NUTLEY — The Class of 2025 graduated from Nutley High School on June 19 after hearing speakers tell them they will remember where they came from, they’ve all learned from each other and many people helped them get to this point.
The 155th commencement ceremony, which was held at the Nutley Park Oval, began with the Nutley High School Band, minus the graduating seniors, playing before and then while the seniors walked onto the field, through a white arch to their seats, facing John H. Walker Middle School.
The Pledge of Allegiance, led by graduating senior Audrey M. Dunlay, began the program. It was followed by the “Star Spangled Banner” and a welcome from Senior Class President Emma R. Chell.
Chell, who plans to attend Marist College in the fall, talked about how people are made up of all their experiences, saying perhaps you write the letter “a” just like the person you sat next to in first grade.
“We are all made up of different elements from all of the people we’ve ever met,” Chell said. “We all take a little something from each person or experience we’ve had.”
She encouraged all of her classmates to use the little things they took from each other as they move forward in life and said they will forever carry the knowledge they picked up in Nutley. She also thanked the faculty and administration before congratulating her fellow graduates.
The Salutatory Address was given by Aashi Bhandari, who will be heading to the University of Pennsylvania in the fall. She talked about community and pride and the Nutley Oval, where they had all experienced many things since childhood.
“The Oval stands as a unifying token for every graduate here,” Bhandari said. “The Oval stands as a quiet reminder that will connect us.”
The Valedictory Address was given by Camila R. Loikova, who will be attending the University of North Carolina in the fall.
Loikova talked about how she stepped off a plane into a new country at the age of six and the difficult adjustments she had to make; sometimes smiling and nodding when she did not know what to say or do.
She talked about watching her parents work hard so she would have opportunities that they did not. She also thanked family, friends and others for their help getting her to where she now stood.
“This honor is just as much for my family and friends as it is mine,” she said.
Loikova said life doesn’t wait until you are prepared so you just have to try and keep up.
“I’m proudest of the small victories, like getting out of bed when you don’t want to,” she said, adding later, “keep going, keep going, keep showing up for each other.”
Principal Denis Williams addressed the students for a final time, telling the students they added value to the school community by following their passions.
He listed all the types of students in the class, including athletes, champions, scholars, blood donors, voters, emergency medical technicians, and so on before telling the graduates to “be hopeful” and “stay connected.”
He also told the students to disconnect from the social media algorithms.
“A rich old man, named Mr. (Andrew) Carnegie gave Nutley a library. Get a library card, take out a book.”
He also encouraged the students to give back before offering a final wish for the graduates.
“May the good lord shine a light on you and may every song be your favorite tune,” he said, quoting a Rolling Stones song.
Superintendent of Schools Kent Bania told the students that he thinks of his life as a book with chapters.
“Life is a book and each of you is the author of your own narrative,” Bania said. “The next pages are blank and this may be overwhelming but it is also exhilarating because they are yours.”
Board of Education President Salvatore Ferraro told the students to choose courage over comfort, not to compare their life to someone else’s highlight reel on social media and to remember to thank their parents.
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