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Concord Monitor – From morning jokes to parental influence: Bow High Class of 2025 graduates

One final corny joke stood between the Bow High School seniors and their high school diplomas. “Hey Cole,” said first-year principal Matt Fisk, addressing a blond student in the front row. “I only know 25 letters of the alphabet. I don’t know why.” Cole Cochrane and his 146 classmates burst into knowing laughter, not at […]

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One final corny joke stood between the Bow High School seniors and their high school diplomas.

“Hey Cole,” said first-year principal Matt Fisk, addressing a blond student in the front row. “I only know 25 letters of the alphabet. I don’t know why.”

Cole Cochrane and his 146 classmates burst into knowing laughter, not at the quality of the pun – sorry Mr. Fisk – but rather at the tribute to what had become a Bow High morning ritual.

Weeks into senior year, Cochrane, a choir singer and improv enthusiast, began adding a joke to his 9:50 a.m. delivery of the school’s morning announcements. The tradition stuck.

“That’s definitely where people are trying to wake up a little bit – like the first class you’re always really tired for,” he said. “So, if you can get a little pumped up for the rest of the day, that’s my goal.”

Inside a packed ice hockey arena at Saint Anselm College on Friday, the Bow High graduates had plenty to feel pumped up about. They burst into applause following class secretary Emily Fauteux’s booming rendition of the national anthem and wiped away tears as the concert choir harmonized through “I Am Still Your Dreamer.”

And they reminisced about the singular moments that stick with them: bringing couches to football games, an intense game of musical chairs, a run to the girls’ soccer state championship and qualifying for the world championship in robotics.

But class president Adam Valpey said those accomplishments, as great as they were, will not define the Bow High School Class of 2025.

“We are a class that cannot be summed up by a few stories or accolades, because our impact runs far deeper,” Valpey said. “We are a class with a personality that has built relationships and established roots all across the community.”

Other student speakers imparted advice: “When something is wrong, even if everyone else is doing it, we should change course to avoid it,” Colin Fitzpatrick said. “Don’t say things that you don’t mean or act like someone you despise. Decide to be better than them.”

Many graduates alluded to the influence of their parents on both their life outlook and the path they will now pursue.

“My mom would tell me, ‘You can’t live your life for Friday because the best day of your life could happen on a Tuesday,’” said class vice president Claire Ulrich. “Now, when she first said this to me, I thought, ‘No way – the best day of my life is not happening on a Tuesday,’ but I began to listen to her words and try to live by them.”

Princeton University-bound Preesha Chatterjee, a euphonium-playing member of the school band, hopes to follow in her father’s footsteps and become an economist in the public sector.

Chelsea DeVincenzo, who has worked as a dietary aide at a nursing home, is considering becoming a school psychologist or social worker, motivated by the work that people she grew up with do. She will study social work and psychology at Gordon College.

Gabriella Tarsa plans to become a pilot.

“My parents are flight attendants and they have a really cool lifestyle, and I just always admired that,” said Tarsa, who is off to Purdue University.

Some graduates – perhaps taking to heart Fitzpatrick’s advice to buck societal trends – acknowledged they are still figuring out which paths to trod.

For his senior project, James Menezes authored a book called “The Heart’s Candle,” a novella focusing on “a journey about discovering purpose and what to live your life for.”

It is a journey he himself is on.

His plan for next year: “Go to college and figure out what I want to do with life.”

Jeremy Margolis can be contacted at jmargolis@cmonitor.com.



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