Tupper Lake Class of 2020 treated to a memorable outdoor graduation

by Rich Rosentreter

It may have been a lot different than graduations of the past, but on June 25 the Tupper Lake High School Class of 2020 was treated to a memorable ceremony to conclude their academic lives in the district.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Class of 2020 was deprived many events and experiences that seniors typically have, but their graduation ceremony took place in an outdoor setting at the L.P. Quinn Elementary School amid doubts that such an event was possible – and thanks to great weather the event took place without problems and only plenty of pomp and circumstance.

The ceremony kicked off with a parking lot full of vehicles packed with proud parents, family and friends and a huge screen set up for all to see the graduates walk across the stage, thanks to Good Guy Productions.

The event began with the graduates coming out of the school wearing their personal protective masks as horns beeped in enthusiastic celebration. One by one they took their seats – placed six feet apart – in front of the stage.

Following opening remarks by Senior Class Secretary Loran Kavanagh, Principal Russell Bartlett stated the obvious as he recognized just how different the ceremony was by exclaiming, “Wow! This is weird!”

“This is one last chance to be together and say good-bye to the Class of 2020,” he said, adding that the district had five or six different plans for graduation over the last three months. He said what he kept on hearing from students is “‘What we wanted is to be together one more time to cheer for each other when we go up on stage.’ That to me speaks volumes for than anything about who you guys are as people. The sentiment wasn’t that ‘I want to walk on stage’ and ‘I want my diploma,’ it was ‘I want to share this moment with my friends and I want to be there for them.’”

“And at a time where it can be fairly easy to wonder about where we’re going in terms of our relationships with each other and the way people treat one another, it was really awesome to me that what you guys wanted most was to support each other and to share the moment together,” Mr. Bartlett said. “It was really cool. And that gives me hope that it hasn’t all gone completely sideways and that in a moment of despair and scary weirdness unlike anything we’ve ever experienced, all you guys wanted was just to be here with each other.”

Mr. Bartlett then officially welcomed the audience and praised the Class of 2020 before event staff prepared the microphone for a new speaker by wiping it down with a sanitizer, which they did for each speaker – each one also treated to beeping horns and celebratory shouts and screams.

Up to the podium came Senior Class President Katie Harriman, who focused on each graduate being a spark for change.

“I don’t think any of us imagined a parking lot party for graduation,” she said, adding that her class’s senior year has been spun around. “We’ve missed out on a lot. Unfortunately, this is just the beginning of greater challenges that lie ahead of us. I wish I could be funny, sentimental or even a little bit sappy, but these are not normal times.”

“It’s clear now more than ever that change is needed. What that change might look like is up to you. It’s our responsibility to contribute our part as to what change will look like,” Katie said. “I’ve seen the change we could do as just one class. Imagine what we can do when we take on the world. Here’s to what we have done, what we’re doing and the infinite amount of potential for what we’re going to do. What will your change be?”

Next up was Salutatorian Logan Dominie, who started by stating it was a privilege to be giving his speech, mainly due to the fact he was “unsure there would be a ceremony of this caliber due to COVID-19.”

“I’m so happy that we were still able to do this though as this is a really special moment for my entire class and their families,” he said, adding a special thanks to all his teachers and school staff. “I would not be standing here today were it not for the exceptional learning environment that the staff has provided every step of the way.”

After praising his family and parents for helping motivate and support him along the academic path, Logan gave his message to his classmates.

“Today is the biggest day that any of us has ever faced. This is the beginning of our futures and all of our education here in Tupper Lake is finally complete. This is the start of the rest of our lives. We are all faced with the greatest opportunity we have ever known, a chance to choose who we want to be in the future. Whether you are entering the work force, going to a trade school or enrolling in a four-year college, you’re going to experience countless new people over the coming years,” he said. “Don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone! This is your chance to find whatever makes you happy and run with it.”

Logan said one thing his parents always told him was that he could achieve whatever it is he wanted if he put in enough effort.

“The same could be said of you and the rest of the class of 2020. The sky is the limit for all of us,” he said. “I think the most important thing that I’m never going to forget is this ceremony. This is the day we’ve all been working so hard to get to.”

The next speaker was Valedictorian Stephanie Fortune, who said prior to constructing her speech she reviewed some other valedictorian messages online that just offered advice - but that approach just didn’t “seem right” to her.

“I don’t think I could offer any wisdom that I can add that you don’t already know. Instead, I started to look back at my memories,” she said, adding that many unexpected stories came back to her. “It is the little things that I’m going to miss the most!”

