At the Mineola commencement ceremonies last Saturday, Mineola High School principal Ed Escobar commended the class of 2013 graduates on their achievements, including helping those in need through staging the Hurriucane Sandy olympics fundraiser to aid victims and holding the Mineola Macaroni Dinner to help the homeless.
Escobar said he had seen how the graduating seniors had matured as young men and women, calling their high school experiences as “exciting and healthy changes, but ones that make us anxious and apprehensive, too.” And he gave them advice on the challenges they would face as they move forward in their lives.
“I believe that by working hard, doing what is right, and I mean doing what is right not just when people are around, but when no-one is watching, you will connect with people and have a positive impact on them and your community,” he told the 194 graduates gathered in the Tilles Center on the LIU-Post campus.
He told them a story about a student he had taught who sent him an e-mail years later to tell him what an exemplary teacher he had been
“I wanted you to hear that story from me because I feel strongly in the importance of believing in something, acting on it and making positive connections. As a class and community, you have the character, confidence and goodness to make positive connections that can last a lifetime,” Escobar said.
He concluded by telling them, “I truly believe in the simple, yet encouraging idea that if you have a positive attitude, work hard, and be kind to others around you, great things will happen and you will change the world for the better.”
Welcome address by class president Nikki-Taylor Massaro.
Musical performances at the Mineola commencement included “Shake It Out” by Brittany Vera and Neha Narvekar with Calbert Chan on guitar and “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” by SangMin Bak, Thomas Behan, Cahlbert Chan and Vineeth Varghese.
“As we leave Mineola we become a blank slate..Use this time to become who you want to be,” class salutatorian Julianne Falotico said.
Class valedictorian Sujith Maracheril told his classmates, “We can’t always passively live life.”
Maracheril spoke about the “four pillars,” positivity, volunteer, love always, and illuminate yourself. He found his principles, in part, by following his uncle around on medical rounds in an overcrowded hospital in India. That experience, he has said, led to his decision to help others through a career in medicine.
Mineola Superintendent of Schools Michael Nagler told the graduates, “A high school is only as good as the students in it and the seniors set the tone. This class has personified the district’s mission statement, demonstrating that school is much more than academics.”
Reach reporter Richard Tedesco by e-mail at rtedesco@theislandnow.com or by phone at 516.307.1045 x204. Also follow us on Twitter @theislandnow1 and Facebook at facebook.com/theislandnow.
