Gloucester Alumni

By Jessica Benson
Gloucester Daily Times

The class of 2008 didn't let their spirit wilt in the heat.

Though they spent nearly two hours baking in the sun, the 270 seniors let out a rousing cheer when they were finally pronounced high school graduates yesterday afternoon.

Some of the speeches were cut short as the temperatures hit 90 degrees.

"The higher the temperatures go, the shorter the speeches get," said speaker Gregory Verga, chairman of the School Committee.

But the ceremony itself was not shortened — Superintendent Christopher Farmer explained that he did that in California once when the temperature was 110 degrees, only to have parents complain.

Both the graduates and the spectators were sitting in full sun on the football field, with no shade nearby, except under the bleachers. A few people sought refuge there, while a couple others, including two graduates, used umbrellas to keep out of the sun.

Still, the weather didn't oppress the cheers from either the grads or their families. Many in the stands used foghorns to convey their congratulations.

One student, Danny Williamson, a special needs student and basketball star, received a standing ovation from his peers.

Valedictorian Daniel Aloisio and Salutatorian Avery McNiff addressed the graduates, with girls in white robes seated on one side of the field, and boys in maroon on the other. They recalled all the things the group had shared over the past four years, including happy memories of Quidditch games and sad memories of art teacher Nancy Hochberg-Higgins, who died of cancer just over a week ago.

McNiff remembered the hockey team winning the state championships in their sophomore year, and getting out of school early in the summer in their junior year.

But life after high school holds much promise, she noted.

"We'll be able to go wherever we want without a pass," she joked.

Then, as first the girls then the boys came up to get their diplomas, McNiff, who was also the class president, read the names of every graduate except her own, which was saved for last.

McNiff also helped hand over the symbols of school leadership to the class of 2009, while wishing them "fair winds and following seas." Courtesy of the class of 1942, the spyglass and sexton were meant to help each class find their own way.

Finally, the moment came for the graduates to move their tassels. They let out a loud cheer as several tossed their caps into the air.

As family members rushed onto the field to hand over flowers and give out hugs, the strains of the class song, a John Mayer tune called "No Such Thing," played in the background.

And with that, their four years of high school ended.

"Congratulations," McNiff told them. "You are now graduated."