“We have all changed so much, right now high school is all we know. Even I tend to look at graduation as an ending. An end of high school, an end to our childhood, an end of seeing our friends every day, the end of seeing our favorite teachers and coaches, it’s the end of an era,” Miss Fortune said. “But as cheesy as it sounds, this is only the beginning and the first step to the rest of our lives – we’ve got a long way to go. Every single one of us should look at how far we’ve already come and then keep going. Keep becoming better people and find ourselves. So let’s continue down memory lane and see how much we’ve changed.”

Stephanie spoke about her days in Pre-K and her and classmates being “wild-eyed children,” eventually getting used to kindergarten and the routine of school. She worked her way up describing her experiences throughout her academic life in Tupper. When she got to the high school level, she told her classmates that they would agree that they are not the same people they were when they entered as freshmen.

“We are different people with different ambitions, but we all have great futures. These last few years were spent making terrifying life-changing decisions, find a passion, choose a career path, choose a college, plan your life out, blah, blah, blah. The thing is most of us are probably going to end up doing something completely different than we plan on right now. We need to find out who we are outside of high school,” Stephanie said. “Life is an uphill battle, it is going to throw challenge after challenge at you. I think we should all agree not to run from them and meet them head on. This is the time to take risks, step out of your comfort zone, push your limits. Think of it however you want.”

“Let’s be honest, we’ve all said it, ‘I can’t wait to get out of this town.’ But at this moment, all I can think about is coming home at winter break and seeing all of my friends,” she added. “So after one of the most crazy senior years that’s probably ever been, congratulations to the Class of 2020.”

Then School District Superintendent Seth McGowan gave an address to the graduating class for the last time as his retirement is slated to begin this week. Instead of taking his customary photo of the graduates, he had to take a short video since the students were spaced out too far.

As indoor graduations have been the norm in Tupper Lake, the first order of business for Mr. McGowan was to thank the students for helping him break that trend and have an outdoor ceremony in the light of the restrictions placed on any gatherings due to the pandemic.

“You are the first class that has ever been able to convince me that an outdoor graduation where you could all be together was worth the risk of getting rained on or blown away with some kind of extreme weather,” he said. “I for one am thankful that you did finally break that barrier and convince me that outdoors was better.”

After speaking about several specific memories he had of some students, he told the graduates this moment in their lives was part of a timeline.

“As you are all too well aware, some events are not predictable and happen at different points along different people’s timeline. A worldwide pandemic is a great example. It happened to all of us at the same time but at a different point on each of our timelines. For you, it blew up your senior year, and that is too bad, but that’s what happened. For other people not graduating from high school it blew up other things. But finishing high school is a big graduation mark,” he said. “I do have to keep reminding myself that however difficult past four or five months have been, we’re all lucky to be here today and we’re healthy, and those with us today out there in car land are also lucky enough to be here today and part of the celebration of your commencement into the future.”

The superintendent spoke about seeing the graduates grow up through the school system.

“Some of my perceptions of you were seemingly insignificant at the time in retrospect, but were life affirming,” he said, as he went on to describe a situation involving graduating senior Dalton LaFountain.

Mr. McGowan said he was sitting alone at an event in the high school auditorium and although he did not remember if it was a play or something else, he did remember the details. Dalton, although he was there with some friends, recognized that the school administrator was alone and after a brief conversation offered to sit with him for the remainder of the event – and that moment had a lasting impression.

“What a nice gesture Dalton, and truly nobody ever really wants to sit with me, so I’ll never forget that,” Mr. McGowan told the audience. “It was the kind of thing I’ll always remember about you and I will remember about this class. You are nice people, you have always been nice people. And we could use more people like you in the world, so thank you for being that way all of these years.”

He said that after the graduation, the students will “be the pioneers of a future post-pandemic world.”

“I object to the phrase that this is the new normal. There is nothing normal about any of this. The new normal is actually down the road in the future some place. You’ll be the ones in part who determine how that world will be shaped.”

“This is not a new normal, but it is truly a new beginning. If there was ever a group of graduates suited and prepared for that expedition it’s you, and it’s all of you. Grit, perseverance, kindness, adaptability, hard work, strength, perspective, character, all of these things. All of these impressions that I’ve had of you over these years were built from memories over the course of your fourteen years. This is not a first impression of mine but a long string of first-hand experience that demonstrates a pattern,” he said. “So while you broke one pattern by getting me to agree to an outdoor graduation, you have the responsibility of creating a new pattern for everyone in the future and knowing you, things are going to be just fine. I promise. Best of luck to you.”

The keynote address by TLHS alum Caitlin (Poirier) Jarvis was to follow and she was introduced by graduates Lauren and Clair Denis who both provided Mrs. Jarvis’ background.

Mrs. Jarvis graduated from TLHS in 2006 and graduated Sienna College with a degree in biology and went on to get a master’s degree in health science from the University of South Alabama. She currently works at the Naval Medicine Readiness and Training Command in Newport, Rhode Island.

