Scarsdale's Hot But Meaningful High School Graduation

With three emergency volunteer ambulances on site, and a crew of people handing out Gatorade and water, it was bound to be a sweltering graduation for on Friday morning.

The temperatures reached the high 90s, but nevertheless, the crowd was enormous. Friends and family gathered on the field to And certainly, all the focus was on the grads.

“I ask you to recognize just how much you have to offer this world,” Co-Principal of Scarsdale High School Fred Goldberg said, reminding his students that this ceremony was called a commencement for a reason–as it is a beginning of the rest of their lives.

“You have nothing less than the world to consider," Board of Education President Jill Spieler said. "I know you will be up to the task.”

Spieler's speech focused on the future and what the graduating seniors have to offer the world.

The future wasn’t the only focus of the day, however. The Class Advisors, Ms. Meyer and Mr. Rauschenbach, focused on the individual student as they addressed the class, telling them to “ignore the noise and let your light speak,” and “to awaken what already lies within.”

That theme continued with the students who spoke at the ceremony. Some introduced their fellow classmates by noting their accomplishments at SHS and the personal connections they share. Others spoke about the class as a whole and the experiences inside of school and out that brought them together.

“Together we’ve laughed and cried and cried some more, and a little after that," Class President Alexander Altieri said. “Never did we have a barbecue in the snow, but damn it did we try.”

The diplomas for the students weren’t the only awards that were handed out Friday.

Alec Quintalino received the Kenneth Rosenberg Scholarship, and Co-Principals  Fred Goldberg and Kelley Hamm were awarded diplomas as well, as they retire from Scarsdale High School along with several other teachers.

After the traditional speeches, students received their diplomas, posed for the customary picture of shaking their principal’s hand, and ran off to locate their parents–and to escape the overwhelming heat of the morning.

Congrats grads!