The first class at the Willis Avenue School. The first to have iPads. The first eighth graders at Mineola High School—“guinea pigs” as class of 2016 president Aline Muller put it in her welcoming address—thus being the first to spend five years of their academic careers in the building. The first graduating class to have Dr. Whitney Smith as their new principal. Yet for all these firsts, this past Saturday on the campus of LIU Post at the district’s 125th commencement was the last time all 174 members of the Mineola High School Class of 2016 would spend together in the same place, at the same time.
(Photos by Geoffrey Walter)
First-year Mineola High School Principal Dr. Whitney Smith—a.k.a. Superintendent Dr. Michael Nagler’s “rookie of the year”—used the word “pioneer” to describe the class: “whatever their surroundings, pioneers had to depend on themselves and on the land. Self-reliance was an important character trait. Other important traits were interdependence, resourcefulness, individualism and a belief in a better future. You are the pioneers of our district; you have blazed a trail for every class that has followed you since Pre-K.”
In her salutatory address, Marissa Karasz summed up her years of learning as “I’ve learned firsthand that the more you help other people and make them smile, the happier you will be.”
Aline Muller
Echoing those sentiments was valedictorian Katie Shi with “no matter what happens in life, be good to people; being good is a wonderful legacy to leave behind,” a quote from pop singer Taylor Swift.
“No matter what our dreams are, we can never forget the people who got us there,” Shi said. “There are times when we lose sight of ourselves. There are many obstacles that we will encounter in our lives. From the lost games and failed tests of today to the lost jobs and family members of tomorrow. No one’s life will be perfect. Our worst of times is yet to come, but so are the best of times. Never give up on life.”
Mineola Board President Christine Napolitano said: “I hope you choose to be optimistic, inquisitive and not afraid of failure. Never forget your humanity or your humility, be kind to one another and thank your parents often.”
Before delivering his address, Nagler confessed he had procrastinated in preparing it, and facing a case of writer’s block, asked his 10-year old son for advice, which was: “if you don’t have anything nice to say, you should say nothing at all; congratulate them for not being expelled and tell them to get on with their lives…let’s face it dad, no one really wants to hear you speak anyway.”
Undeterred, Nagler recalled a bumper sticker: “Nice matters.”
“Isn’t that just a wonderful sentiment that really fits this class?” he said, also touching upon job hopping and isolation of oneself within the use of social media and extolling the value of empathy in today’s world. “In summary, the speech is ‘be nice, listen and understand and don’t get expelled’. I wish you all a very blessed life.”