Mrs. Jarvis started by going back to her graduation, which took place at the high school in a “hot, crowded gymnasium” to today in which families sat in cars or watching online at home.

“But just because we may be more separated by a little more distance this year, does not make this day any less important for any of you,” she said. “We’re here because we are proud of your hard work this year and your perseverance. This year in particular has presented challenges that most of us, our parents and even our grandparents have never seen in our lifetimes. Yet here we are together celebrating this important day. I know this is not the graduation ceremony you were expecting and although we’ve all been social distancing here, we doing this for the greater good, and that is something you guys should be very proud of.”

She said when she was figuring out what to say in her speech, it was difficult to find the right words.

“I’m not here as a fellow student, as a teacher, or even a celebrity. I’m standing here as a healthcare provider during a pandemic who was born and raised in this town,” Mrs. Jarvis said. “All my experiences during my childhood here, helped shape my future. Since my high school graduation, so much has changed in the world and for myself.”

According to Mrs. Jarvis, who has traveled around the globe, students must recognize how everyone is connected in some way.

“I can tell you that there are different cultures and that uniqueness is something we all need to embrace, especially now. We’re all different, but we all bring something important to the table,” she said, adding that during her job in the healthcare field, she has seen thousand of patients, young and old, servicemen and women all over the world, including World War II veterans. “I’ve listened to their stories and I’ve taken it all in. I encourage you to listen to the stories of others. The ability to learn and grow if only you listen is so important.”

Mrs. Jarvis told students that although they may have missed so many important events from their senior year, they must appreciated their experience.

“I want you to take a moment and look at what you’ve gained during these challenging times. Although you feel like you lost out on so much the past few months, you gained a skill set that you can take with you your entire life, and that’s the ability to adapt. I can tell you that the ability to adapt is a real-world skill. This period of time has opened our eyes,” she said. “We’ve all been challenged and realize now more than ever this world is a big, interconnected place where we depend on each other. We have a greater appreciation for humanity knowing we are not doing this for ourselves. We are more compassionate knowing we are protecting our grandparents. We spent more time with our immediate family, for better or worse. And we’ve all become more creative.”

“Finally, despite COVID, your high school administration has developed a fabulous graduation ceremony today, and for that I thing we need a honking round of applause for,” she said, which resulted with the area being filled with a barrage of horn-honking bliss, bringing her joyful laughter.

“So whenever you have a difficult time looking at the positives this year, because we know it’s difficult, we need to be mindful that this will not last forever. Remember that this was a year unlike any other and despite the hurdles, you all made it to the finish line. Once you graduate, you hold the key to your future and I want you to take your experiences from your time here in Tupper Lake and use them to find your own path,” she said. “If you haven’t figured out what you want to do with the rest of your life yet, that's OK too. You have tie to learn and figure out exactly it is you want to do in this world.”

Mrs. Jarvis said that when she returned to Tupper Lake to give the graduation speech, she realized just how much she appreciated the Adirondack region and compared the difficulty and challenge of life to climbing a mountain.

“There are highs and lows, just like there are when you go hiking. But when you get to the top of that mountain, you need to stop for a minute and take a moment to look at the beauty that exists,” she said. “So for a moment, take a deep breath, enjoy your accomplishment and every time you struggle in the future, whether it’s your future career, your family, just remember you can make it over that mountain. And as Dr. Suess said: ‘You’re off to great places, today is your day, your mountain is waiting, so get on your way.’You’re resilient, so take what you’ve learned from 2020 and get on your way to the next chapter in your life!,” she said. “I wish you the best of luck in the future. Congratulations Class of 2020.”

Finally, closing remarks were made by Senior Class Vice President Ava Cuttaia, who focused on the challenges of the pandemic and said she had..

“Before we know it, our senior year got cut short and we had to end it online. We didn’t get to say good-bye to our coaches, classmates, teachers, and it felt so unfair and it still does,” she said. (adding? “But although we all were stripped of that one year we’ve all been waiting for since we were freshmen, something amazing happened.

The community and the school made us feel pretty famous,” she said, referring to the signs of each graduate placed around the community. “I’ve never seen my face around town in my life. And all of a sudden we were being adopted on Facebook and our posters were all over the community. As a senior in the Class of 2020 I would like to thank all of you for making us feel so unforgotten and giving us a memorable end to our senior year.”

“It’s definitely going to be a year I’ll never forget. I wish I could have ended my school year in class ...but instead I got to live through history, at the moment, it stinks, I’m not going to lie. But one day when we’re all old and wrinkly, our grandkids are going to ask about this for their history project and ask: ‘Did you really live through all that?’ and ‘Is that seriously a real thing?’ Then we can tell this story all over again,” Ava said. “It’s hard to say good-bye to the familiar, but it’s so exciting to see what the future holds for all of us.”