CRANFORD, NJ — The members of Cranford High School’s Class of 2022 were awarded their diplomas on Wednesday, June 22, at 7 p.m., with Scott Rubin, Cranford’s superintendent of schools, doing the honors. Given the weather — cold, rainy, windy — the CHS administration decided to start the evening with the awarding of diplomas, rather than with the speeches that would have traditionally begun the festivities. Two hundred and eighty students graduated on Memorial Field in Cranford.
Following the Pledge of Allegiance, led by Michael DeSimone and Rebecca Romito, treasurer and secretary of the Class of 2022 respectively, the national anthem was sung by the Cranford High School Concert Choir.
Then Matthew Zatorsky, president of the Class of 2022, spoke. He highlighted the strength of character of the students and the community in their efforts to push forward through these unprecedented times. The Class of 2022, he said, spent approximately half of their high school careers either wearing masks or learning remotely. He said, though, that, while they may have been miles apart on Google or 6 feet apart in classrooms, they were always close together in heart and mind, and they always found a way to celebrate one another’s accomplishments.
“Class of 2022, don’t stop believing in yourself and your Cranford family. I know they didn’t stop believing in you. Hold onto the feeling that this Cranford graduation ceremony gives you, this feeling it’ll give you the strength to keep going. Streetlights, people have been by your side; remember the familiar streetlights of Cranford as a way to guide you home. … Class of 2022, I’d like to quote American rock band Journey and leave you with this: ‘Don’t Stop Believin’.’ We have come so far so incredibly fast, and Cranford High will forever remain a part of us. Once a cougar, always a cougar, I wish each of you the very best that life has to offer.”
Salutatorian Sophia Pan recalled a freshman biology class in which she knew the answer to a question but, due to anxiety, didn’t raise her hand to answer. She credited CHS’ faculty and students with allowing her to find the confidence to be standing before them all now.
“We have all grown over the past four years, even if we may not realize it,” said Pan. “I entered the doors of Cranford High School as a frazzled and scared 13-year-old with low self-esteem and a lot of acne. And now I’m leaving still very frazzled, but with so much more confidence in myself and my capabilities, and slightly less acne.”
She added that Cranford taught her — taught all of them: “To quote Barbie (movies), ‘You’re braver than you think,’ and ‘You never know what you can do unless you try.’ Even when your doubt and insecurities get the better of you, you will persevere past that, because even if you aren’t where you want to be right now, you will get there. We never stop growing and becoming a better version of ourselves, and it is because of these moments that we push ourselves to rise above those lingering doubts and insecurities to do better and be better, that we become who we need to be.”
Pan ended her speech by saying, “These past four years will be remembered by the unforgettable experiences that define who we are today and the extraordinary people that have supported us today. To quote Barbie again, ‘It feels good to be a part of something bigger than yourself.’ High school is just one chapter of our lives, and I hope it’s one that you can look back upon with fondness and appreciation for the idiosyncratic experiences that we have shared, because there is infinite beauty in the mundane, there is beauty in change, and, because of that, I know each and every one of you will do brilliant things, because you have made an undeniable difference in this school and each other.”
Pan was followed by the Cranford High School Choir singing “A Psalm of Life,” which was written by CHS senior Asher Shectman for the occasion. They also sang the school alma mater before the final two addresses of the evening.
Valedictorian Abby Bacall highlighted the community effort it took for the students to reach this very moment. “Not everyone has the privilege of living in a town where everyone cares so much, and not everyone has the privilege of attending a school that is so invested in the success and welfare of its students (through) outstanding teachers and staff, dedicated community members, supportive peers (and) loving families,” Bacall said. “We have all been lifted up by those around us, in order to reach a higher standard. Let’s take a moment to appreciate all those on whose shoulders we stand.”
She followed by giving congratulations and applause to her classmates for their own effort in this accomplishment. “No one plays a greater role in your achievements than you yourself,” Bacall said. “There is no way to downplay or diminish the amount of effort and grit that we put in every day of our high school careers. Regardless of how much you studied, how many AP classes you took or how many times you fell asleep during a lecture, it simply wouldn’t be possible to be here today without putting in the work it took to accomplish everything we needed to do. Over the years, we have grown, both as students and individuals, and I think that development is something we should all be proud of.”
Bacall continued, “It’s an annual cliche to say that we are the future, but just because it’s a cliche doesn’t mean it’s not true. Each student here today represents a brick in the path leading to the future. Each one of us will be integral in getting to that point. There are certainly great challenges ahead, but it is up to us to take charge and make the world into what we want it to be. We have the power to bring about change, to help those around us, to leave our mark, and I am confident that we will do so. There is one final sentiment that I would like to leave us with, one that I believe is particularly meaningful, as we try to make the most of our lives. As the poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson, once wrote, ‘To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.’ We will have failures, we will have times when we fall, but we will also have great victories, times when our passion and joy feel like the most powerful forces in the world. We must strive for greatness, seek happiness, find our purpose, and, above all, never yield to whatever stands between us and our dreams, never give up. Class of 2022, I urge you to live your lives to the fullest and to make the most of the opportunities we have been given. Congratulations!”
The festivities concluded with the principal of Cranford High School, Mark Cantagallo, sharing this: “Before you leave here tonight, students, you can understand that your path is your own creation, and it is remarkable. It’s not going to be easy, but you are definitely tough enough, you amazing individuals. You have all the skills that you need. You should carry away from this field with every bit of confidence that you could ever hope for.”
He added, “Seniors, there’s been a lot of thank-you’s tonight, but the most important one is to your parents. As young adults, you may not realize or grasp the gravity of their commitment to you. It’s understandable at this age that you may not recognize it, but one day you are going to realize all of the things they have done, how many times they have put themselves last so that you may be first. I ask you that, if you’re not standing next to them when you realize that, seek them out, look them in the eye and say, ‘Thank you,’ hug them close, and let them know that you get it and you are grateful for them.”
Photos by Steve Ellmore