THE PEABODY ADVOCATE – Friday, June 8, 2018

THE PEABODY ADVOCATE – Friday, June 8, 2018

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The Graduating PHS Class of 2018 Valedictorian Ryan Top 20 Students Cormier, Ryan * Buckley, Sarah Abdulghani, Sarah Morton, Gabrielle * Sims, Andeemae * Bazarian, Nuno * Ruggiero, Deanna * D'Alleva, Ryan * Ferreras, Al LeBlanc, Mallory * Tourtillott, Nicholas Ripa, Anxhelo * Thomas, Nicole * Celona, Jason * Cassidy, Demetri Kilbride, Olivia ** Nelson, Emily * Charles, Vanessa * Marotta, Ava * Treasurer Biqiku, Chrisly * Bono, Tabbitha Co-President Manning, Ann * Co- President Lezenski, Kristina Secretary Adelino, David Ademi, Olivia Aia, Salvatore Albreizat, Haneen Alimonti, Jillian Alperen, Marc Alvarado, Angel Alvarez, Rashely Alves, Claudia Alves, Destiny Alves, Kolby Ambeliotis, Margaret Anderson, Brooke Andy, Lauren Anffe, Ana Annese, Alyssa * Antonio, Carina Araujo, Deborah Arigo, Jillian Aroke, Kevin Aylward, William * Azevedo, Arthur Azevedo, Gabriela Bacelar, Emily * Baez Almonte, Frailin Ball, Courtney * Bampi, Joanna Barker-Barnard, Marcus Barrasso, Caterina Bastos, Matthew Batista, Rinara Belli, Nadina Belliveau, Christopher * Benlaatmania, Sara Benson, Jacqueline Bernard, Justin Blake, Kelsie Bolduc, Jacob Bova, Alyssa Bowles, Cydni Bradley, Autumn Braz, Garrett Braz, Shane * Brum, Aryella Buckley, Bryan Buckley, Kirsten Burke, Cody Butler V, Thomas Buttiglieri, Erica * Cabrera, Talia Camara, Izabela Campbell, Makenzie Canela, Dariel Cappos, Troy ** Carr, Rachael Carter, Haley Caruso, Camryn Casallas, Jacob Cennami, Justin Chouinard, Bianca * Cioffi, Michael Circenis, Tyler Comeau, Amber Connolly, Kayla * Conrad, Madison * Cordeiro, Jaqueline Cormier, Allison * Correggio, Taylor

Correia, Joshua Correia, Monica * Costigan, Amanda Couillard, Victoria Couture, Madison ** Crawford, Amanda Crochet, Cyrus Crowe, Kirsten * Cubilette, Litzy Cummings-Staid, Christian Currier, Chloe Cuzzi, Cole Dailey, Julissa D'Angelo, Alexander Darosa, Mary Davidson, Justin Day, Curtis Dedominicis, Gianna DeFreitas, Zachary DeMayo, Eric * Denham, Amber DeOliveira, Camilla DeOliveira, Stefany Desouza, Myllena Dias, Amanda Diaz, Joshua Dimeo, Christian Diogo, Olivia DiPirro, Olivia Doherty, Sean Dominguez, Lizbeth DosSantos, Edgard Doughty, Bailey Drumheller, Kiernan Dukette, Nicole Dunajski, Molly Dunn, Rebecca * Dupont, Kathleen Duran, Mario Edmonds, Meghan Ejiofor, Faustina * Ell, Stephen Elliott, Alyssa Espinal, Jonell Fader-Laskin, Julia Farese, Michaela Feliciano Vazquez, Karolyne Fernandes, Rebekah Ferrante, Nicole Ferreira, Leonardo Ferrer, Angela Fiandaca, Sarah Fielding, Connor Figueroa, Abraham Finnerty, Dominic Firicano, Kassidy Fitzgerald, Ashlyn Fleming, Anakin Flores, Isabella Flores, Sophia Fonseca, Kaitlin Fortado, Victoria Fournier, Marc Freedman, Noah Freitas, Mariana Frongillo, Gabriella * Full, Connor Garcia, Tais Gaudet, Gus Gillen, Alycia Goggin, Janine * Goggin, Ryan Gomes, Carlos Gonzalez, Brandy Grenham, Nicholas Groom, Kaycie Groom, Shayne Grullon, Jennifer Gunning, Daniel Gustin, Jacob * Guttadauro, Angela * Haley, Andrea Hamel, Jack * Hamze, Miriana Hawthorne, Jayde Heafey, Daniel Heath, Brandon Henry, Kelsey Hewitt, Emily Hirschaut, Koby Hoffman, Adam Hopkins, L'nae Howarth, April

