GREENFIELD — For the 28 seniors graduating from Four Rivers Charter Public School on Saturday, their final year of high school felt like the sixth, final year of a multi-season television show, one that they weren’t sure would be filmed at all.
“We weren’t even sure if season six was going to happen,” Class of 2021 graduate Fiona Bird said.
“When it did happen though, it went all the way,” added fellow graduate Charlotte Roberts.
“The writers decided to try and fit all of their remaining episode ideas into one season,” Bird said.
“The quality probably went down, but the actors and the writers were all just so emotional and appreciative of each other and their time together that it didn’t matter at all,” Roberts said.
“These past six seasons are ready to become something to rewatch when we want to be reminded of this familiar cast of characters, and this world that was one of the first we knew,” Bird said.
Bird and Roberts’ speeches were part of the outdoor, mostly mask-free ceremony to celebrate the Four Rivers graduates on Saturday afternoon. Each of the 28 graduates was personally congratulated on their high school accomplishments and their plans for after graduation by the class’ two academic advisors, Andy Patari and Alex Wilson.
Principal and Head of School Peter Garbus, addressing the graduating class, said that the perspectives of young people should be valued.
“Some say that young people are the future. I think that is mistaken. Young people are the present. We need you now. Not in some imaginary future,” Garbus said. “Here you are and here you’ve been, telling us that there are problems that need fixing now.”
But he also advised them not to discard the perspectives of their elders.
“I’m not sure that we can get through our present, or the next 20 years, with only some of us chipping in while the rest of us step aside. That, to me, might be the significant lesson of the pandemic. That none of us are safe until all of us are safe,” Garbus said.
“We, your elders, have got to make room for you now. For your voices, for your ideas, for your votes and for your clarity about right and wrong. We need you now,” he continued. “I hope you’ve seen us elders learn from you, listen to you, change because of your impact on us. Some of you I know have seen me learn and grow and change because of you.”
Reach Max Marcus at mmarcus@recorder.com or 413-930-4231.
For more graduation coverage, including graduates’ names, award winners and speeches, see the Recorder’s June 30 special section commemorating the Class of 2021.