Pine Plains graduates 89

PINE PLAINS — The Stissing Mountain High School auditorium overflowed June 26 for graduation ceremonies honoring the 89 students in the Pine Plains Central School District’s class of 2010.

Of those 89, 50 were noted as having earned a place on three published honor rolls during their high school career at Stissing Mountain.

“Class of 2010, this is your time to shine,� announced Board of Education President Helene McQuade in her opening remarks, “and deservedly so.�

McQuade said the members of the graduating class were the architects and builders of the future, using the metaphor of a house under construction to describe the students’ lives.

She wasn’t the only one to utilize the power of the metaphor. Graduate Cassandra Inserillo, one of two essayists to speak during the ceremony, likened graduation to “a checkpoint in the video games of our lives.�

It was at times a humorous graduation, with Inserillo acknowledging that her essay would “never beat Doug Mizutani getting the whole crowd to do the wave,� as was accomplished at last year’s ceremony. But it was also a serious one, full of gratitude from the graduating class and an understanding of just how far they had come.

“Graduation shows a commitment, work ethic and the ability to set a goal worth reaching,� essayist Seth Knickerbocker said.

Inspiration for graduation came from a variety of places. Salutatorian Jordan Stroly, pointing out her passion for the theater, used quotes from the six Stissing Theatre Guild productions she participated in to reflect on her time at Stissing Mountain.

Valedictorian Lauren Cole took the opportunity to provide the audience with a few bits of advice from her years in the Pine Plains school district, ranging from “tell a joke� to “find a passion.

“Our next steps could be the most important steps we take,� she told her fellow classmates. “And while it’s undoubtedly scary, it should also be exciting.�

Graduation concluded with the presentation of scholarship awards (see separate article on A5 for a complete list of winners) and finally diplomas by Class Advisor Kerri Anne Granger, High School Principal Tara Horst and Superintendent Linda Kaumeyer.

A list of “Senior Plans� accompanied the graduation program, but whatever path each of the 89 graduates plans on taking following Stissing Mountain, Inserillo said the class of 2010 would never forget where it came from.

“I can’t imagine a future without a tight-knit community like you have presented to me,� she told the audience.