Garden City Honors 2021 High School Graduates

GARDEN CITY, NY — Garden City High School’s class of 2021 completed a significant chapter and looked forward to new journeys on June 26, when the annual commencement ceremony was held on the Warren King Field. Following the community’s longstanding graduation traditions, students walked through rows of flags and took their seats as the band played Pomp and Circumstance.

Principal Kevin Steingruebner shared that despite its obstacles, this year at Garden City High School yielded championship athletic teams, concerts, induction and award ceremonies and prom celebrations, all leading up to a successful graduation.

“From here, you’ll be moving on to experience and achieve much more, as you start at colleges and universities all around this great nation,” Steingruebner said. “Always make good decisions. It’s simple, but be thoughtful in everything you do and everything you decide to do. You will move onward and upward.”

Student speakers included valedictorian Ian Bailey, salutatorian Jenna Matarazzo, Senior Class President Timothy O’Hanlon and Julia Maloney Scholarship essay winner Kyle Stevenson.

“I’m sure many of you have heard the term ‘Greatest Generation,’” Matarazzo said. “Its members were considered to be so because they developed great resilience in surviving hardships and solving problems as a result of the extreme challenges they faced. I believe without a doubt that we, the class of 2021, are the next ‘Greatest Generation.’”

O'Hanlon presented the class gift to the school — a bench, which will be placed in the courtyard, in honor of Molly Madigan, who died in a house fire with her parents in May.

“This class has experienced many ups and downs, accomplishments and disappointments, lots of laughter and lots of tears, together,” he said. “And I am so glad that this is what our graduation looks like, here with family and friends, together.”

Stevenson read his award-winning essay, titled “Mr. Hakes, a Teacher Who Has Made a Difference in My Life.” He described the support he found in Garden City Middle School sixth grade math teacher David Hakes and the profound impact that their bond had on various aspects of his life.

Bailey discussed the importance of change and the need to accept that imperfections are part of growth.

“As you leave this bubble and go out into the world, remember to consider change,” he said. “The path you’ve chosen, the one you’re currently on, does not have to define your life. Your dreams of today do not have to be your dreams of tomorrow. What matters is that you continue to dream, you continue to act on those dreams, and you continue to make yourself and your world better.”

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kusum Sinha expressed pride in the graduating class and the strength that students demonstrated, and English teacher Amy Regis served as the Keynote Speaker.

“Life does not always go the way that we expect it to,” Sinha said. “The past 15 months actually parallel the rhythm of life. You have been on a journey and have navigated the ups and downs of life together. You gained wisdom, flexibility, patience — you prevailed.”

“In this past year our self-doubt was surely intensified by the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Regis. “We wondered if we were falling behind as voices among us seemed to suggest. Let me assure you — you did not fall behind. I don’t think a graduating class has been better equipped for its future.”

Members of the board of education presented diplomas as each senior’s name was called. Students were applauded as walked across the field to accept their honors, and returned to their seats as graduates.

Amidst the excitement, the event also held an element of sadness as the class and community mourn the loss of Molly Madigan and her parents. Molly’s graduation diploma was presented to her siblings and many heartfelt tributes were shared in speeches throughout the ceremony. A chair for Molly, decorated in pink, was set alongside those of her classmates, and the senior girls held pink roses in memory of their beloved friend.

Following the chorale’s final performance, the recessional took place and the Class of 2021 exited the field.