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Westbrook High School Seniors Graduate via Livestream

With their traditional, in-person graduation ceremony sidelined by COVID-19, on the evening of June 12, 53 Westbrook High School (WHS) graduating seniors viewed their virtual graduation via livestream.

The proceedings began with video of Student Council President Ian Whitehouse, outside the school on a beautiful, breezy summer afternoon, standing at a podium guarded by a small suit of armor to represent the school’s sports teams, the Knights.

The speeches touched on the difficult circumstances faced by the Class of 2020, whose final academic year was interrupted by a global pandemic, who finished their senior schoolwork online, and who were then confronted with a period of civil unrest that the country hasn’t seen in decades.

Themes emerged throughout of transcending adversity, discovering one’s resilience, and finding courage by joining together with others in new and unprecedented ways.

The addresses were followed by videos taken previously of each student outside the school, walking in cap and gown along a purple carpet to a table, picking up a diploma case and holding it up for a graduation photo. WHS Principal Tara Winch stood at a podium behind them, smiling proudly.

Whitehouse led the Pledge of Allegiance and, after the national anthem, offered the first address of the night. He acknowledged the support of students by teachers and administrators.

“Even when online classes began, our counselors and teachers were committed to making sure we received our diploma and supporting our college transition,” he said.

Despite the difficult circumstances our country faces, Whitehouse said, “we are a class of diverse opinions and talents and cannot be more confident in our ability to influence change.”

Winch said this group of seniors had “exceeded normal high school expectations” and, having “received world-wide recognition...will be forever known as the iconic Class of 2020.

“The world is broken,” she continued, “but your spirit is not. As you set out into the world, you are faced with its fractured pieces of human injustice that leave us with unanswered questions.”

The students’ “resilience, perseverance, and positive attitude will forever make them more capable to endure hardship, overcome disappointment, and create new avenues and opportunities for success,” Winch said.

Westbrook schools closed on March 13 in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and it was soon clear that students wouldn’t return for the remainder of the year.

“Your high school career was cut short without notice or permission and you were left with questions, confusion, and disappointment,” she continued.

But there was a lesson.

“[W]e are never alone in our despair,” Winch said. “[W]e must look to those around us who lift us up, encourage us, and inspire us to continue on.

“You...have that impact on those around you: your family, your teachers, your community members, and me,” she said.

Winch recalled a class trip to New York City to see the musical Dear Evan Hansen, and one of its iconic songs, “You Will Be Found.”

“Even when the dark comes crashing through/when you need a friend to carry you/And you are broken on the ground/You will be found,” she recited.

Winch was followed by class Salutatorian Isabel Araya, who served as class president from sophomore through senior year.

Araya said she had “long dreamt” of addressing and honoring her fellow classmates and graduating “in the traditional fashion. I dreamed of looking into the eyes of my peers and saying ‘We’ve done it.’

“But the universe offers us a different sense of closure this year,” she continued. “Tragedy cut short our time together, but our memories and friendships will not fade. “[W]e face a journey into an unprecedented world but I have full faith in our future success,” Araya said.

“My dreams of today may have turned out differently than expected, but that is often true in life,” she concluded. “Our expectations often weigh too heavily on our hearts. We must look at change and see chances: opportunities to prove ourselves and improve upon our situations.”

Valedictorian Sarah Davey’s address looked back on her class’s first day at WHS, facing adversity as seniors taunted them with cries of “Fresh meat!” followed by “threats of Freshman Friday” over the ensuing days. Sophomore year, she said, was “one of disillusionment.

“Before we knew it, we reached our junior year,” she said. “It felt as though the second we became acclimated to high school, the time was upon us to prepare for our departure from it.

“Some of us...got lost along the way,” she continued, “but I speak from personal experience when I tell you that even if you’re walking in circles around Bubba Gump’s Shrimp Company, not realizing your school group has already left, ‘You Will Be Found.’”

In senior year, the class “came together as one” on its final Field Day to garner first place in Field Day games as well as in hallway decorating.

“With our revived unity and enthusiasm, the end of the senior year should have been one full of excitement and joy,” Davey said. “However, the world had other plans.

“More recently, we were reminded of the evil in the form of racism still alive in this world that we were about to go into,” she said. “Some would say our grade is cursed: Most of us were born in the wake of 9/11. Now, we graduate in the midst of civil unrest and a global pandemic. We certainly know what it’s like to have adversity come at us like a rabid fox.”

However, the members of WHS Class of 2020 “hold strong values and fight for them,” she continued.

“I’m sure everyone has told you that if you can get through virtual learning during a global pandemic, you can get through anything,” she said.

Board of Education Chair Lee Bridgewater told the class that getting through the COVID-19 pandemic, its loss of lives and changes to everyday routines, would lead to resiliency.

“You will look back on 2020 and marvel at how much you grew and how resilient you became...and how strong and determined you were to continue on with your education and career path plans despite this pandemic,” she said.

“You got through this—you can accomplish anything,” she concluded. “And you make Westbrook proud.”

Patricia A. Ciccone delivered her last address as superintendent of Westbrook Schools—she retires at the end of the school year.

She reminded the class that they “are joined by nearly four million high school graduates and three million college graduates who will move forward toward futures full of hope and promise and, in so doing, lead all of us back to our own hopes and dreams,” she said.

“I’m here...to thank you in advance for the impact you will have on this strangely altered world,” she continued.

Calling the students “trailblazers,” Ciccone said “you have already been as much teachers as you have students and in this unchartered landscape that has been your culminating year, you have already shaped a new adult humanity.”

Although previous generations might yearn for familiarity and reassurance, “we can’t go back,” she continued. “We need new thinking. We need all of us to learn from this. We need you.”

Ciccone then certified that the WHS Class of 2020 was “indeed ready for graduation.”

Find a commemorative, pull-out section celebrating the WHS Class of 2020 starting on page 27.