GUILDERLAND — A buoyant stream of graduates flowed out of the county’s convention center into bright sunlight Friday afternoon — the young women in robes of white, the young men in robes of red.

They wore no masks. They hugged and literally danced in the street. Moments before, they had turned their tassels and then thrown their mortarboards in the air.

The Guilderland High School Class of 2021 had made it through a maze of pandemic-induced restrictions that forced them to be remote learners in their junior year and hampered many of their senior-year rituals.

But now they were set free in the wide, wide world.

The commencement ceremony began at noon as the school orchestra, directed by Susan Curro, played “Pomp and Circumstance” after which Vibha Thirunellayi Gopalakrishnan led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Seniors Morgan Dempsey, Ashlee Lowe, and Elizabesth Novak gave a stirring rendition of the national anthem, which Superintendent Marie Wiles said gave her goosebumps and left her speechless.

“Listen patiently, speak kindly”

Nevertheless, Wiles proceeded with her speech. “I never would have predicted that we would be here all together,” said Wiles. Last year’s ceremony had been pre-recorded and projected on the big screen of a drive-in as families watched from their cars.

“This literally has been a school year like no other,” said Wiles.

Six years ago, Wiles’s commencement speech had focused on her mother’s eyeglasses as a “metaphorical gift.” This year, her speech focused on her late mother’s flip phone.

As the youngest of five children, Wiles said she felt like her mother worried more about her than her siblings. Her mother was frugal and, in an era when long-distance calls were charged, she asked Wiles to ring once when she was traveling and had arrived safely.

Wiles did this when she arrived at Temple University as an 18-year-old and later as she studied for graduate degrees in Albany and Syracuse, and still later after she and her husband and son moved to Guilderland.

“Don’t forget to ring once,” her mother would say, sometimes making a younger Wiles roll her eyes.

After her mother died in November 2014, Wiles recalled returning from the services in Utica. “We came home to Guilderland, feeling empty and exhausted,” she said.

Then, at 4:30 in the morning, an unfamiliar phone rang in her bedroom. She had hung her mother’s purse, with the phone in it, on the door handle of her bedroom.

“I think your mom is telling us that she got wherever she is going safely,” Wiles’s husband said to her.

Wiles revealed that she and her mother had an “uneasy” relationship. “We did not see eye to eye,” she said; the pair had an unspoken list of topics they did not talk about just to keep the peace. She now regrets not talking and finding common ground, Wiles said, calling it “a missed opportunity.”

Wiles told the graduates that their willingness to talk to others who may not share their perspectives will be imperative. They must be thoughtful speakers and open-minded listeners, she said, to find common ground.

“Listen patiently, speak kindly ...,” she advised. “I may not know exactly where you are headed but don’t forget to ring once when you get there.”

“Unprecedented”

Max Carothers began the student welcoming address by honoring those who had died in the pandemic. “I think we all know someone who has lost a family member or friend,” he said.

Carothers also said that the often-used word “unprecedented” has taken on a negative connotation, giving a laundry list ranging from tests online to elbow taps replacing handshakes. He said he now appreciates hugs and smiles. “We should all cherish this,” he said.

Carothers drew applause when he commended Guilderland athletes in lacrosse and football who brought home sectional titles this year.

He advised his classmates, “You don’t have to know who you are and where you are going.” Rather, he said, you just need to persevere.

“We will continue to be resilient … We will be the unprecedented class,” said Carothers.

His speech was followed by a video, featuring faculty and staff members, congratulating the class and wishing them well.

Advice included, “Don’t forget to do a few crossword puzzles,” “Keep reading,” “Go out there and shine a light, be a light in the darkness,” and “You are braver than you believe … stronger than you think.” A school therapy dog raised its paw for a handshake and Kathleen Ehlinger, Guilderland’s band director, saluted the graduates by playing her trumpet and said, “Stay in tune to the best version of yourself.”

“Spread the kindness”

Giving the graduate address, Morgan Dempsey invoked Eric Carle’s children’s classic, “The Very Hungry Caterpillar.”

“I’ve learned so many things from the people in this room …. We are a family,” said Dempsey. The most important thing she learned, Dempsey said, is that becoming the people we were meant to be supasses the importance of numerical grades.

Describing the Hungry Caterpillar, Dempsey said, he eats more and more every day and, in the process, gets a stomach ache. He then makes a cocoon and emerges as a beautiful butterfly.

