS Music Makers punctuated the 6 p.m. ceremony.
Olejarcyzk was cheered on by his classmates as he took the podium on the Town Hall stage; as Class Advisors Peter Bouley and Robert Polemeni waved a life-sized photo cut-out of Olejarczysk from their dias seats beside the class officers.
Olejarczyk noted during his remarks that the Diary of Anne Frank was written by a teenager 77 years ago who would never know that her story would go on to be read by millions worldwide and make a lasting impact.
"Anne Frank never lived to go to college. She didn't cure disease or paint a masterpiece. She didn't set out to change the world. And yet, in her short 16 year-old life, she achieved greatness," he said.
Telling his classmates they can all "...write our own narratives of greatness" and that "...the best of our story is yet to be written," Olejarcyzk encouraged the Class of 2019 to "dream big, work hard and be great."
Panagoulias announced at the ceremony that the Class of 2019 Valedictorian is Ben Mehmedovic, it's Salutatorian is Adam Jackson and that Olejarcyzk was the Faculty Key Award winner. In his remarks to the graduates, Panagoulias said this class was special, and will be missed.
"Over the last year I can't count the number of times I've heard our faculty talk about how special you are; received emails from people in the community letting me know how you've touched their lives; and how often I've seen you represent Branford High School with distinction," said Panagoulias.
Panagoulias also held up a "magic mirror," based on a TV show in his childhood called "Romper Room," to look out into the graduates. Through the mirror, he said he saw talented casts from the school musical and fall play, dedicated yearbook staff, the "Red Wave" showing their Hornet pride at games, a class that celebrates the diversity which makes BHS strong, sports team captains, co-curricular club presidents, those going on to the military, 40 senior interns learning career practices, a class that danced prom night away and students who earned UCONN college credits in several subjects.
Panagoulias also saw a team that won the WTNH Channel 8 football game of the week, a girls' lacrosse team that won two state championships, a dance team that won multiple state and regional championships, and a boys' hockey team that won its first state championship in over 30 years. He also saw school musicians who played during halftime at a UConn football game; Best Buddies who helped make BHS a national Unified Sports championship school, Model Congress gavel winners, pep rally participants and students that supported and celebrated military veterans throughout the year.
"But most importantly I see active, well-rounded citizens and independent thinkers that are ready to tackle the world that lies ahead," said Panagoulias.
In his keynote speech to the graduates, Brown also singled out many students and their actions as examples of the special qualities found in the Class of 2019. Brown gave three points of advice to help guide their future: encouraging them to live true to their values, always seek out fulfillment, and to take risks and seize opportunities.
After 20 years with a career in industry, by following his own effort to live by his values and looking to be fulfilled, Brown became a teacher, he told the Class of 2019.
"And where I ended up, teaching here at BHS, has been the most fulfilling part of my life. So I thank you for helping me be fulfilled," he said, adding, the point of sharing his personal story with them is, "...to not be afraid to take some risks and to be on the lookout for opportunities no matter where they may arise from. Because they may not come back a second time. So the three points that I made -- be true to your values, seek fulfillment, and take risks and seize opportunities -- I think will actually help you going forward."
Known for his classroom humor, Brown began to close his speech to the graduates by telling them, "I was going to end with one of my famous chemistry puns, but unfortunately, all the good ones Argon."
Instead, he said he would use a phrase students from the Class of 2019 has painted on a wall in the BHS science wing: "Think like a proton: always positive."