MANCHESTER – Alvirne High School said goodbye to 280 seniors during the Thursday graduation ceremony at Southern New Hampshire University Arena.

While family, friends and faculty captured photos of their graduates crossing the stage, some wept tears of joy, while others cheered with excitement. Although this chapter in these seniors’ lives came to a close, they will move onto other things soon enough. However, despite where life takes them, they will all share the same experience of having passed through the same hallways during the last four years.

“When we entered high school, I’m sure none of us actually believed it would go by as fast as it did, but I guess we learned that lesson pretty well,” Class of 2019 President Madailein Lindsay said.

She went on to highlight various lessons she and her peers have learned during the years. One such lesson was that senioritis is a disease with no cure. However, after Thursday night. these seniors may find a bit of relief.

As for valedictorian Ryan Weston, he echos a similar sentiment in that the past four years passed quickly. However, he highlighted how even before they all reached high school, he and his peers were led to believe their level of importance is based on numbers.

From birth, they were all weighed. Once they reached school, numbers appeared again during standardized testing, not to mention GPAs, which led him to the stage to speak before his class. Moreover, for those involved in high school sports, many times their status on an athletic team is measured in numbers based on averages and statistics.

“Numbers do not define us as human beings,” Weston said. “They don’t explain our dreams, our goals, our story.”

He later said in the end, what really matters is not the numbers themselves, rather the people behind those numbers that helped each graduate along the way.

While trying to draft a speech, salutatorian Kelly McDermott turned to Google, as many do in today’s world when in search of answers. She was able to find guides to writing graduation speeches and videos from others who have delivered speeches in the past. However, she said while scanning through her search results, it occurred to her that Google can solve some of life’s problems, although she realized there are some questions that can’t be answered online.

“Therefore, I encourage you all to go out and fully experience life and all it has to offer,” McDermott said. “Find out who you are, and look far beyond your Instagram. Search for the answers to life’s greatest questions because they are much more than what Google can tell you.”

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