Woodstock grads: Ready  for ‘next’
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
WOODSTOCK — From Renia Almashharawi’s heavy-hearted story of her journey here from Gaza to Class President Benjamin Arters’ occasionally light-hearted welcome to classmates, the message to the Woodstock Academy graduates June 13 was the same — Believe in yourself. You’re ready.
Almashharawi, in her Kathryn Robertson essay “Halowati – A Story from Gaza to Woodstock,” recounted a dream she had shortly after arriving in Woodstock. She saw herself in a prison. “It wasn’t just this place with walls. It was a feeling. I couldn’t breathe. I wanted to be free, to drink water to live. She said she wanted to understand why she was in “prison.” 
She and 27 members of her family were in the basement of the house her father had built for 14 days in 2023, trying to escape the bombs overhead during the Israel Hamas War. She escaped with some of her family. She recalled connecting with her grandmother, who told her stories. Her grandmother also gave her the key to the home she had left behind and urged her to give it to her daughter and granddaughter. And Almashharawi kept the key to her own house she’d left behind. Her grandmother died in Gaza, but her stories still live inside Almashharawi. And she decided “like my grandmother I would be the hakowati, the storyteller, the person who talks and tells stories about the most important things in the world, so they are not lost or forgotten.”
She felt overwhelmed in the beginning but then, she said, this community “taught me more than I ever expected. It shaped me into someone who relies on herself.” 
Arters, too, told his classmates, “The first step is always the same – believing in yourself. It’s time to trust that we’re ready for whatever comes next.” He added, “These memories are living proof that you’re ready for whatever comes next.” 
Avery Nielsen ’26, The Woodstock Academy’s fifth Poet Laureate, and Claire Anderson ’28, the 2026-27 Poet Laureate, presented their original poem “When the Tide Changes” together.
Isabel D’Alleva-Bochain and Ivar McDonald were honored as the valedictorian and salutatorian of the Class of 2026. The Yale Honor Cup was presented to Kaylee Saucier and Ivar McDonald. Receiving the Donald and Hope Williams Scholarships were: Saucier and McDonald, Eli Manning and Isabel D’Alleva-Bochain.
The graduates at the Woodstock Academy’s 136th commencement seemed especially close. Nearly every student applauded for every other student getting a diploma or an award, even while they stood in line for their own diploma. 
The Woodstock Academy Class of 2026:
Aaron Adams, Sofia Aguilar Del Olmo, Rania Almashharawi 3, 15; Noemia Amaral 3, 7, 11, 15, 16; Evan Anderson; Bree Antaya 16, 21; Jeremias Archeval-Herrera; Zachary Armbruster; Benjamin Arters 3, 7, 12, 14, 15, 16; Aiden Bachand 3, 14, 17; Hannah Backofen; Kyle Bain; Marina Balasco; Ella Balgenorth; Dylan Bard; Gabriel Bard 10; Anthony Beaudreault 3, 7, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 18; Alexis Beausoleil; Alivia Bellanceau 21; Francesco Bianchi; Vivian Bibeau 3, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16; Aiden Bibeault; Natalie Borges; Aidan Botelho; Kyree Bourassa 21; Laura Bourdeau; Cole Bourget 19; Aubrey Ngoc Bui 3, 6, 12; Kaylee Bundy 3, 7, 12, 13, 16; Jack Buyers; Vaughn Buzak 4, 7, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16; Allison Camara 5, 13, 14, 15, 16;Gabriella Carito 20; Ella Carney;Julia Caruso; Ryan Chabot 3, 12, 14, 15, 16; Archie Chang; David Cheohui Cho; Landen Choquette; Mert Coker; Kristjan Conroy; Carrina Cook 9, 10; Maci Corradi 13; Adelyn Cournoyer 3, 7, 8, 12, 14, 15, 18, 20, 23; Logan Coutu; Nathaniel Couture 3, 11, 12, 13, 16, 18; Avery Crescimanno 10; Tiernan Curran 3, 12, 14, 16; Edward Cygnarowicz 3, 20; Isabel D’Alleva-Bochain 1, 3, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17; Avery Danis 3, 7, 10, 12, 13, 23; Andrea De Cos Ortiz 18; Scarlet Delaney 3, 7, 15, 16, 21; Logan DelFarno; Rayne DelFarno; Alexa Delmonaco 5; Danielle Demers 3, 7, 12, 14, 17; Greysen Dery 3, 12, 14, 18, 21; Audrey DeYoung; Gianna DiCola-Keddy 3, 7, 12, 14, 15, 16; Olivia DiGregorio 5, 7, 13, 14, 15; Abby Ditzel 3, 6, 8, 14; Haoran Dong; Jackson Dorez 4, 7, 14, 15; Clara Dowdle 3, 7, 12, 13, 15, 16, 18; Sky DuBois; Amelia Duquette 4, 7, 12, 14, 15; Harrison Durand 4, 7, 14, 16; Jackson Durand 3, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16; Lucia Durand; Madilyne Ead 4, 6, 7, 8, 12, 14, 15; Emma Eaton 4, 14; Max Ellenberg; Kiley Elliott 5, 6, 12, 23.
