Stratford High Class of 2013: 'You Write Your Own Chapter'

The rain held off for Stratford High School’s Class of 2013 graduation ceremony Wednesday – but these newly minted alumni are no strangers to bad weather.

Their senior year was marked by Hurricane Sandy and the February blizzard -- storms that pushed graduation to the last week of June.

And yet, the students met those and other challenges head on and, as Salutatorian Emily Eckel said, “We made it.”

Here is a collection of quotes from Wednesday’s ceremony:

“From this point on, you write your own chapter. You make your own decisions. Work hard. Take responsibility for your actions and your decisions. Strive for greatness. Never settle for mediocrity. Throughout your lives you will be faced with choices. My advice to you is never to sacrifice what you want most for what you want in the moment.

     – Joseph Corso, Principal

“As my favorite author Mitch Albom said, ‘Sometimes when you sacrifice something precious, you’re not really losing it. You’re just passing it on to someone else.’ We’re not losing our memories and experience we’ve made; we’re just passing it on to classes to come to create their own and to hope that their time here was as good as ours, though that’s a hard task to get.”

     –      Amanda Gallo, Class President

“Every single one of us has yearned for the day where we would explore what was beyond Stratford -- but what we never have verbalized is that we know we will miss our time here. Whether it is Junior Ring, prom, hanging out with friends at football games, the senior picnic, or just talking with friends or a favorite teacher, we will always have those memories to look back on.”

     –      Emily Eckel, Salutatorian

“After tonight, things will change. Oren Hatch once said, ‘there is a good reason they call these ceremonies commencement exercises.’ Graduation is not the end, it is the beginning. So whether you plan on going to college, entering the armed forces, or entering the workforce, you should know that this is the beginning of the rest of your lives.”

     –      Daniel Hong, Valedictorian

“While you might be so certain what path is in store for you right now, life itself provides you with endless choices that will shape what the future holds... Believe that if you make courageous choices, bet on yourself, and put yourself out there, that you will have an impact not only on yourself, but on others. ”

     –      Gavin Forrester III, Chairman of the Stratford Board of Education

“As you move through the next years, don’t be willing to settle for things which you think you can accomplish because they’re easy – you’re better than that. Reach for those things which will be challenging, which might require further education, which will require more knowledge, and definitely more experience. And though there will be obstacles along the way, never become discouraged and waver from achieving the things that are important to you.”

     –      Margaret Lasek, Interim Superintendent of Schools

For more Stratford High School graduation coverage, see: 

• Spot Your Favorite Stratford High Grad
• Music from the Stratford High Concert Band
• 'I Can Go the Distance'