When Manhasset High School co-salutatorian Bryan Herbert thinks about his hometown, he doesn’t think of lacrosse, as some undoubtedly would – he thinks about food.
In his commencement address outside the Manhasset Secondary School to his 227 Class of 2014 classmates, Herbert compared the different life paths his classmates will now take to the variety of restaurants situated along Plandome Road that they choose for a meal.
“So now it’s time to leave the senior spa, walk down Plandome Road and head to our separate restaurants,” Herbert said. “But now they won’t be Gino’s or Manhasset Deli. They’ll be on new roads, they’ll have new names, and they’ll open up a new world of possibilities.”
“Our separate restaurants are waiting for us, but when you go, take the memories of this time and the people sitting around you, for it is these moments that make life special,” he added.
Priya Alagesan, his co-salutatorian, described in her speech how Manhasset’s path has led her classmates to graduation, the one road that has led to all the others they’ll take in the coming years.
“Now we must ask ourselves the question: Have I found my own path yet? For some of us, the answer is yes. In front of me are innovative scientists, extraordinary athletes, esteemed playwrights and skillful musicians who will carry their talents on to greater successes,” she said. “For some of us, the answer is not yet. But have not fear. For each of us, there is a community ready to embrace us.”
Alagesan later added, “My hope for each of you is that as you leave to explore new places and your branches extend toward the sky, you’ll see those entangled roots not as a burden but an anchor that will help you find whatever direction you are meant to take.”
Valedictorian Stephanie Ying likened the graduating class to Proxima Centauri, a red dwarf star whose light takes four years to reach earth.
When she looked around at her classmates, Ying said she saw them each as their own Proxima Centauri, the culmination of four years of high school wearing navy blue caps and gowns and clutching diplomas.
“The star has already shining for 4 billion years, and astronomers predict that it will continue to shine for another 4 trillion years,” she said. “While each and every student here has accomplished so much already, I know we have so many more years ahead of us to just keep on shining.”
But the metaphor was less than perfect, she said, because though Proxima Centauri’s light is often dim, her classmates are very bright.
“We are so young, and this is really a time when our minds – prepared, ready and perhaps a bit naive – can dream and imagine an unlimited future,” Ying said.
Manhasset High School Principal Dean Schlanger said that even though the graduates’ futures are uncertain, they are prepared for whatever life may have in store.
“Over these past years, you have been challenged in your academic endeavors, social surroundings and emotional growth, all of which have nurtured your character into what it is today,” Schlanger said. “All of you arrived to the high school with similar goals, you often teamed together on playing fields, stages and in classrooms, and now you will depart individually on a journey with new paths, new streets and new destinations.”
Richard Bennett, president of the Silver M Society, which honors students and administrators for their dedication the Manhasset School District, inducted Herbert and fellow graduates Riley Garcia, Maxwell Hu and Nicole Koskovolis, as well as head custodian Theresa Manieri, as this year’s honorees.
Later in the ceremony, the Class of 2014 presented the board of education with two class gifts, a clock to complete the renovation of the Manhasset High School auditorium and a garden, named in honor of the late track coach and science teacher Don Scott, to accompany the secondary school track.
“Your gifts beautifully honor and celebrate our Manhasset history and traditions of excellence and dedication to our students,” Manhasset Board of Education President Regina Rule said.