This year, she said, has been one of those stomach aches yet the class has emerged as the biggest, brightest, most beautiful butterfly. There’s never been a more important time than this to be there for others, she said.

Dempsey cited caring acts, ranging from a recent anti-hate rally at the school to supporting two students who were diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma. She stressed the importance of equity, diversity, and inclusion.

“Small acts of inclusion can change lives ...,” she said. “Be the ones to spread the kindness and inclusion that we know,” Dempsey urged her classmates.

She concluded, “We have the strength to make this world a better place. We are Guilderland.”

Her speech was followed by a video of snapshots of school life — prom pictures flashed on the giant overhead four-sided screen along with pictures of classroom scenes and athletes in a range of sports.

First, the lyrics of “I’ll Always Remember You” played: “The times that we had I’ll keep like a photograph, and hold you in my heart forever. I’ll always remember you.”

And then the tempo changed as the carousel of memories kept turning. The lyrics of “Good Riddance” played: “It’s something unpredictable, but in the end it’s right. I hope you had the time of your life.”

“It just makes you realize how fast four years go by,” said the high school principal, Michael Piscitelli, at the close of the video. “It touches me.”

“Let us draw close”

Rya Vallabhaneni, who will attend Brown University in the fall, started a new tradition by delivering a graduate poem.

“We are all here for the same reason,” she said. Vallabhaneni’s poem first addressed the parents in the crowd, telling them, “The world does work in cyclical ways.”

She next addressed the teachers, saying, “I think an apology is in order.” Despite dealing with some teenage shortcomings, Vallabhaneni said, teachers had expanded their students’ minds to the point of bursting.

Her poem then addressed the graduates, saying, “We are going to grow, to remain in flux.” She urged, “Take what you know now, hold it dear …. Realize it will change as you do.” She also advised her classmates to be “open-minded and open-eared” and said, “Today I’m in awe of you.”

Using her hands gracefully, as if to set her words free, Vallabhaneni, who is a dancer, went on, “Let us draw close …. Let us realize we are here to move on …. Here we can always return.”

“Face those challenges”

Piscitelli then recognized the honors students, which made up the majority of the class: 65 percent had an average of 85 or higher.

Years ago, Guilderland did away with naming a valedictorian and salutatorian and instead had the highest honor graduates seated on the stage for the commencement ceremony. 

This year, however, all of the seniors sat together in rows of chairs on the floor of the arena while the band, administrators, and school board members were on the stage.

Piscitelli had the honors students, with averages between 85 and 89.9, wearing red and gold cords, stand first. Next,the high honors students, with averages between 90 and 94.9, wearing silver and gold cords, stood, and then the highest honors students, with averages of 95 or higher stood, wearing medals.

When the applause subsided, Piscitelli asked the students who had contributed 150 hours of service “in a pandemic” to stand; they wore community service pins.

Finally he asked those in the audience who had served in the military and the half-dozen seniors who were heading to the military to stand.

When the robust applause ended, Piscitelli spoke.

He began by reciting the lyrics of Brett Young’s song, “Chapters”: I wish that I knew back then, there’s no perfect life. You can’t hold back time but you hold on tight, hoping you might find every page you’ve turned is a lesson learned. Ain’t we all, ain’t we all just trying to get it right? These are the chapters of my life.”

We often look at moments as good or bad, Piscitelli said, but it’s up to us if we use each moment to be better. Your mindset, he said, is the sum of your thoughts and beliefs.

Piscitelli then gave “a little science lesson,” explaining how the brain does not grow if only existing neural pathways are used. He advised not settling in but rather forcing your efforts to meet challenges.

Piscitelli named a slew of challenges that the school district faced this year, ranging from the pandemic to a cyber attack. “We can adapt no matter what happens ….,” he said. “We can problem-solve and move forward.”

He told his students that it is important to not fear mistakes and said, “The challenges will continue to come …. I want you to face those challenges with confidence.”

When the speeches had ended, it was time for the graduates to step on stage as each one’s name was called. Wiles and the school board president, Seema Rivera, handed out the diplomas, encased in red.

Across the firmament that filled the stadium — row upon row, reaching upward, it looked and sounded like fireworks going off. Bursts of applause — some with shouts, other with foot-stomping — exploded with pride from clusters of families and friends as cameras flashed.