‘Square your shoulders – Look to the future’
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
WOODSTOCK — The occasional spritz of rain didn’t diminish the high spirts of graduates at the 135th commencement of The Woodstock Academy.
Not one iota.
Poet laureates Emily Smock, 2025, and Avery Nielsen, 2026, shared their poetic address, “Something Big” and the future, while a mystery, is exciting. ”What the future holds, and sure home is always here and the same things you’ve always known. But out there is a mystery, a future left untold. Isn’t that exciting?”
“A future we can hold and shape in our own hands … new friendships, new interests, new memories. We will make so many remarkable things.”
Class President Kira Greene said: “Today is more than just a celebration of the end of high school. It marks a powerful transition, a moment to reflect on all that we’ve experienced and to step boldly into the future that lies ahead. This isn’t a conclusion, but a beginning, a new chapter awaits and we hold the pen.”
She reminded her classmates that they learned more than equations or essays. “We learned resilience, empathy and how to adapt in a world that is constantly evolving.” She said “We press forward. That determination, that ability to keep going is what defines us. It’s what will continue to define us, no matter where we go next.”
“Let’s build lives grounded in compassion, purpose and the courage to leave every place a little better than we found it.”
The Katheryn Robertson Essay award winner, Margaret McHugh, noted the struggles of the high schools years but “Education makes me lighter. Education gives my life lightness.” She said education has given her the tools needed to create something extraordinary. The tools are already inside her.
The winners of the Yale Honor Cups were Evelyn Young and Katherine Ritzou. The winners of the Donald and Hope Williams scholarships were Young and Ritzou and Xandor Miller (valedictorian) and Kira Greene (salutatorian).
According to Associate Head of School Holly Singleton, the graduation rate this year is 100 percent.
Graduates include:
David Abbamonte; Ashley Abrams; Olivia Aleman 6, 15, 16; Juliet Allard 3, 12, 13, 15, 17; Diogo Andrade; Thiago Andrade; Ayden Angel-Ouimette 4, 16; Eli Apperson; Angelina Auger; Cody Austin; Ajani Banton 13; Brayden Bardan 3; Linnea Barlow 6, 16; Brandon Baron; Gunnar Basak 5; Addison Beausoleil 3, 6; Kylee Beausoleil; Lillian Beausoleil 7, 14, 15, 16, 17; Kaitlyn Becker 3, 11, 15, 16; Jay Beebe-Olivo; John Bennett 14; Henri Bessette; Mikayla Bessette 3, 7, 12, 14, 15; Nathan Billings 5; Bradley Blair; Madison Bloom 4, 7, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16; Logan Blow; Liliana Bottone 3, 7, 9, 12, 13, 14; Mason Bourget; Allie Boyd; Lucas Boynton 5, 16; Aiden Brailsford 15; Madisen Braunstein 4; Emma Brody 4, 7, 12, 14, 16, 17; Alexander Brouillard 10; Om Brown 4; Indigo Brown-Nevala; Katelyn Bruce 4, 7, 12, 14; Abigail Budd 6, 16; Garrett Bushey 13; William Bushey; Austin Byer 14; MJ Castaneda Banderas 3, 12, 14; Matthew Chace; Tyler Chamberlin 13; Ryder Chaput; Jiahao Chen; Abdullah Choudhry; Samuel Clark 4, 12, 13 Seamus Coleman; Abigail Converse 3, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16; Emilia Costa 4, 12, 14, 17; Emma Costa 3, 12, 17; Leah Costa 15; Finley Couture; Keegan Covello 9; Benjamin Cross 3, 7, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17; Olivia Dahl 3, 17; Shauna Daka; Chi Dam 3; Luke Davis; Filippo De Giorgi 3; Jacqueline Dearborn 4, 6, 7, 12, 14, 16; Brady DelFarno 18; Grace DelSanto; Xahvi DeRoza; Sam Desmond 13, 18; Anthony Detoro 18; Bella DiGregorio 3, 7, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16; Gabriel DiPierdomenico 5, 7, 14; Richard Duncan; Jonathan Eddy; Abigail Elliott 4, 10, 14; Brady Ericson 5, 13; Katie Erskine; Julian Escobar; Sam Espeseth 17; Jude Essuman; Junior Fagundes; Giovanni Farina 5; Maizy Ferreira 16; Chico Filho; Chandler Folkerts 3, 7, 12, 14, 17; Madelyn Frechette; Paige Drew Frenier; Jayden Fuller.
