403 graduates receive diplomas
By JOSH RESNEK
The Everett High School Class of 2021 made it over the finish line with flying colors last Wednesday in an upbeat ceremony during a traditional graduation.
The pandemic now slipping away behind us in memory allowed for a much more unrestrained celebration Wednesday. Keynote speaker Superintendent of Schools Priya Tahiliani struck just the right note during the graduation with her words.
“You have all gotten here on a very similar road together,” she told the graduates seated in front of her.
“You are a graduating class with integrity and grace that will go down in history.”
State Senator Sal DiDomenico and Representative Joe McGonagle also delivered poignant and heartfelt remarks.
DiDomenico gave graduates a bit of sage advice.
“Don’t ever forget where you come from. Always be proud to say you’re from Everett.”
McGonagle praised the graduates for never losing hope during a tumultuous pandemic year.
“It was real easy to look at the negatives but you didn’t.”
A large crowd of parents and relatives filled the stands at Everett Memorial Stadium on a warm, sunny day.
EHS Senior Class President Anne Laurie Pierre told her fellow graduates their senior year was a blessing.
Valedictorian Karen Portillo uplifted the crowd when she said: “We are so happy to be here. At times, we didn’t know if this would happen.”
She spoke to racial injustice and praised efforts to crush racism against Blacks and Browns and Asians.
Her remarks were met with applause by the largely minority crowd.
Portillo will be heading to Harvard in the fall.