Also, Riley Faber 4, 7, 12, 15, 16, 17; Nathan Faucher 5, 14, 15; Campbell Favreau 3, 7, 12, 13, 16, 18; Philip Feanny Aleman 5, 13, 15; Anniemarie Fernandez; Maddalena Ferraro; Emma Forcier 4, 13, 14, 16; Jenna Forcier 21; Sara Forcier 4, 14; Henry Forrest; Kaydence Foster 3, 7, 11, 12, 14, 16; Lilly Frechette; Jialiang Fu 6; Judah Gagnon; Avery Gallagher 4, 7, 12, 14, 15, 16; Cruz Garcia; Collin Gaudette; Karlie Gauthier 22; Brady Gedutis; David Genay 3, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17; Ekin Gokcimen 3, 10; Trevor Gold; Thomas Grist 19; Blaise Gurski; Alexander Haggerty; Caydence Haley; Kaylyn Hall 7, 10, 15; Owen Hamilton 4, 14, 16; Lindsey Hanlon 6, 14; Maura Hart 3, 7, 10, 12, 14, 15, 17, 21;Gavin Hecker; Maddox Houston; Blake Hudock; Kolbie Iacuele; Frank Iannucci; Simal Ilhan 13; Lilah Jafar-DeCesare 3, 6, 7, 14, 15, 16, 18; Aidan Jeon 3; Ramond Joachim; Adele Joseph; Hygeia Shih Yong Jung; Soyul Sophie Jung 3, 6, 7, 12, 17; Emmanuel Kaberia 11, 19; Julia Kerr 3, 7, 12, 14, 15, 16, 23; Jaelyn Knox 5, 6, 12, 13, 16; Danylo Kyryliuk 4, 11, 12, 14; Elizabeth Ladzinski 7, 10, 18; Corey LaFond; Andrew Landreville; Kris Latour; Madison LaVallee 3, 7, 12, 14, 18; Kenzie Le 3, 12; Phillip Le 3, 11, 12, 15; Victor Le Roux; Elizabeth Leach; Sujong Lee; Mark Lefebvre; Payton Leite 3, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 23; Grace Lescault 9, 13; Ella Lidonde; Ivan Lin 3, 6, 7, 11, 12, 14, 15; Alexander Linkin; Vuk Lisancic; Lawrence LeChen Liu; Emma Long 4, 7, 12, 14, 15, 23; Kylee Longey 21; Angela Lu; Eden Lusignan 16, 21; Eva Lusignan 6, 23; Kuanzhi Jack Ma 3; Colin MacNeil; Greyson Magnan; Olivia Manbeck 6; Donovan Manis 24; Eli Manning 3, 7, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16; Mykola Marchenko 3; Riley Mathews 17, 20; Spencer Mayo 3, 11, 12, 13, 14, 18; Katelyn McArthur 4; Emily McCreery; Ivar McDonald 2, 3, 7, 11, 12, 14, 15, 18; Abraham McGregor; Cayden Menor; Camden Mercer; Lilyanne Mercier 3, 7, 12, 14, 15, 16, 18; Jayzlyn Miller; Miranda Miller 3, 7, 14, 15, 16; Weston Mission; Moleya Moi; Liliana Moran 5, 10, 13, 15, 21; Lillian Morgis 3, 7, 13, 15, 16; Emily Mumford 4; Emilly Murta; Gianna Musumeci 9; Giulia Musumeci 4, 10, 12, 14, 15, 18; Emma Nagel; Akira Newall-Vuillemot; Obama Ngarambe; Van Nhat Anh Nguyen; Cadence Nichols; Avery Nielsen 3, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16; Thomas Nuccio; Alec Nunes 3, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16; Oskaryna Nunez; Aidan O’Connor 3, 14, 16; Nicolas Ochoa Espejo 5, 13; Mariia Oliinyk 9, 10, 14, 15; Robert Olmsted; Tianna Ortiz; Kyle Parmeter; Diya Patel 3, 7, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17; Thatcher Paterson 3, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16; Gabriella Payne 24; Vayda Payne; Oscar Pearman 4; Dylan Phillips; Cotter Pierce; Kloe Pike; Evelyn Pine 20; Avery Plouffe 4, 7, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 21.
