NEW SCOTLAND — The Voorheesville Class of 2024 “certainly are a unique group” interim high school principal Doug Duell told attendees of the June 28 graduation ceremony. 

“We have four Eagle Scouts, budding scientists doing their own research for fun, motocross competitors, fantastic artists, and a plethora of accomplished athletes,” said Duell.

And even though he’d only been in Voorheesville eight-and-a-half months, he said he’d “learned a lot about how a school is supposed to look.”

The man who’s helped shape that image spoke about the importance of a name.

“Tonight marks a moment in time that begins and ends and continues with the legacy of your name,” Superintendent Frank Macri told the 2024 graduates. “Your name means so much more than just a title of your being. It carries the weight of your past and the unpredictability of your future.

“Surely, after you entered this world, you were given a name,” said Macri. “Throughout your life, those who cared for you and guided you throughout this world would say your name multiple times. Sometimes it was said quietly, sometimes curtly, sometimes with love, and sometimes sternly …

“But when those people said it, they were imparting their hopes and dreams onto you, such as having a full and healthy life; making sure that you were raised with values and morals; being successful. Having the capability to learn and overcome adversity and one day, making it through the most important milestones of your life. Like tonight, earning a high school diploma.”

Macri concluded, “After all the names are said and the night is over, your names will become part of our graduation files. Yes, sadly, you’ll no longer be a part of the day-to-day here at VCSD, but your name will create the foundation of what Voorheesville is built upon. I want you to imagine all the names that have been said before yours. 

“The countless stories that were told as those names were in school, and then the impact and legacy those names have left on the world. Graduates’ names are not faceless. These names leave an everlasting mark and countless lives and communities far beyond our understanding. 

“You, the Class of 2024, are no different. Your past has been set but your future is open. Let your actions define you. Let your name always demand the admiration that you receive here tonight.”

Valedictorian

Two names that have stood out over the years are Voorheesville’s valediction, Vincent Coppola, and its salutatorian, Paige Layman.

Coppola plans on attending the New Jersey Institute of Technology in the fall, pursuing a degree in civil engineering. 

He said he initially wanted to go into architecture, but chose civil engineering instead because there’s a lot of variety in the field, “and you can go into a lot of different concentrations from it” and, while he’s not 100-percent certain of his concentration, Coppola said he’s interested in environmental engineering.

During his time at Voorheesville, Coppola was a member of Key Club, served as art director of The Blackbird Review, and was a member of the school’s swim team. Coppola will continue to swim at Division 1.

While at Clayton A. Bouton, Coppola said his favorite teacher was his Advanced Placement chemistry teacher, Kim Simon, while his favorite subject was statistics.

Asked about his favorite memory from Voorheesville, Coppola pointed to class field trips. 

“I took a meteorology class last year, and we went on a couple field trips for that,” he told The Enterprise. “We went to a news station and we went to UAlbany to learn more about how meteorologists forecast the weather; that was a really fun experience.”

As for what he’ll miss about living in Voorheesville, Coppola said, “I’m probably going to miss how tight-knit the community is and how everyone knows each other’s name, because that was always great to just have a lot of friends that I’m really close to.”

But, he added, “I’m also excited to meet a lot of new people.”

In his valedictory, Coppola struck a nostalgic chord. 

“So let’s take a quick trip down memory lane. Remember collecting and trading Pokemon cards every single day in fourth grade? Remember the field trip to the Great Escape and fifth grade? I will always remember that day because even though it was rainy, we still made the best of it and had a ton of fun together. We wrote the Sasquatch together, got even more soaked on the raging river ride … 

“And even this year on our senior trip to the beach, something that I thought was great about our class was that we didn’t focus on being sad that it was our last full day together. But we instead concentrated on having fun, making sure that we embraced the end of our journey before it was over. And probably one of my fondest memories from Voorheesville was, of course, playing Heyday with my friends as if our lives depended on it. Years from now, I will look back on all of these moments with a strong sense of nostalgia.”

Coppola also said, “No matter what our futures have in store for us, we will always be connected by the shared memories we have made. And I hope you’ll try to hold on to all of the good ones. To the meaningful friends I’ve had the honor of meeting during my time here, our collaboration has taught me the importance of teamwork and friendship, especially during the rough times. You have made my experience at Voorheesville a special one, and one that I will never forget. 

“In fact, one of the most significant lessons I’ve learned during my time at Voorheesville is the importance of collaboration. Society does not progress through individual work, but through the teamwork of many hardworking individuals with a common goal.”

Salutatorian

Salutatorian Paige Layman will attend Hamilton College in the fall. 

She plans on studying political science, and wants to attend law school after graduating from Hamilton. With her law degree, Layman told The Enterprise she’d like to work on legislative policies for an elected official. 

Asked her thoughts on the 2024 election, Layman exhibited an already-keen political acumen, answering, “I just hope we make it out sane.”

Layman already started to lay the groundwork for her future vocation as a non-voting member of Voorheesville’s school board, which joined because she thought it would be a good experience for her future in politics. 

She praised her fellow board members for volunteering their time for the community. “Getting to be around people like that, you get to kind of learn their wisdom and just really take a lot away from that,” she said.

Layman also found out that the gears of government grind slowly. 

“I learned that things take a long time to happen,” she said, but “the people who are on the school board really do care about the community’s opinions.”

Layman’s favorite class was economics. 

Asked about her favorite teacher, she named school custodian Lance Junco “who greets me at the door every morning.”

“He’s just really, really kind,” Layman told The Enterprise. “He was really kind to me. He was really kind to my brother who graduated last year. And I feel like he always can just brighten my day.”

She said, “The best part of my morning is seeing him.”

Ever the future politician, Layman used the same anecdote during her graduation speech. 

About her favorite Voorheesville memory, she said, “Just all the small moments that I’ve spent with my friends.”

For her graduation speech, Layman spoke about the best laid plans not always, well, going to plan. 

“My path was clear and I knew what I wanted,” Layman told attendees. 

But, she said, “Some of the things I planned to have happen, but my life certainly did not go the way that I had expected. I can say for certain that if my past self in all her iterations could see me today, she would be surprised how little she was able to anticipate.”

She then spoke about expectations and uncertainty. 

“Like so many of us reaching this turning point in my life, I can honestly say that I have no clue what the future holds. But in thinking about that, I’ve come to the realization that things were never supposed to go to plan. I did not need to have the perfect high school experience wrapped up in a bow, and know what I want to do or who I want to be.”

Layman told her fellow graduates, “We are all exactly where we need to be in this moment. And it is the past and the present that will enable us to have the future that we desire.”

She concluded, “As we all move forward in life, we are certain to face moments of failure but we cannot let these moments define who we are. If we continue to put in the work before and after we strive for big things. The outcome is the least of what matters. True success in any venture lies in the moments that led up to it.”