Charlotte Central School graduates celebrate, prepared for high school

About this time every year, a few hundred people gather in the Charlotte Central School to see magic.

The Charlotte Central School gymnasium fills up with the graduates’ families and friends.
Photos by Scooter MacMillan
The Charlotte Central School gymnasium fills up with the graduates’ families and friends.

On the evening of June 19, they gathered in the gym once more, and once again, the magic happened as 51 young people were transformed from the middle school class of 2025 into the high school class of 2029.

They came to this celebration of transformation, or graduation, dressed in a wide variety of styles, from super casual to high-fashion formal, wearing everything from shorts and sneakers to evening dresses and heels. Some came dressed as princesses; some came dressed as dudes; one even came in a cowboy hat. After all, it was the last roundup of this year’s crop of Charlotte Central School graduates.

When they filed into the gym, some of graduates-to-be ambled at a measured and stately gate, some galloped like thoroughbreds. However they entered, they had all made it to the finish line, and their smiles and tears reflected many memories of their individual journeys to this point.

Principal Tim O’Leary said that most of the graduates had been enrolled at the school long enough to remember the second grade Fun Run before the global pandemic. During their time at the school, they have “grown into leaders, role models and contributors to the culture of this school.”

“It is no small thing to grow up in one place, and it is no small thing to leave,” he said.

Hayward Herlihy is congratulated by teachers after receiving his diploma.
Hayward Herlihy is congratulated by teachers after receiving his diploma.

In the graduates’ exit reviews, they had been honest about sharing what mattered and what could be better, O’Leary said. Besides remembering sports, the graduates remembered teachers who had supported them when everything was falling apart.

“Their comments were smart and sincere and offered suggestions about how the school could be better,” O’Leary said. “I want to acknowledge that because it takes courage to speak up, and more importantly, to do so with kindness.”

He said their advice to next year’s students was “they shouldn’t stress too much.”

After unsuccessfully trying to get his dad to write his speech, student speaker Sam Rauch said, he decided to think about his time at the school to figure out what to say. He started at Charlotte Central School in third grade, which was when the global pandemic hit, and students spent much of the year at home learning remotely.

“That year, it was so hard to stay on our screens all day,” Rauch said. “Now, it’s hard to stay off them.”

The challenges of 2020, like remote learning and having to wear masks all day, did have positive advantages. “They helped us adapt in difficult situations and learn to persevere,” Rauch said.

Photos by Scooter MacMillan. 
Franklin Donegan celebrates with little sister Annemarie in the multipurpose room prior to his Charlotte Central School graduation.
Franklin Donegan celebrates with little sister Annemarie in the multipurpose room prior to his Charlotte Central School graduation.

Going to a much bigger school like Champlain Valley Union High next year will be a change “but we know change and CCS has given us the tools to go on,” he said.

Student speaker Kellie Keach thanked her classmates for laughter during unbelievable chaos and thanked teachers for helping them become better thinkers.

They had started at the school with backpacks too big for their backs, said student speaker Laren Caldwell. Now, they were graduating and “were a little taller and a little smarter.”

Over their years at Charlotte Central, many students who were not friendly in the beginning are now close friends, Caldwell said.

Beth Slater, assistant principal and director of student services, said that her opportunity at the podium was a chance at redemption because of a past graduation where she was overcome by tears. However, when she began to thank the class for their “profound impact on her as a person and as a mom,” she was reduced to tears this year, too. It took several moments before she could recover so she could read the graduates’ names for the last time at this school.

Related Stories

  • Summer work can mean experience and help build resume
  • CVU graduates encouraged to try everything
  • After 35 years, Pierson looks forward to fall in her new camper
  • Charlotte Central School sends off the class of 2025
  • Merging Charlotte, Hinesburg middle schools contemplated
  • Suggestions for ways to spend last summer before college

Popular Stories

If you enjoy The Charlotte News, please consider making a donation. Your gift will help us produce more stories like this. The majority of our budget comes from charitable contributions. Your gift helps sustain The Charlotte News, keeping it a free service for everyone in town. Thank you.

Andrew Zehner, Board Chair

Andrew Zehner
Sign Up for our Newsletter
* indicates required