Under sunny skies at Housatonic Valley Regional High School : Class of 2010 looks forward to bright future

FALLS VILLAGE — The class of 2010 at Housatonic Valley Regional High School enjoyed perfect weather and memorable speakers at an outdoor commencement ceremony Friday, June 18.

Salutatorian Amanda Spelbos talked about entering the world outside of high school and the Northwest Corner.

“Today marks the beginning of our future in the real world. The burdens we’ve faced here will look small — or even preferable.

“But we’re ready to take on the challenges of the real world.�

She finished on a note that was echoed throughout the evening: “Do not stop learning after tonight.�

Region One School District Superintendent Patricia Chamberlain praised the graduates for their public spirit. “You have been a class that has demonstrated the value of service to others.�

Of their experience at Housatonic, she mused a bit. “What will come to mind? Hundreds of moments of laughter, learning — and perhaps one or two heartaches.

“Remain true to yourselves. Get out there and live and love and continue to learn.�

Senior class president Mark Rosenbloom remembered his first day of high school as nervewracking — but said he was quickly put at ease when he went to the cafeteria “and met the lunch ladies for the first time.�

“Where else do you find a mariachi band for Cinco de Mayo, or Oktoberfest with free pretzels and lederhosen?

“I wanted to avoid cliches — but here is the ultimate cliche: Thank you to the faculty and staff for their never-ending love and support.�

Javier Castellanos, from Colombia, one of the three exchange students at Housatonic this past year, got a laugh when he said, “We had some bizarre ideas about life in America.

“We thought every family was like the Simpsons, the landscape was like ‘Terminator,’ and all work was done by machines.�

Essayist Kimberley Wheeler talked about seeking out the untold stories of people. “Every human being on the planet has a story.�

A visitor to the high school “might see busy students. Others might see novels.

“But the stories don’t matter if we don’t take the time to listen. If we take the time to listen to unheard novels, it enriches us and benefits the tellers. We realize we are not the center of the universe. We realize that commonalities exist.�

In her commencement address, guest speaker Faith S. Hochberg, a federal district judge and Lakeville part-timer for 20 years, said she had followed the doings at Housatonic through the local newspaper and was consistently impressed.

“Some days are so important you have to take a deep breath — and a mental photograph.�

She advised the graduates to put aside the fear of failure. “I never want your fear of failure to stop you from reaching beyond your expectations.�

She cited notable “failures�: Harry S Truman (“no college degree and bankrupt at 37�); Gandhi (a failed lawyer whose application for a part-time job teaching high school was rejected); author Margaret Mitchell (one publisher wrote in turning down “Gone With the Wind� that nobody cared about the Civil War); and Eleanor Roosevelt.

Of the latter, Hochberg said, “She was ridiculed by her own mother as an ugly duckling. And she said, ‘Do something every day that scares you.’ Failure teaches resilience.�

She said those who do not strive suffer, because “it becomes more important not to fail than to do something extraordinary.

“Remember, your life is not measured in the number of breaths you take, but in the moments that take your breath away.�

And valedictorian Mohamed Elserafy was admirably concise: “Our teachers tell us not to dwell on the past because it’s over. Instead we  look forward to the future, because it will be better.â€�

At Housatonic, he said, the class of 2010 learned “to fix mistakes, correct faults — and grow into the person you are going to be.�

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