The Sharon Academy Graduates 29

On Sunday, June 8, every one of the 29 Sharon Academy seniors, representing over 10 towns throughout the Upper Valley, gave their own senior commencement address before walking across the stage to accept their high school diplomas.

As is tradition at The Sharon Academy (TSA), every senior on graduation day is given the opportunity to share reflections on their adventures in high school with the faculty, their peers, family, and the rest of the 500 graduation attendees. While this is often the chance to thank their families, friends, and TSA teachers, students often take time to share a favorite memory, offer advice to current students, or reflect on the lessons they learned and how they changed throughout their time in high school.

Lily Carter of Chelsea, reflected on a morning hike and the joy of being present in the moment.

"Take your time", she told her classmates, "even when you’re moving fast. Give yourselves the opportunity to feel and see everything…uncertainty, but also comfort, excitement, and bliss."

As a student leader, Meagan Leddy-Cecere of Strafford single-handedly developed an advertising database for the annual musical. She remembered applying for a leadership scholarship early in her senior year, worrying that she couldn’t check some of the required boxes like "editor of school newspaper" or "national honor society" simply because TSA didn’t offer those extracurricular activities.

"A real leader would not have been so small," she said. "A real leader would have been able to check those boxes."

While bigger schools offer those opportunities, she said she quickly realized that the small size of TSA created a safe space for all voices to be heard. "Here I do not feel small," she added. "Here, leadership falls to the one who finds the problem, envisions the solution, and assumes responsibility. Here I can create my own roles, make my own experiences. These demanding boxes that face me can and will remain empty, but my life here has been full."

The three-and-a-half hour ceremony wrapped up what was six years at TSA for some students. While emotional, it was certainly a joyous occasion, one they and their families will remember for years to come.

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