‘The pride and joy of what we accomplish here’: The Academy at Charlemont celebrates seven graduates

CHARLEMONT — The seven graduates in The Academy at Charlemont’s Class of 2026 were told that there has never been a group as cohesive as they have shown themselves to be, and that the strong relationships they formed are the “pride and joy of what we accomplish here,” in the words of Co-Head of School for Community Nora Bates Zale.

“This is what I hope for with all of our alumni — this enduring connection that will only grow stronger, yet more comforting and more honest over the course of your lives,” Bates Zale said at Saturday’s graduation ceremony. “I’m not sure that any institution can give you any opportunity better than that, and I’m so proud that I think we have in your case.”

Before each of the seven seniors delivered their own remarks, board of trustees Chair Ryan Schiff spoke about his experience with The Academy at Charlemont. One of his children has graduated from the school, while another is a current student. He encouraged the graduates to not just think of The Academy at Charlemont as a place where they went to high school, but to also think of it as a physical place.

“It’s one of the most beautiful places I think any of us can imagine. You’re going to go along and talk to people about high school, and they’re going to tell you about this boring, suburban high school,” Schiff said. “And you’re going to say, ‘I went to high school in this beautiful place with a river across the street.’ … Breathe in and remember the intellectual nourishment, from your amazing faculty members and teachers, but also from each other.”

After receiving their diplomas, each of the seven graduates were given time to reflect on their experience at the school, which educates students in grades six through 12. A common theme emerged: this is a special place where students explore their academics, explore their relationships with their classmates and explore who they are.

“In 2023, I promised my mother that I would not write a speech that was just thank yous,” graduating senior Fallon Paxton said. “My time here means so much to me. The people I have met here mean so much to me. I feel incredibly lucky to be a member of a community that has made my education feel meaningful in every way possible.”

The senior gift was presented by graduate Lucas Tikkala-Cutler, and included seven board games that the Class of 2026 often played, $100 to the academy’s theater program that all seven graduates participated in, $100 to the music program and $100 for the incoming sixth grade class.

Tikkala-Cutler told the academy’s younger students to make the most of their time there.

“My time at this school has shaped me in so many ways. I remind each of you that your time at the academy is waning,” Tikkala-Cutler said. “Don’t waste the opportunity to build deep and life-sustaining friendships while you’re here. … Find the time to break out of the constant schedule and try to find something each day in this beautiful, complicated and time-constrained space that makes a friendship deeper, a skill honed or makes an impact on this community. Because in not too long at all, you, too, will be on this stage bewildered that it all went by so fast.”

Graduates

Arlo David Dube-Hooker, William Ivan Harder, Zorah Grace Miller, Ainsley Adele Murray, Fallon Tuttle Paxton, Clara Luna Petrovato and Lucas Arden Tikkala-Cutler.

Awards and scholarships

Zorah Miller: Academic Excellence Award and the Fine Arts Award for work in performance.

Ainsley Murray: The Fine Arts Award for work in visual art, the Coach’s Award for athletic performance and the Spirit of Zephyr Award.

Fallon Paxton: McKay Art Scholarship and the Robert Jaros Citizenship Award.