Springfield High School graduates 116 seniors

While rain fell outside, 116 Springfield High School graduates in green and white robes marched into Dressel Gymnasium at Riverside Middle School which was full of cheering families and friends.
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A large crowd attends Springfield High School’s commencement ceremony Friday evening in the gymnasium at Riverside Middle School. Photo: PHOTO BY LEN EMERYPublished June 14, 2014 in the Rutland Herald Springfield High School graduates 116 seniors By Darren Marcy Staff Writer SPRINGFIELD — While rain fell outside, 116 Springfield High School graduates in green and white robes marched into Dressel Gymnasium at Riverside Middle School which was full of cheering families and friends. But before the night could even get officially started, the hijinks began. After the graduates marched in to “Pomp and Circumstance,” and as Superintendent of Schools Zachary McLaughlin walked to the microphone to give his opening remarks, student Chase Baldwin came strolling in late and the crowd lit up. Baldwin, with his legs bare and his construction boots untied, wore a mortarboard festooned with a plastic cup, rubber ducky and other decorations as he climbed the stage stairs and took the mic from McLaughlin like Kanye West who famously snatched the mic away from Taylor Swift during an awards show. “I need 30 seconds to share a couple of quotes,” Baldwin told the superintendent, but McLaughlin wasn’t giving in. A private conversation took place on the stage as Baldwin pleaded his case and McLaughlin continued to shake his head no, backed up by other administrators behind him. But Baldwin took his plans to the people. “Do you want to hear it?” Baldwin asked his arms raised to the crowd as the gym erupted. McLaughlin stepped back shaking his head with a smile on his face. This was a night for the Springfield High School class of 2014, even if it wasn’t on the program. Baldwin told the audience he was voted most likely to be late for graduation. Then he quoted a rapper and Dr. Seuss and told the graduates to do what made them happy. “Life’s too short not to be happy,” Baldwin said. And with that the night was back on schedule. After checking to make sure there weren’t any other unplanned speeches, McLaughlin told the crowd to embrace the graduates and cheer them. “We should be proud of these young people and what they mean for this community,” he said. “Celebrate them loudly and proudly.” The keynote address was given by Tim Thompson, a retired Springfield educator, who had given the class a middle school graduation speech four years earlier, and Friday he called the class his favorite of his 29 years of teaching. He told the graduates that while they had been going to Six Flags amusement park, he had been waking up at 3 a.m. wondering what advice I was going to give people one-third his age. He pointed out that commencement exercises were a gateway between youth and adulthood. “We say adios to adolescents and benvenuto to adulthood,” Thompson said. “After tonight, you’ll declare your independence. Which ever path you take, society expects you to be more adult.” He said that as it was the last time the entire Springfield High School class of 2014 would gather, it was an extra ordinary night. He promised to keep his advice simple. In fact it was. “Live and give,” Thompson said. “Seize the day. And give the gift of yourself to others. You know you did not reach this point without the help of others. You also know life is more meaningful when it involves others. Live well and give deeply.” The SHS valedictorian is Erin Chlebak and the salutatorian is Siera Lavin.