Woodstock
It wasn’t until Van Niel came to terms with his sexuality at age 16 that he was truly able follow the advice that he offered his fellow students.
“What I can say is that life is a ride,” Van Niel told all in attendance at Woodstock High School’s graduation ceremony Friday night. “The ups and the downs, the highs and lows; every moment crafts you into the person you are today.
“In the summer of sophomore year, I underwent a huge change in my life. I would have never guessed that it would’ve happened and I was not necessarily prepared for it, but I was met by every single one of you guys with open arms,” he said.
Van Niel had no problem keeping the audience’s attention throughout his speech, drawing laughter after dropping numerous movie references in between thanking his teachers for what they taught him.
Van Niel said he saw great potential in all of his fellow graduates, calling his class of 100 “the future leaders of America.”
“Young, ambitious, hungry and somewhat manipulative,” he said, garnering a roar from the audience.
He wasn’t the only speaker — or group of speakers — to keep the audience’s attention during the 90-minute, upbeat ceremony in the beaming sunshine behind the high school.
A trio of graduates — Ian Dupont, Kaelee Geno and Paitra Martin — performed the school’s traditional “speakchorus” where they, in unison, said anecdotes about each student in great theatrics. The trio riffed on funny memories and touched on future plans.
“Alex Crompton — the amazing ability to do crazy things with his feet, remember the flash mob? … Lucas Godfrey — aiming to rock the business world in the future … Emily Filiault — heart of gold, not afraid to be the only woman in a man’s world … Steven Baumann — eats so much microwave popcorn he may develop popcorn lung, ‘yes, that’s a thing.’ ”
Salutatorian Gordon MacMaster was the first student speaker to take the podium.
He told his classmates to look back on their time at Woodstock through a lens much wider than the day-to-day school grind.
He said the teachers at Woodstock gave members of his class the tools they need to be successful in the real world.
He urged his classmates to never stop learning and adding tools “to their toolboxes.”
“Our toolboxes are getting stronger but are not full; we are not done adding to ourselves,” he said.
Valedictorian Dana Burrington thanked all who helped get the Class of 2016 to the finish line — teachers, coaches, family, friends and mentors. She advised her classmates to take others’ advice and never be afraid to reach out.
“Our lives are shaped by those around us,” she said.
In closing, Principal Garon Smail addressed the graduates and spoke of his uneasiness when the group entered its senior year in fall 2015. He said he was worried about “getting them to complete high school.”
“Deadlines and standard procedures just didn’t seem to matter to them,” Smail said with a laugh. But as the year went on, the class transformed.
“They amazed us,” he said. “The Class of 2016 makes things happened. (This is) a class that knows the importance of opening doors.”
Marah Lynn Adams, Suffolk University; Noah Sage Algren; Lindsay Urquhart Appleton; Alyssa Marie Baker; Emily Ann Barnum, New England College; Brooke Lynn Bartlett, Community College of Vermont; Steven Joseph Baumann, Woodstock Inn; Joseph Alexander Bianchi, Wentworth Institute of Technology; Thomas Andrew Bishop; Ryan Andrew Blanchard, Travel; Charlie Hazlett Bollinger, American University; Lauren Paige Booth, Community College of Vermont; Andrew David Borden, Castleton University; Joseph L. Bryan, Plumbing and Heating; Dana Christine Burrington, McGill University; Taylor Nicole Carpenter, Hawaii Pacific University; Ian Michael Clarke, University of Vermont; Samantha Linnea Cabot Colt, Johnson and Wales University; Alexander Clarke Crompton, Babson College; Colby Dalton, Norwich University; Megan Kathleen Dalton, University of Vermont; Monica Barbara Devine, University of New England; Benjamin James DiCarolis, Western State Colorado University; Patrick James Dugan, McGill University; Ian Joseph Dupont, Champlain College; Spencer Austin Eckert, Merrimack College; Rachael Lange Emery; Gemma Nicole Fielder, New England Culinary Institute; Emily Marie Filiault, Snowmobile & ATV Tours of Vermont; April Marie Fitzgerald, Florida State University; Elizabeth Skinner Fitzpatrick, University of San Francisco; Brea Louise Fleming; Lauren Simpson French, Travel; Kaelee Madyson Geno, South Woodstock Country Store & The Spa at Woodstock Inn, Traveling; Elise Nicole Geschardt, Parsons School of Design — The New School; Lucas Richard Godfrey, Elon University; Elyria Jean Gordon-Wylie, Keene State College; Jack Carpenter Greene, St. Lawrence University; Dylan Paul Grindel, Work; Morgan Jas Hartman, EF Education First, travel; Morgan William Haynes, Dairy farm in South Woodstock, travel; Noah Heise, Vermont Technical College; Shannon Leigh Herrick, Montserrat College of Art; Jacob Paul Hill, Chippers; Kathryn Lorraine Hirak, Johnson State College; Michael Kever Hirschbuhl, Champlain College; Megan Elisabeth Hoffman, Berklee College; Samantha Lynn Howe, work as a Licensed Nursing Assistant; Sarah Anne Howe, University of Vermont; Ashley Nicole Johnson, Saint Michael’s College; Abigail Karan Kaija, Dickinson College; Lauren Amelia Kaija, Gap Year, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Emma Ruth King, University of Vermont; Bryan Jay Kopf, DePaul University; Raymond Buchanan Kurek, University of Colorado Boulder; Carly Rose Langan, Boston University; Kaila Annikki Lemmer, Johnson State College; Jacob Scott Luce; Curran Oakley MacDonald, Portland State University; Gordon Dwyer MacMaster, University of Vermont; Claire Ellen Martin, University of San Francisco; Paitra Zelma Martin, Lakes Region Community College; Braden Robert McCarthy, Northeastern University; Dylan Joseph McDonough, University of Vermont; Hunter James McDonough, University of Maine; Coleman Christopher McKaig, University of New Hampshire; Wesley Pierce Mckeon; Ryan Osborne McLiverty, Salve Regina University; Kaylie Rose Millard, Lyndon State College; Jacob Tyler Newberry, Lyndon State College; Abigail Elizabeth Nickerson, University of Aberdeen; Lily Catherine Nickerson, Hawaii Pacific University; Lillian Lockwood Noble, Connecticut College; Kevan Flynn O’Connell, University of South Carolina; Shivam A. Patel, Southern Connecticut State University; Zachary Dylan Pearsons, Landscaping; Anilese Cristen Peterson, Johnson State College; Kallan Eleanor Marceau Piconi, Union College; Zachary Brown Potter, Fisher College; Kristin Nicole Ramsey, University of Vermont; Callum Woods-Larson Ritchie, Work; Gabrielle Mikhala Rozumek, Roger Williams University; Matteo Joseph Salusti-Simpson, Hofstra University; Nikki Sophia Sardelli, Emerson College; Megan Melinda Skalla, University of Central Florida; Natausha Marie Smallwood; John Aidan Smart, Community College of Vermont; Mikaya Marie Springer; Cale Trenton Squier, Job Corps; Nicole Ann Sweeny, Emmanuel College; Mason Robert Thompson, Castleton University; Brian Robert Townley, Northwestern University; Anna Min Tracey, University of Colorado Boulder; Haley Louise Usilton, University of Maine; Trevor Mark Van Niel, Roosevelt University; Mattias Laurence Voltmer, Lasell College; Grace Lucille Vosburgh, Curry College; Justin Michael Whittaker, College, Work and Travel; Peter Conrad Wilson, Carleton College; Jackson Timothy Wood, Summit Semester Ministries, Gap Year.
Jordan Cuddemi can be reached at jcuddemi@vnews.com or 603-727-3248.