Speeches, tassels and mortarboards at graduation
Page 4 • Wednesday, June 19, 2019 • The Hammonton Gazette
HHS, from Page 1
their tassels during the 123rd an-
nual graduation program, which
was moved indoors due to the
looming threat of rain.
The Class of 2019 entered the
gymnasium, organized into alter-
nating rows of blue and white
gowns to begin the ceremony
while friends and family mem-
bers looked on from the stands.
Many HHS staff and faculty
members, and board of education
members were also on hand for
the ceremony, which began with
the singing of the National An-
them and the HHS alma mater by
senior members of the HHS Se-
lect Choir, followed by a wel-
come address from 2019 class
president Angelica Ortiz, who re-
marked about the endurance and
fortitude demonstrated by the
Class of 2019 throughout its time
at HHS.
“Coming in through the doors
of high school every day is not al-
ways an easy task because each
day brought new struggles for us.
Whether it be the stress of unfin-
ished homework or challenging
tests, drama between friends, or a
fear of the future: we have en-
dured. Today, we acknowledge
the struggles and accomplish-
ments, but most importantly we
acknowledge the grind it took to
get here. This endurance is what
makes our class truly legendary,”
Ortiz said.
Ortiz was followed in her re-
marks by HHS student council
president Victoria Falciani, who
said the Class of 2019 shared a
special bond and school spirit
that rapidly developed during
their four years together.
“I aspire to appropriately con-
vey the spirit of our class and
provide a suitable congratulations
to such an involved and leg-
endary class. This year, the senior
class united and not only made
this a year to remember, but one
full of laughs, growth, teamwork
and family. I am honored to not
only be a part of it all, but to lead
the school and our class through
student council … Growing up
together since freshman year, we
have all grown closer with one
another, and we share something
as the Class of 2019 no one else
does: each other,” Falciani said.
In her salutatorian speech,
HHS graduate Mandy Lin said
the “legendary” tagline that was
chosen for the Class of 2019 is
apropros due to the diverse
skillset it possesses as a student
body.
“As the Salutatorian, I must
‘salute’ the many accomplish-
ments that members of our class
have achieved. Over the past four
years, the Class of 2019 made it-
self truly distinct, special and ex-
ceptional. I believe that we are
perhaps the greatest class to have
ever graduated from Hammonton
High School so far. Our talents
and accomplishments are ex-
tremely diverse: the softball team
won the South Jersey Group 3
Championship in 2018, the girls
tennis and basketball teams were
both Tri-County Royal Division
Champions in 2018, the march-
ing band were NJ state champi-
ons in 2016 , this year’s Physics
Olympics Team took first place
in the annual NJ State Competi-
tion, we had members of this
class display their talents in the
spring musical, Grease, and we
had students who dedicated hun-
dreds of hours to serving the
community. It is impossible to
list everything that we have
achieved during our time at high
school. The talents that our class
possesses show why we are truly
‘legendary,’” Lin said.
Lin’s classmate and Class of
See GRAD, Page 10
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