Hurley, Citrene Irvine, Jacob * Jaynes, Sarah Jimenez, James Jones, Breanna ** Jones, Christian Jones, Evan Jones, Micaiah * Juarez, Mikayla Kafeero, Adrian Kalombo, Abigael Kamerik, Steven Karaj, Artion Keizer, Joshua Keller, Brendan Kelley, Shaelyn Kidd, Nora King, Collin Kirby, Charles Kirby, Julia * Knight, Isaiah Kola, Elisa * Kouroyen, Lindsey Kovacek, Ashleigh Kyslowsky, Kalista * Lanni, Bridgette Lapham, Corey Laro, Serena Lathrop, Kiley Lawlor, Crighton LeBlanc, David LeBlanc, Joseph Lemole, Ryan * Lendall, Knox Lennon, Seth Linehan, Cameron Lodi, Trevor Logan, John Logiudice, John Long, Brendan Long, Keosoriya Lopez, Jaliya Lopez, Yajaira Lowry, Sydney Luis Carmona, Ana Lyman, Samantha Malachi, Ishmael Malta, Gabriel Mam, Jeremy Marcelino, Franklin Marchand, Allison Martinez, Michael Martinez Salcedo, Estefany Martins Jr, Fabio Mason, Liam Mastromatteo, Luciana Mastromatteo, Samuel Mathurin, Micheal Mavrakos, Tyler McCullock, Matthew McKelvey III, John Medrano, Adrian Medrano, Jeffrey Meirelles, Benjamin Melin, Erin * Middleton, Branden Milewska, Joseph Millis, Nadia Mills, Ryan Molle, Talia * Montalto, Marc Moran, Vanaecia Moreno, Tommy Mullen, Evan * Murphy, Matthew Murphy, Nolan Muse, Jordan Nadeau, Lauren * Najjar, John * Nalesnik, Nicholas Neves Deoliveira, Isaac Nguyen, Danny Nguyen, Kayla Nguyen Hoang, David Nnadozie-Okananwa, Chinma Noseworthy, Rachel Ortins, Nicholas Ortiz, Angel Ortiz Paige, Kieanah Otero, Sophia Pacheco, Sean Palma, Leo

Pang, Samoanna Panzini, Michael Papadopoulos, Konstantino Papadopoulos, Lexi Parente-LeBlanc, Cynthia Patel, Riya Pena, Addison Pena, Julio Pena, Paola Pena, Yencel Penley, Katrina Pereira, Vitoria Perisie, Bernard Pescatore, Joseph Petro, Olivia Petruzzelli, Vittoria Pitterson, Alana Poirier, Melissa Porcher, Heavenly Powers, Cameron Prousalis, Andrew Provenzano, Gryphon Purcell, Kaydee * Puzzo, Jennifer * Qole, Joana Quadros, Alexia Quigley, Russell Quijano, Amisaday Ragusa, Olivia Ramos, Conner Rapoza, Matthew Reis, Ana Clara Reynolds, Drake Ricard, Chas Ricciardi, Isabella Rivera, Phoebe Robertson, Shayla Rodriguez, Jayla Rodriguez, Sofia Rogers, Tyler Roman, Jean Carlos Romero, Kimberly Rondeau Thibeau, Samantha Rooney, Justin Ross, Justin Rozopoulos, Anna Rozza, Isabella * Ruci, Jorgo * Ruggiero, Nicole * Salama, Sarah Salmeron, Jonathan Salvati, Dominique Sanchez, Reginauld Santiago, Ivanna Santiago, Miguelina Serino, Tim Sherman, Holly Silva, Austin Silva, Christian Silva, Zackary Sliva, Ashley Smatana, Christian Smith, Sarah Solomin, Alan * Sousa, Kelley Souza, Daniel Staunton, Molly ** Taney, Alexandra Tavarez, James Thomas, David Tozzi, Marjory Tracchia, Michael Tringale, Abigayle * Trites, Kayla Venuti, Nicole Vernava, Vincenzo Victor, Brittany Vinagro, Ryan Voisine, Caitlin ** Walsh, Kimberly Watson, Jessica White, Elijah Wilson, Brianna Wolcott, Marcus Wood, Madison Xheli, Stefan Zeuli, Mason Zorrilla, Leslie , * National Honor Society ** National Technical Honor Society

Cormier’s remarks I

too would like to greet all the members of the audience. Let me begin with a collective thank you to every mother, father, step parent, aunt, uncle, sibling, grandparent, and neighbor. To every teacher, substitute, paraprofessional, guidance counselor, and administrator, we recognize, appreciate, and honor the roles you’ve played in all our lives, whether big or small.