Also, Lucas Quercia 3, 11, 12, 15, 16; Emma Quinney 3, 6, 8, 14, 15; Connor Racine 3; Lorenzo Ramponi; Hanyi Ran; Sophia Rattray; Nathan Rauls 3, 7, 11, 14, 15, 18; Emma Raymond 3, 13, 14, 16, 20, 21, 23; April Regis; Anthony Reyes 17; Kerrigan Reynolds 10, 13, 14, 17, 23; Zaria Richter Lamarre; Lavinia Ricotta 3; Kyrialis Rivera Cabrera 3, 7, 14, 18; Jomaraliz Rosado 21; Baylee Rosinski 4, 12, 14, 16, 21; Logan Rumrill; Emma Rustichelli 4, 6, 12; Finnley Salzarulo-Syphers 4, 6, 14, 21; Ellary Sampson 3, 7, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 18, 23; Leon Sanders 10; Quantiwah Sangasy; Kaylee Saucier 3, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 21, 22; Jeffrey Schaeuffler; Tristan Serating; Steven Siyuan Shen 4; Zion Simms; Ella Simoes 3, 7, 12, 15, 16; Caleb Simoneau 3, 7, 11, 13, 14, 19; Cameron Simpson 22; Ayden Sirois; Jocelynn Sirrine (Alex) 4, 6, 10, 14; Marit Sjogren; Mykhailo Smoliar 3, 11, 14; Aidan Soukaloun 16; Julian St. Jean; Kayla St. Louis 6, 14; Alexis Starr 24; Abigael Stevens 3, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 24; Jamie-Dean Stewart 4; David Sumner 3, 16, 17; Jacob Swayze; Nawal Tafesh 5, 14; Collin Teal 6; Helen Telford 14, 18, 21; Alexander Tevez; Abby Thayer 5, 6, 7, 12, 14; Luke Thompson 14, 15, 16; Olivia Tracy 3, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15; Tyler Travinski; Oliver Trudeau; Allison Turbovsky; Aidan Tyler 6, 13, 15; Olivia Varin; Sean Veilleux; Nicolae Velicico;  Tymofii Vybornyi; Emma Weitknecht 4, 6, 13, 14, 16; Grayson Whiteley 17; Braeden Williams; Michael Wolchesky 17; Sadie Wood 3, 7, 12, 14, 15, 18; Thatcher Wood 17; Wynter Worth 3, 13; Daniel Yang 13; Ryan Qianmo Yang 4; Ava Zellweger 10; Peter Jiacheng Zeng; Kaylee Ziarko.
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. Technology Honor Society; 18. Tri-M Honor Society; 19. Military 20. Military Child; 21. Certified Nursing Assistant; 22. Volunteer EMS; 23. Learning Ally;24. Volunteer Firefighter.

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caption, page 1:

The wind was setting caps airborne early at the Woodstock Academy commencement. More photos on page 6 and expanded photo array Wed. night on our FB page. Linda Lemmon photo.

caption page 6:
The Manchester Pipe Band and the First Company Governor's Foot Guard.