VOORHEESVILLE — Seniors at Clayton A. Bouton High School slowly filled the school gymnasium on a muggy evening, June 24, as they waited to enter the school auditorium and receive their diplomas. Some entered in their caps and gowns, others carrying them under their arms, asking friends to help adjust their mortarboards and figuring out which side to put the tassel on. Many caps were adorned with glitter, flowers, paint, or letters, signifying what university they would enter in the fall or bearing the image of a cartoon character like Stitch or Buzz Lightyear.

Students clustered into their own groups in the gym, only converging when bottled water was brought into the room, which had only gotten hotter and more stifling as more and more excited seniors entered.

At one point, a group of seniors asked for the others’ attention as Salutatorian Devin Freeman jokingly warned them what would happen if anyone attempted a dance move.

“If any one of you idiots ‘dabs’ or does any dance moves, I sit in the front row, I will push you off the stage,” he said.

In the auditorium, the audience waited while watching a slideshow of old photos of the graduating class before the students and staff entered, preceded by the Capital Region Pipe Band.

Selected speaker and graduating senior Rachel Blow began her speech by promising to remain brief.

“I’m a student and I know what it’s like to nod off after listening to people,” she said.

Blow spoke of the village of Voorheesville’s small size and neighbors’ proximity to one another, and attributed the closeness of the graduating class to their neighborhood.

“I know their names, I know their personalities, and I have lasting memories of them and with them,” she said, recalling memories of Capture the Flag and the “Mission Impossible” obstacle course in gym class, and the fear of watching “The Miracle of Birth” in middle school.

“No matter what we go through, we go through it together,” she said of her “Blackbird family.”

You’re not quitters

Salutatorian Freeman began his speech by thanking the school’s teachers and staff, such as their new high school principal, Laura Schmitz, and senior class advisor, Nadine Bassler, who helped plan much of the senior class’s activities.

“Nothing would have happened without her,” said Freeman of Bassler.

Freeman also thanked the other class officers, Lance Luther, Meghan Sweeney, Samuel Weiss, and James Connolly, and his friend Trevor McHugh, who is not a class officer but “does all the horrible jobs we ask him to,” such as wearing the school’s Blackbird mascot costume and helping set up many of the senior class events.

Freeman also thanked his family and especially his mother, “She’s personally read every research paper I’ve ever written.” He thanked the close-knit community where he grew up.

“I’m friends with the entire senior class because of it,” he said.

Freeman then explained he was about to talk about life, “Bear with me, I’m just 18,” he warned.

Freeman described how he and his twin sister, Daphne, would watch the show “Family Matters” every morning before school.

“In every single episode, they have a problem, they have a failed solution, they told some jokes, and then they have the right solution,” he explained, “Now, this is actually a lot like life.”

Freeman described some daunting situations in high school, such as beginning ninth grade, or writing research papers, and how buckling down and working hard eventually led to success.

“When we all go to college, start working, or live under an overpass,” he quipped, “There will be a learning curve, it will be difficult,” he explained, “You’re not quitters, you’ll try really hard, you’ll all succeed.”

Freeman finished his speech by thanking his classmates for their help and support.

“You’ve made the last year of high school so interesting and so amazing,” he said.

Freeman, along with the other class officers, then presented the senior class gift, which came in two parts. The first half of the gift was a scholarship for graduating seniors who may not be class officers but are just as dedicated to the class. The second half of it was reusable plastic plates and silverware for the school cafeteria to reduce waste.

Remember, life is fun

Valedictorian Olivia Suozzo began her speech by stating the class members’ graduation would not be possible without their families, teachers, staff and faculty, and community for support.

“I know everyone says that, but that’s because it’s true,” she said.

Suozzo said she was faced with a dilemma when writing her speech.

“How to send off a group that’s been together since childhood as they prepare for possibly the biggest changes of their lives so far?” she asked.

Suozzo described how the class’s prospective futures are “intimidating, but it’s exciting.” Many of them, she said, will soon be adjusting to a new chapter of their lives, and someday may come across conflicts in their lives.

“Before we start panicking,” she said, “Let’s remember that there are also times when life is fun, and vibrant, and exciting.”

Suozzo continued on to say that the best solution she could find to an uncertain future is optimism, and that means believing in oneself and working hard.

“We have all played with bouncy balls and we know all what goes down also comes back up,” she said, “Of course you have to store energy in the ball to lift it before bouncing —and I’m sorry to bring physics into the metaphor— but it fits because you often have to work to effect a positive change in life.”

Suozzo spoke of how each member of her class could find himself or herself somewhere unexpected, even back in Voorheesville.

“This parting of ways at which we find ourselves is going to send us all down different paths,” she said, and then wished them all well on that path.

“I wish each and every one of you finds what you want and who you are,” she concluded, and, noting that things don’t always work out the way they’re planned, added, “I hope the tough times are brief and something that makes us stronger.”

Sittig leaves his second home

Before mathematics teacher and guest speaker John Sittig spoke, he was thanked, simultaneously, by the entire senior class.

“I can’t think of a better class to spend my last rodeo together,” said Sittig, of the class.

This is the second time Sittig has been a speaker at graduation.

“It is one of the greatest experiences any teacher could ever have,” he said.

Sittig is also retiring this year, explaining in his speech his reason for retiring has to do with his luck for even numbers.

“As a math person, I rely a lot on numbers. You see, I was born in an even year, so many important things in my life seemed to have happened during even years.”

Sittig added that he had entered and graduated from college during even years, and had met his wife and gotten married during even years.

“Even my kids were born in…odd years,” he said, “Well that just means their first birthday will be during an even year.”

Sittig concluded how this year he would retire in an even year after teaching for an even number of years.

In those 40 years of teaching, Sittig met much of the graduating class as sophomores. He described how he held an after-school Regents review that usually wasn’t attended by many, but how the line was out the door when this class came in. This was indicative of their high grade-point averages and high achievements, as well a range of talents from sports to theater to art to music. He also complimented the class members for their politeness and friendliness, and how one group of boys in his last class of the day would always wish him a good day before leaving school.

Sittig offered life lessons he had learned through his years of teaching to the students. Coaching football taught him the importance of teamwork, and how to work hard.

Organization is vital to success, as he explained how he assigned one button-up shirt to wear for each of the five days of the school week, to the point that students were relying on the color of his shirt to know what day of the week it was and occasionally were thrown off when the days one through five were different from Monday through Friday due to a holiday or snow day.

Sittig said he always knew he wanted to be a teacher, because he loved going to school, and decided to teach math after having a favorite math teacher for three years in high school. He explained how, before his wife and children came along, “School was kind of like my second home,” and how it would be the first time since he was 5 years old that he wouldn’t be going back to school in September.

Before concluding his speech, Sittig offered the class a gesture from the book and movie “The Hunger Games,” in which two fingers are raised to the lips and then pointed outward. The salute, Sittig explained, means thank you, admiration, and love.

“The time has come to say goodbye,” he said.

Sittig finished by referencing the Dr. Seuss book, “Oh the Places You’ll Go.”

“Kid, you'll move mountains! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So get on your way!” he said.

“Class of 2016, go find your mountain!” he finished, followed by a standing ovation from the audience.