East Rockaway High School held its Class of 2026 commencement exercises on Friday, June 26, on the high school football field. Surrounded by family and friends who filled the stands, students marched into the stadium to the strains of Pomp and Circumstance before receiving their diplomas, the capstone of their years in the East Rockaway School District.

Principal Rich Schaffer opened the ceremony with an introduction of the senior chorus, which delivered a rousing a cappella rendition of the national anthem under the direction of Seanna Silver. The group then performed the class song, Landslide by Stevie Nicks, accompanied by Michael Bovino on guitar.

Superintendent James DeTommaso and Board of Education President Peter McNally offered welcoming remarks. This evening is about much more than diplomas and tassels, Superintendent DeTommaso said. It's about recognizing a journey. It's about celebrating a commitment that brought each graduate to this moment – a commitment from students who worked hard, from teachers who inspired, from parents who sacrificed and from a community that believes in the power of education.

Salutatorian Victoria Schaefer described her East Rockaway journey with a single word: love. Love is what motivated our parents to wake up early every day to drive us to school, or to stay up late after a long day of work to see us walk back in the door, she said. It is what kept our teachers grading papers long after the school day was over. It's what inspired friends to stay up a little longer on a school night and help each other through difficult times or celebrate their victories as if they were their own. She closed by reminding her classmates that no matter what path lay ahead, they were bonded for life.

Valedictorian Charlotte Webster acknowledged the uncertainty she and her classmates felt as they stepped into the unknown after graduation, but framed change as the engine of growth. I think change is the collection of moments that shape us into who we are and who we will become, she said. It's the challenges that test us, the people who influence us, the memories we create, and the experiences that leave lasting impressions on us forever.

Following speeches by the class advisors and class president, Principal Schaffer addressed the graduates directly. The experiences that will guide your future are not waiting for you somewhere down the road – they have already begun right here in East Rockaway, he said. You were never a class that waited for things to happen. You made things happen.

Diplomas were then presented to each of the 114 members of the Class of 2026, and Principal Schaffer proclaimed them graduates. After an exuberant toss of their caps, the new graduates set off to begin their next chapters.

Perhaps class president Sean Smith said it best: Somehow, the place we could not wait to leave became the place we will never forget.