Also: Ela Gadoury 9; Olivia Gadue; Livia Gerum 6, 15, 16; Bri Gifford; Alyssa Gilbert; Ella Gilchrist 3, 14, 16; Gavin Gluck; Madison Goetz 10; Ava Golden 3, 7, 14, 15, 16; Erick Goldoni; Brooke Goodell; Tanner Graham 3, 8, 12, 13; Zoe Grant; Kira Greene 2, 3, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16; Adyson Grether 3, 7, 14, 16; Phoebe Griffin 4, 7, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17; Kyle Grist; Elyana Groccia; Sophie Gronski 3, 7, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15; Gabriella Guay; Brooke Hagerman; Avery Hardacker 3, 7, 9, 14, 15; Meadow Harnois; Mason Hayes; Matthew Hernandez; Rodrigo Herruzo; Yuena Hoang 6; Abigale Houle; Christian Ireland; Madeline Jezierski 3, 7, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16; Thomas Johnson 15; Jacob Jordan; Enoch Joseph; Emily Jurnovoy 3, 7, 8; Aidan Kane; Kason Kelly 3, 11, 14, 16; Muhammad Kiani 4; Jocelyn Kraus 6, 10; Avery Kuchy; Cassidy Ladd 13; Eli Laffert; Aribella LaFleche; Dominic LaFleur 10; Matthew Lai; Destiny LaMarre; Aiden Lamp; Jaiden Lamson 18; Leo Larkin 5, 16; Alexis Laskoski; Lilliana Latour-Gervais; Isabella Lefebvre; Olivia Lefevre; Celine Leffingwell; Matt Letourneau 4, 7, 12; Kevin Lewis 3; Max Lim 11; Valerio Lorigiola; Georgia Lukachie 4, 14; Hong Luo; Gabriel Luperon-Flecha; Chyanne Machamer 3, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15; Audrey MacPherson 4, 6, 12, 14; Steeven Mady; Marie Mairson 6; Emma Manis 3, 7, 11, 14, 15, 16; Devlin Mansolf; Margaret Marshall; Olivia Martocci 5, 17; Gianna Materas; Isabella Mawson 17; Emily Mayne 6; Margaret McHugh 3, 7, 12, 14, 15, 17; Alvaro Medrano López 4, 13; Christian Menounos 3, 12, 13, 14, 16; Kira Mesick; Sophia Milardo 3, 6, 7, 12, 14, 15, 16; Xandar Miller 1, 3, 7, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17; Dorisabel Mojica 3, 11, 13; Matthew Montanez 18; Aurora Moore; Ryley Morin 5, 6, 7; Timothy Mozzi 5, 7, 15; Shaun Mugagga.
Also: Camden Nason; Luna Nguyen 5; Thao Nguyen; Kaya Nichols 16; Ty Nichols; Bailey Nordman 3, 6, 7, 11, 12, 14, 16; Keira Notis; Dezo Novotny; Brady O’Brien; Catherine O’Brien 8, 17; Angelica Oliveira; Raiden Olsen; Lydia Orlowski; Avin Orvos; Kelsey Pabon; Francesco Panetta; William Papineau; Aiden Paquin; Jiwoong Park 3, 11; Lysette Parmentier 4; Tomas Pejkov 3; Adriano Peniche Gasque; George Perreault; Diana Petrova 10; Alice Pham 3; Andy Pham 3, 16; Bryce Plouffe; Grace Pokorny 3, 7, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15; Erik Proctor; Evan Quinn; Logan Rawson 13; Macy Rawson 4, 7, 12, 13, 14; Tristan Reynolds; Katherine Ritzou 3, 7, 12, 15, 17; Freya Robbie 3, 7, 11, 12, 14, 16; Elizabeth Roberts; Cameron Robida; Maya Rodriguez 3, 14, 15, 16; Haydon Rowland.
Also: Colton Sallum 3, 12, 13, 14, 15; Ethan Salony; Ava Salsich 4, 7, 9, 15; Amir Sanchez; Marco Sanchez; Sophia Sarkis 13, 14, 15, 16; Kaleb Schulz; Austin Sebastian 3, 11, 14, 16; Isabella Selmecki 3, 7, 12, 13, 16; John Shea; Dylan Shinkiewicz; Nina Silva 3, 7, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17; Kristina Sirrine; Olivia Smith; Emily Smock 3, 7, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17; Mia Sorrentino 3, 12, 13, 14, 16; Kaylee Spring; Juliana Stacy; Eli Susi 4, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17; Michael Susi 4, 13, 14, 15, 17; Brock Swabby 5; Daion Swan-DeSilva; Bailey Sweeney; Olivia Tappenden 4, 7, 12, 14, 15, 16; Alexandra Tetreault 18; Avery Thienel 5, 12, 14, 15; Hayden Thistle; Lauren Thomas 3, 7, 12, 14, 15, 16; Lola Thomas; Kevin Thomson 3, 13; Ben Thorstenson; Zander Tidwell; Riley Titchen; Harley Tolman; Carter Tosetti 18; Khang Tran 11, 14; Tien Tran 3; Kaelyn Tremblay 13, 14, 15; Wyatt Tucker; Mariia Ursal 3, 8, 9; Chauntel Vandal; Alexis Vargas 18; Bella Vasconcelos; Autumn Wade 9, 18; William Wasko 10; Gwendolyn White 3, 6, 14, 15, 16; Haley Whitehouse; Jack Wiggin 5, 6; Jillian Wiggin 6; Riley Wilcox; Arthur Witek; Pola Wysocki; Evelyn Young 3, 7, 11, 12, 14, 15; Kevin Yu; Daniela Zeka; Marcus Zuidema.
Honor Codes: 1. Valedictorian; 2. Salutatorian; 3. Summa cum laude; 4. Magna cum laude; 5. Cum laude; 6. Art National Honor Society; 7. English National Honor Society; 8. German National Honor Society; 9. Italian National Honor Society; 10. Latin National Honor Society; 11. Math National Honor Society; 12. National Honor Society; 13. Scholar-Athlete Honor Society; 14. Science National Honor Society; 15. Social Studies Honor Society; 16. Spanish Honor Society; 17. Tri-M Honor Society; 18. Military.
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More photos on page 5. Expanded photo array Wed. night on our FB page. Linda Lemmon photo.
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Caps: Photo by Madison Millar
Left: Ethan Salony (Courtesy photo). Above: Drying the seats. Right: Best seat in the house. Linda Lemmon photos.