Sharon Class of 2022 celebrates

SHARON — Under perfectly sunny skies and with beaming families and friends looking on, the 10 members of the Class of 2022 each accepted Sharon Center School diplomas well prepared for the next phase of educational achievement. Their promotion ceremony was held in front of the school on Tuesday, June 14.

Following the traditional class photo, the Class of 2022 paraded from their school entrance to the tent where they joined their families for the ceremony. Bouquets of red and white balloons bobbed in the breeze while bubble machines added to the festive look.

Speeches of reminiscences of their time at Sharon Center School were delivered by students Samantha Caranci and Lillian MacMillan. They each crafted a different approach to their personal reflections but represented a shared experience with their class as a whole.

“I never imagined being up here today,” Samantha Caranci said. “There are so many memories I will carry with me.”

Caranci offered her advice: “You make the rules in your life; chase your dreams.”

About to join her classmates in receiving their certificates, Lillian MacMillan offered a different perspective, singling out familiar moments and images of her years at the school, from flash cards in kindergarten to a year that saw her making puppets. And then there was the pandemic.

“In eighth grade we were finally all back in person,” she recalled, adding that one of the highlights was the recent art show at Troutbeck in Amenia that featured some of the works of Sharon Center School students.

After the presentation of awards and the distribution of diplomas, the class honored Hal Tingley, retiring as psychologist after 33 years of service to Sharon Center School.

A reception followed in celebration of the class.