While I am proud to be valedictorian, I have found it particularly puzzling that I’ve been subject to numerous ridiculous, and often humorous, rumors. Perhaps it’s because I’m somewhat quiet in class and neglect to show my true self as much as some of you do. In Spanish class last year, my favorite misconception was revealed to me. One of my fellow classmates was dumbfounded when he learned that I do more than just schoolwork when class ends for the day.“Wait! So you don’t lock yourself in your room and study all night?” he asked me. I didn’t know whether to believe him or laugh hysterically, but regardless, I can assure you all, the bit about me studying 24/7 is just a rumor.

The next misconception is the idea that I only have book smarts and completely lack common sense . . . okay . . . that one may be somewhat true, according to my mom . . . moving on!

My question to all of you is why do these rumors form? How can such outlandish, and often untrue, stories form so quickly and spread like wildfire? It’s because we all judge others much too quickly. We observe from a distance the way people dress, the way they wear their hair, the way they speak, the company they keep.

We judge people without getting to know them first. We make assumptions, share our assumptions, and allow others to contribute their own assumptions.

Now, let’s go back in time for a moment. On this very land, over 320 years ago, 20 people died. This particular group of people did not die of old age or medical conditions, but because of incorrect assumptions.

The Salem Witch Trials were not only fueled by fear, but also by greed, jealousy, and misunderstanding of the unknown. Guilty until proven innocent, some accused were sentenced to death because of the way they acted, the way they spoke, what they believed in, and what they owned.

It just goes to show how simple and seemingly harmless misconceptions can result in tragedy.

I would be lying to all of you if I said that I haven’t judged someone on face value. In fact, a particular friend of mine who I’ve become extremely close with over the course of high school (he knows who he is) wasn’t much of a friend when I began my PVMHS career. We weren’t friendly in middle school; therefore, I didn’t know him personally. In fact, I viewed him as annoying because of his actions, his comments, and previous assumptions about him. I remember freshman year, I was extremely

displeased when he sat next to me on the bus for a school trip; I wanted no part of him. Little did I know that he was a complex individual and that we had much in common.

Fast forward almost four years later; he is one of the few people I can talk to earnestly because he is a true friend; a friend that I wouldn’t have right now if I neglected to reserve my judgments years ago.

F. Scott Fitzgerald, in his novel The Great Gatsby, wrote that “Reserving judgments is a matter of infinite hope.” My interpretation of his words is that the longer you resist judging or labeling someone, the likelier you are to find the positive in a person and associate yourself with them. Association leads to understanding, connection, and eventually friendship. If we all learn to reserve our judgments, we will have the potential to open doors that lead down roads previously unimaginable. That person you viewed as weird, nerdy, or quiet, may just become your best friend or your connection to your dream job; they may even save your life one day.

I don’t feel guilty for misjudging my friend; rather, I believe it is human nature to make immediate judgments that reflect our first impressions. However, the earlier we learn to reserve our judgments, the brighter our futures may be, futures that flourish with connections and friendships. Take me, for instance one last time; although I may study a bit more than the next guy and prefer to listen rather than openly participate in class, I am equally complex as all of you. And whether I’m playing Super Smash Bros. on game nights, going head to head with my buddies in a game of floor hockey, playing soccer with my team, performing with the band, or hitting the books, I really am just like all of you.

So, Class of 2018, I ask that you hold on to my advice and incorporate it into your own lives. As someone who has judged and been judged, I assure you that our lives will be undeniably better if we remain open minded, optimistic, and infinitely hopeful for the best possible outcome. Simply put, let’s give everyone a chance.

Now, allow me, your local street smart-deficient and academic hermit, to transition all of us to the next chapter of our lives. Farewell everyone, and once again; thank you to everyone in the audience. We could have never reached this great accomplishment without you. Congratulations Class of 2018.