Above: Algonquin’s graduation ceremony contained both solemn and lighthearted moments. (images cropped from photos by Owen Jones Photography)
Southborough students were part of two public high school graduations over the weekend. Here are some highlights, including news on what ARHS students are up to post-graduation.
Algonquin Regional High School
On a hot, gorgeous Sunday morning, the Northborough-Southborough school held its outdoor ceremony for 316 graduating seniors.
The Class of ’24 was the first to graduate on the new Gonkplex grounds. That was just one of the changes highlighted in Principal Sean Bevan’s speech to the outgoing seniors. Speeches also reminded students of turmoil they weathered, starting off their freshmen year schooling remotely during the pandemic (and hybrid), navigating a controversial mascot change, and the tragedy of losing a classmate.
Before the celebrations were fully underway, the gathering was asked to observe a moment of silence for Northborough’s Jon Niemi, who passed away in 2022. Bevan told the audience that after his passing, teachers and friends remembered him as “gentle, kind and calm”.
Speeches included Superintendent Gregory Martineau, Class President Renee Gauthier, and Class Essayists Suhah Ashfaq and Justice Huang.
Below are some photo highlights courtesy of Owen Jones Photography (plus a couple contributed by Michael Ferris and Joao Melo).
For a slew more of Jones’ great pics, click here. To watch the video, click here. For the program listing grads’ names, click here. You can also read more highlights in the Community Advocate’s coverage here.
For The Harbinger’s Senior Issue, the school paper published 20 “Reflections” essays by seniors. You can read four of those on the website here. (Unfortunately, the rest appear to be in the print only version.)
The printed issue also reported on students’ plans for next year. Of those who responded, over a dozen noted they would be working, taking a gap year, or entering a training program. Two will enter the military, and one the missionary service. Another five will take part in the CAP program or go to NECC.
About 250 of the students self reported as college bound. As usual, our home state was by far the most common destination reported with 6 of the 11 most popular schools listed. Another significant share of the grads will attend states that share a border. But there are also a good number traveling much further.
Here are college data highlights from the Senior Issue:
- 116 plan to attend in state colleges/universities, including:
- UMass Amherst – 30
- WPI – 10
- Northeastern – 9
- Worcester State – 5
- Westfield State – 5
- UMass Lowell – 5
- 16 will relocate to New York (5 for NYU)
- 16 are Connecticut bound (7 of those for UConn)
- 16 will migrate down to Florida
- 10 will head up to New Hampshire (6 of those for UNH)
- 11 will travel to South Carolina (5 to College of Charleston)
- 9 will go west to Indiana (5 to Indiana University)
- 8 will dip down to Rhode Island
Many of the seniors posted their post graduate plans with photos to instagram here.
Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School
AVRTHS held its ceremony for about 260 graduating seniors the day prior, in the DCU center. You can read the Community Advocate’s coverage with photos here.
The large regional vocational/technical school also posted some of its own photos to Facebook. Below are a few that I’m told included at least one Southborough resident. For the rest, click here.
St. Mark’s School, the private boarding school in Southborough, will hold Prize Day, its version of Graduation, this Saturday.
Updated (6/4/24 4:36 pm): I initially forgot to include highlights from the Harbinger’s senior issue on Gonk grads’ future plans.
