Newtown High School

Class Of 2004 Lauded As ‘Best Ever’

By Larissa Lytwyn

Newtown High School’s 338-student Class of 2004, celebrating its first ceremony at the O’Neill Center at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, was described as “the best class ever” by both commencement speaker Robert McHugh, a psychology teacher, and Jennifer Badillo, the class’s second vice president.

“The Class of 2004 has gone above and beyond all expectations and has achieved many goals that were seemingly out of reach,” Jennifer said. “This year, 26 seniors completed internships showing their dedication to the field of their choice, while an additional 28 completed their senior project. In addition, 15 seniors participated in the [Career Center’s] career shadow program, which gives students the opportunity to spend a day with an employer to see if this occupation is really for them.”

Seniors also “out-shined” previous classes in making the honor roll (more than 50 percent of the senior class made the list this year), attending college (95 percent plan to continue their education) and passing the Connecticut Aptitude Performance Test (CAPT) (increasing four percent over previous classes in meeting or exceeding goals in all four subtests).

“This year, 117 donors signed up to give blood at our annual Red Cross blood drive and 83 pints were received,” Jennifer said. “This marks the highest blood donation of any NHS blood drive!”

In athletics, this year’s girls’ cross-country and track team were SWC champions while the girls swim and soccer teams were regular season champions.

“We’ve had 12 all-state athletes this year, two of whom broke the all-time basketball scoring records,” she noted.

She also discussed how more than 35 seniors participated in this year’s sell-out spring musical, Les Miserables.

“This year, NTV won three National Student Awards for Excellence given out by the National Television Academy,” she said. “This is a huge honor, and the first time that NTV has been nationally recognized.”

She also recognized seniors’ participation in creating the 2004 yearbook, which won honorable mention from the National Press Association, the school’s award-winning chapter of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), and their “leadership through spirit by winning homecoming for a second year in a row, a feat that has only been accomplished by six other graduating classes.”

American Idol

Mr McHugh, introduced by class secretary Kate Fenton, spoke with similar enthusiasm about the Class of 2004.

“You have been an excellent class, the best in the history of NHS!” the popular teacher, a seven-time commencement speaker, boomed.

His speech, an American Idol-style litany of pop culture references peppered with celebratory verve, was perhaps the most lighthearted of the evening.

He told students that they could “vote” by level of applause on three possible speeches he would share.

The first was a formal, follow-your-dreams exposition he dubbed “The Philosopher,” the second, “an Andy Rooney inspired” rant and the third, a reimagining of American Idol reject-musical phenomenon, William Hung.

The less-than-gifted vocalist recently released Inspiration, a cover of pop confections including Ricky Martin’s “She Bangs.”

After offering students a sample of each, the Class of 2004 overwhelmingly called for the William Hung speech.

“They’re Grads! They’re Grads!” Mr McHugh cried, working a startling resemblance to Mr Hung’s rendition of “She Bangs.”

Several students rose to patiently guide the overzealous Mr McHugh from the podium.

A roar of laughter emanated from the audience.

Paying homage to Newtown High’s unique environment, evidenced by both Jennifer Badillo’s commendations of the Class of 2004 and the irrepressible spirit of Mr McHugh, was Salutatorian Tyler Hull.

He discussed the importance of environment by comparing the protagonists in two literary classics, Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz and J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye.

When Oz’s Dorothy “exposed the wizard as a fraud,” Tyler said, “Dorothy’s childhood illusions were stripped away. She went from being a child to an adult.”

In contrast, while Dorothy persevered through the support of her dear friends, The Catcher in the Rye’s isolated Holden Caulfield “seemed to shrink from the world, dispirited and seeming old before his time.”

Tyler said he thought “environment” explained the difference.

“I like to think that Dorothy’s environment energized her, while Caulfield’s repressive moldy prep school environment sapped his enthusiasm for life,” he said. “We in the Class of 2004 are completing a similar journey from innocence to experience, from being naïve freshmen to world-wise seniors.”

Like Dorothy, “We’ve had a supporting cast of friends and mentors to ease our journey to adulthood while avoiding the disillusionment that paralyzed young Mr Caulfield,” he said.

‘Believe In Some Things’

“When I started working on this speech,” said Valedictorian Carolyn Brennan, “I was surprised at how difficult it was to decide what message I wanted to leave. What could I possibly say that would be meaningful to you on [graduation]?”

She paused.

“The fact is,” she said, “if I have not already left you with something, if I have not been able in the last four years to touch your life in some way, to have some affect on your outlook, I doubt I will accomplish much in the next four minutes!”

She offered her classmates a series of lessons she herself “had learned along the way,” including having confidence, going outside everyday, and complimenting people often and sincerely.

“Take the other side of an argument for the sake of discussion,” she said, grinning, a reflection, perhaps, on her own years on the school’s Debate Team, “but believe in some things so strongly that you could never take the other side.”

She also encouraged students to “be a part of something bigger than yourself.”

“You work harder when other people are counting on you,” she said.

Carolyn also shared one of her favorite poems, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, called “A Psalm of Life: What the Heart of the Young Man Said To the Psalmist.”

She said she thought the poem epitomized the “youthful optimism” she challenged her peers to forever cherish.

“Life is real!’ she quoted. “Life is earnest! And the grave is not its goal/‘Dust thou art, to dust returnest,’/Was not spoken of the soul.”

She continued, “Not enjoyment, and not sorrow/Is our destined end or way/But to act, that each tomorrow/Finds us farther than today.”

Living in the moment and taking advantage of every opportunity, Carolyn said, was the spirit of youth, a spirit embodied in the Class of 2004.

Principal Bill Manfredonia, drawing from a famed quote by Nelson Mandela, encouraged students to not fear the power of their own light, or strength.

“We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?’” Mr Manfredonia quoted. “Actually, who are you not to be?”

He told the Class of 2004 that each and every one of them was “brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous,” and encouraged them to let their light shine through.

In urging graduates to pursue their dreams, not be afraid to ask for help and express themselves, Board of Education Chair Elaine McClure underscored her message with samples from Billy Joel’s “River of Dreams,” Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” the Beatles’ “Help!” and Madonna’s “Express Yourself.”

Superintendent of Schools Evan Pitkoff offered students a quote from the late Mother Theresa, because, he said with a chuckle, “you can’t get in trouble with Mother Theresa!”

“People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered,” he quoted, “forgive them anyway.”

He continued, “If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfishness and ulterior motives, be kind anyway.”

In closing, he finished, “Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough, give the world the best you’ve got anyway.”

In addition to the evening’s myriad speeches, choir members Matthew Grills, Tyler von Oy, Leslie Greenfield, Amanda Eventoff, Adam Summerer, Nick Varga, Caitlin O’Keefe, Megan O’Day and Michael Reid led the audience into a classic rendition of “Star Spangled Banner.”

Matthew also did a solo performance of “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”

The choir also performed James Erb’s “Shenandoah” and Loveland and Graham’s “You Raise Me Up.”

The Newtown High School concert band, under the direction of Kurt Eckhardt, performed both the processional “Pomp and Circumstance” and recessional school song.

Senior Tanya Whippie, who will be attending the University of New Hampshire this fall, said it was exciting to be the first class to graduate from the O’Neill Center. The ceremonies were moved due to lack of space at the high school.

The honors student said it was thrilling to finally be graduating after four years “of hard work.”

Fellow graduate Kristin Wippermann said was looking forward to possibly pursuing a career in film production at Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla.

“I’m very proud of her,” said her mother, Jan Larson. “She has worked very hard for this — all these students have — and she has really earned her place here today!”