High temperatures and the threat of rain greeted this year’s Bayonne High School graduates as they made their last march from the high school to the Richard L. Korpi Ice Rink on June 28 to receive their diplomas. But the few drops of drizzle that fell on their heads did nothing to dampen their spirits.

This year’s graduation took place more than a week later than usual because a late Labor Day delayed the start of the school year, and several snow days forced the district to add days to the end, according to Assistant Superintendent Robert Craig.
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“I realized that those early days formed the foundation for the next four years here.” – Kim Tablante
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But this did not seem to affect the students, many of whom arrived early, putting on their crimson gowns and then gazing out the window at the school grounds they will never see again as students.

Parents and friends flocked towards the ice rink carrying balloons and flowers, handing in their tickets for the privilege of watching their loved ones make personal history.

Cheers from family members and friends rocked the Richard Korpi Ice Rink as the 487 graduating students entered.

Prepared for the future

Principal Richard Baccarella called this class “cooperative,” suggesting they will do well in the wider world, where cooperation may become a vital tool toward success.

Schools Superintendent Dr. Patricia McGeehan said the Class of 2010 continued the school’s tradition for diversity.

“I’m very proud of the illustrious Class of 2010,” McGeehan said. “You have represented this school with pride, spirit, respect, and attitude.”

She said they were a class of “great promise and possibility” and were on the threshold of exciting moments. She said they were a class that excelled in sports, academics, and the arts. The class qualified for more than $9 million in potential grants and scholarships.

“You live in a time of great promise and opportunity with education as the key,” McGeehan told the class. “Along with academics, you have also learned to understand yourselves.”

McGeehan also said this was a class filled with school pride, spirit, and loyalty. She said the graduating class has learned about diversity, which will allow them to move out into the adult world.

Leaving their mark

Kim Tablante, in her valedictorian address to the class, said she kept thinking back to 2006 and her first days in Bayonne High School.

“Why am I remembering those days?” she asked, later concluding, “I realized that those early days formed the foundation for the next four years here.”

She reveled in school spirit and pep rallies, and the other memories that marked their passage through time and brought them together as a class.

But then, she said, the “questions we thought so challenging when we first came” became less so.

Now, she realizes that what kept the class together are the traits they will also take with them. “Our pride, passion, and motivation will serve us when we leave,” she said.